1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die (126 page)

W
HERE
: 50 miles/80 km northeast of Quebec City.
L
E
M
ANOIR
R
ICHELIEU
: La Malbaie. Tel 800-441-1414 or 418-665-3703;
www.fairmont.com/richelieu
.
Cost:
from US$131/C$149 (off-peak), from US$175/C$199 (peak).
L
A
P
INSONNIÈR
E
: La Malbaie. Tel 800-387-4431 or 418-665-4431;
www.lapinsonniere.com
.
Cost:
from US$114/C$130 (off-peak), from US$136/C$155 (peak); dinner US$51/C$58.
B
EST TIMES
: May–Oct for outdoor activities and whale-watching; Dec–Mar for skiing and snowmobiling.

Following the Food Trail in Southern Quebec

Quebec

Quebec’s Eastern Townships are a rich agricultural area of wide valleys and low mountains (the northern extension of the Appalachians) snuggled between the St. Lawrence River and the borders of Maine,
New Hampshire, and Vermont. This area was initially settled by British loyalists who moved here in the 1770s and ’80s after fleeing the newly independent U.S. The land is some of Quebec’s most beautiful, with dozens of tiny 19th-century villages and resorts nestling among fields and orchards, glacial lakes, and majestic mountains.

The landscape is not just for viewing, it’s for savoring. The heart of the Eastern Townships, a lovely area of rolling hills and valleys known as Brome-Missisquoi, serves as the breadbasket of Quebec, providing many of the traditional foods that lend a French
je ne sais quoi
to fine cuisine in Montreal and Quebec City. More than 60 winemakers, farmers, maple syrup producers, beekeepers, cheese makers, cider brewers, and other producers of fresh local food products open their properties to visitors.

Throughout the region, sheltered valleys produce microclimates where wine grapes and orchards flourish. The village of Dunham is at the center of “la Route des Vins”—a circuit of over a dozen wineries that’s also a popular cycling route. Artisanal cheeses are another local specialty, none more revered than the award-winners made by the 60 monks at the Abbey of St. Benoit-du-Lac, on Lake Memphremagog. Daily vespers are sung in Gregorian chant and you can spend a night or two, which the monks welcome.

The lovely village of Knowlton (part of Lac Brome township) is a center of regional gastronomy, with many fine restaurants and food producers (as well as antiques shops, boutiques, and art galleries). Its real claim to fame, however, is its duck farms. This region is one of North America’s leading producers and for several weeks in late September to early October, Knowlton celebrates the annual Duck Festival, which brings together the skills of local wine-makers and chefs in a grand culinary showcase.

W
HERE
: Knowlton is 60 miles/97 km southwest of Montreal.
Visitor info:
Tel 800-355-5755 or 819-820-2020;
www.easterntownships.org
.
A
BBEY OF
S
T
. B
ENOIT
-
DU
-L
AC
: Tel 819-843-4080;
www.st-benoit-du-lac.com
.
W
HERE TO STAY
: Auberge West Brome, tel 888-902-7663 or 405-266-7552;
www.awb.ca
.
Cost:
from US$178/C$200.
B
EST TIMES
: July–Sept for weather; several weeks in Sept–Oct for Knowlton Duck Festival and village harvest festivals.

Nordic Skiing in the Great North Woods

Gatineau, Quebec

This is your dream: gliding silently through snowbound forests of spruce and fir, across frozen lakes and icy river channels to a remote wood-fire-warmed hut or lodge. And the next day? Do it again, another day of deep
snow, deep woods, and another hut even deeper in the woods. Gatineau Park is one of North America’s top cross-country ski and snowshoeing destinations, with nearly 124 miles of groomed trails forming a network throughout the park’s 142 square miles—all just minutes from downtown Ottawa (see p. 1002).

Wedge-shaped Gatineau Park stretches from the city of Gatineau (formerly called Hull) up a series of lake-filled valleys flanked by rolling, snow-catching hills. For day skiers, the park’s nine shelters along the ski trails offer tables for lunch and a chance to warm up by woodstoves. But, for a real North Woods adventure, ski deep
into the forest to spend a night or two in the park’s six backcountry ski cabins or yurts (large, cozy tentlike structures fashioned after traditional cloth-sided dwellings in Central Asia). All cabins and yurts have bunk beds and woodstoves for cooking and heating; the cabin at Brown Lake also offers the comforts of modern electrical appliances. After an exhilarating day of skiing or snowshoeing through a snow-filled forest, it’s an unparalleled experience to spend a winter night in a toasty fire-warmed cabin on the edge of a quiet frozen lake.

Created in 1938, Gatineau Park is known for its network of cross-country ski trails, but it also offers snowshoeing, and in summer, hiking, biking, and swimming.

