trip itinerary by day
Day 1, Saturday, February 21
Our journey starts at Manoir De Sapins, a charming hostel in the small coastal village of Ste-Félicité. https://www.manoirdessapins.com/en/. Our hosts, Aurelie and Deidre, are good friends and have hosted us before and after our expeditions for many years. Please arrive between 4 and 5:30 PM. Dinner will be served at 6 PM, followed by a pre-trip meeting.
Day 2, Sunday, February 22
After an early breakfast, we will carpool to the trailhead in the national park. We will drop off food and heavy gear at the transport service cabin. Our equipment will be sled into the mountains by snowmobile, while we’ll ski with the light packs. All cabins are supplied with bunk beds, mattresses, and firewood. You will be carrying a change of clothes and a mid-weight sleeping bag (cabins are well-insulated and stay warm through the night). At night we will use candles for light. Cabins have outhouses with a view. We will melt snow for water. On this day, we will cover ten, gradual uphill kilometers with an elevation gain of 1350 feet on a wide trail through the Boreal Forest reaching cabin Le Pluever, set on the shore of a highland Lake Cascapedia and flanked by majestic mountains.
Day 3, Monday, February 23
Crossing Lake Cascapedia, we will continue the gradual ascent across the many alpine lakes and frozen bogs with views of the mountains all around, reaching cabin La Messange, nestled high on the sub-alpine Plateau. We will cover 12, mostly uphill kilometers with an elevation gain of 1500 feet. We have gained the highest point of our trip! We will spend two nights under the roof of La Messange.
Day 4, Tuesday, February 24
This is the rest day with many exciting day trip options. We can attempt a ridge traverse with the sweeping views across St Lawrence, or go on a Boreal ecology, navigation, and wildlife tour of lakes and mountains with a map and compass. We will make a decision based on weather, snow conditions, and the group’s performance over the two previous days.
Day 5, Wednesday, February 25
Today, we will return to LePluvier, and it is mostly downhill! We have several options for the return trip: retracing our ski tracks back to Cascapedia, going on a twice-as-long loop down the mountains and skiing the length of the lake to the cabin, or navigating without trails, following streams, bogs, and contours of the land. We will assess the group and weather conditions, and make the best choice for the group. Reaching our familiar home at LePluvier, we will celebrate the last night of the expedition!
Day 6, Thursday, February 26
This is the last day of our journey. After breakfast and packing, we’ll head down the mountains, carving turns on the gradual ten-kilometer descent back to the trailhead.
After the trip:
We will say goodbye in the early afternoon, at the trailhead. If you have extra time, we highly recommend staying in Quebec longer. Here are some great options:
Head up to Gite Du Mont Albert https://www.sepaq.com/pq/gma/index.dot?language_id=1 , a few kilometers up the park road. Here, you can stay at the hotel or in one of many cozy chalets, surrounding the mountain resort. This resort is set in the center of the mountains with world-class backcountry skiing, ski-mountaineering, Nordic skiing, and snowshoeing opportunities. There is a great restaurant and sauna. There are no stores, gas stations, or commercial developments of any kind at Mont Albert.
Return to Manoir De Sapins and experience the charming maritime culture, authentic cuisine and magnificent views of the frozen gulf of St Lawrence
Cross St Lawerence on an ice-breaker ferry and head down to Quebec City. Quebec City is the only fully intact fortified medieval city in North America. Much like going to Europe, without crossing the ocean! There are many authentic cultural, and adventure opportunities including some of the best Nordic skiing on the continent, great downhill skiing, museums, architecture and French cuisine.
We love Quebec, know it well, and will be happy to help you make the most out of your stay!