If you like your backcountry ski adventure with a little more comfort, try the Wakefield Mill Inn, a heritage 1838 stone mill that’s been refurbished into a delightful country inn spanning a waterfall on La Pêche River. It is Gatineau Park’s only traditional lodging choice, and an excellent one. The inn is close to the park’s trail network, and makes a delightful departure point or destination for expeditions into the park. Rooms are all unique—some with original stone walls, others within the old grain silo, and some overlooking a 28-foot waterfall—and are beautifully furnished with modern comforts and rural Quebecois charm. The restaurant offers excellent cuisine derived from deep-rooted French and Quebec traditions, updated with contemporary flair and local organic ingredients. After a massage in the inn’s new spa, relax in the spectacular outdoor hot tub at the base of the waterfall—ideal for après-ski bliss.

In summer, 78 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails call. Arrive on the Hull-Wakefield Steam Train, a vintage line between Gatineau and the little village of Wakefield.

W
HERE
: 6 miles/10 km north of Ottawa.
Visitor info:
Tel 800-465-1867 or 819-827-2020;
www.canadascapital.gc.ca/gatineau
.
Cost:
cabins and yurts US$22/C$25 per person per day.
W
AKEFIELD
M
ILL
I
NN
: Tel 888-567-1838 or 819-459-1838;
www.wakefieldmill.com
.
Cost:
from US$91/C$102.
H
ULLWAKEFIELD
S
TEAM
T
RAIN
: Tel 800-871-7246 or 819-871-7246;
www.steamtrain.ca
.
B
EST TIME
: mid-Jan for Ski-Fest, with cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and family fun.

Eastern Canada’s Top Ski Area

Quebec

Mont Tremblant, North America’s second-oldest ski resort (after Idaho’s Sun Valley; see p. 604) sits atop the highest peak (3,001 feet) of Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains. Established in 1939, the venerable
resort underwent more than just a face-lift in the 1990s when Intrawest, the corporation that also owns Whistler Blackcomb Resort in British Columbia (see p. 1062), poured nearly a billion dollars into development and upgrades. The result is an all-season destination resort, often ranked the No. 1 ski area in eastern North America, with more than 46
miles of trails (broken up into 94 runs) attracting skiers from around the world.

The mountain receives more than 150 inches of snow in winter, and a full 50 percent of its trails are classified expert, including the daunting double-black-diamond Dynamite, with its 42-degree incline, the steepest in eastern Canada. Nonskiers can try dogsledding and evening sleigh rides that come complete with storytelling and hot chocolate. But Mont Tremblant (French for “trembling mountain”) is known for more than its slopes. At the mountain’s base lies Mont Tremblant Village, alive with more than 80 bars, restaurants, and shops. This pedestrian-only area is designed to resemble Quebec City’s historic district, right down to its cobbled streets, wrought-iron balconies, and tin roofs. Le Shack, located on the St.-Bernard Plaza, is Tremblant’s popular après-ski spot, with a nonglitzy feel that’s shared by the whole resort.

The ski-in/ski-out Fairmont Mont Tremblant, built in 1996, sits just above the village. Harmoniously integrated into its natural setting, Fairmont Mont Tremblant has the feel of a country inn on a grand scale, with a fitness center, indoor-outdoor swimming pools year-round, three outdoor hot pools overlooking the ski slopes, and a European-style spa. At Le Loup-Garou, chef Laurent Miot brings traditional French techniques to natural local products. Mont Tremblant is as busy in summer as in winter, with families attracted to the region’s hiking, water sports, mountain biking, and other outdoor activities. The village edges up to the busy Lake Tremblant, with two world-class 18-hole golf courses, the par-71 Le Diable and par-72 Le Géant, that are arguably Quebec’s best.

W
HERE
: 75 miles/121 km north of Montreal. Tel 88-TREMBLANT or 819-681-2000;
www.tremblant.ca
.
C
OST
: lift tickets US$51/C$59; greens fees from US$68/C$79 (off-peak), from US$99/C$115 (peak).
When:
ski season mid-Nov–mid-Apr; golf season May–mid-Oct.
F
AIRMONT
M
ONT
T
REMBLANT
: Tel 819-681-7000;
www.fairmont.com/tremblant
.
Cost:
from US$148/C$169 (off-peak), from US$157/C$179 (peak).
B
EST TIMES
: Dec–Mar for ski conditions.

Mont Tremblant Resort boasts an exhilarating trail that’s 3.73 miles long.

A Music Extravaganza of International Proportions

Montreal, Quebec

As the largest such music celebration in the world, the two-week Montreal International Jazz Festival is the highlight of Montreal’s festival-packed summer (see next page). In the entertainment district anchored by the
Place des Arts, Montreal’s grand concert hall, ten outdoor stages present 350 free concerts, while 150 indoor concerts are held in clubs and theaters around town. A festival atmosphere
transforms the city, with the long summer evenings enlivened by high spirits and the thrill of the moment.