math_godin
Observer
Not much have been said about Gaspésie on EXPO, therefore I am sharing my trip report. I went on a 2 weeks solo overland trip in September:
Lead Image by Matt Godin, on Flickr
Born and raised on the east coast of Canada, I used to admire the mountains of Gaspesie across from the Baie-des-Chaleurs as a kid. I knew that one day I would go explore that area and stand on one of those mountains. I grew up on a very flat land and the mountains were calling me. Unfortunately, life got in the way and this adventure was put on hold for a while. This summer however, I decided that it was time for me to go explore Gaspesie and left on a two weeks overland trip to do just that. I would travel solo and would be camping alone for the first time ever; I was excited but at the same time, a little nervous for doing this on my own. Would I get bored, would loneliness kick in after a while? There was only one way to find out, sometimes taking the decision to just go is the hardest part.
I did not have a fixed itinerary but I planned to see the major points of interest (POI) along this trip: Gaspesie National Park, Forillon National Park and of course, that big rock in Perce.
Leaving from Ottawa, I decided to stop halfway at Bic National Park, which is a beautiful park, located in the St. Lawrence Estuary. I planned to be on the road for about 7 hours until I would reach Bic so this sounded more reasonable instead of driving about 12 hours to get to Gaspesie National Park. I have done long trips like that plenty of time before but you don’t get to enjoy the ride much after a few hours and besides, with all those moose on the loose it is safer to stop and set up camp before dusk rather than to keep driving.
Pathfinder1 by Matt Godin, on Flickr
The Societe des etablissements de plein air du Quebec (SEPAQ) manage Bic National Park along with 24 other national parks located all across Quebec and this also includes Gaspesie National Park. I have visited a few of these parks before therefore I knew that my stay there would be enjoyable as I found these parks to be well managed (e.g. clean facilities) with friendly staff. I could have planned to stay for free on crown owned lands but since I was traveling solo, I preferred to stay at campsites and see other human time to time and did not have to worry about finding a campsite at the last minute every day. I went on my trip at the beginning of September just after the regular tourist season so I did not have to worry about reservations and would also enjoy some privacy at campsites with fewer visitors at that time of the year.
Bic is a rather small park but still, it has so much to explore. I was missing the sounds and the smell of the sea so I definitely got my fix when I got there. I stayed there for 2 nights and then left for Gaspesie National Park, which really was my main POI. I drove on road 132 along the St. Lawrence, which has beautiful scenery and then got close and personal with Gaspesie’s mountains by taking road 299 that travel across Gaspesie from north to south. I remember seeing a wall of mountains somewhere on the way, which was higher than any I had ever seen in eastern Canada, my mouth just opened, it was spectacular!
Once I arrived at the park, I booked a campsite for two nights and went on with my exploration. Since I had an injured foot that was still healing I settled for one of the easiest hikes that would bring me at the top of a mountain, Mont Ernest-Laforce. Although it is not the park’s highest mountain, the view from the top was amazing. I was finally standing on one of Gaspesie’s mountain a dream just came true. I chatted with some French tourists, took tons of pictures and then went down to eat some snacks and plan my next micro-adventure.
View from M. Ernest-Laforce by Matt Godin, on Flickr
Since I was on an overland trip, my objective was also to do some backcountry travel and drive on some gravel roads. Instead of returning on road 299 to get back on the 132, I drove east across the Chic-Chocs Reserve, as it would also lead to the 132 eventually. I left on a foggy morning, which made for beautiful scenery in the reserve.
Chic-Chocs1 by Matt Godin, on Flickr
Chic-Chocs2 by Matt Godin, on Flickr
After getting back on road 132 I finally arrived at Forillon National Park after driving a few hours through the fog with not much for visibility. I booked a campsite for two nights once again and drove to the picnic area at Cap-Bon-Ami. The view at Cap-Bon-Ami was stunning although it was still quite foggy.
Forillon by Matt Godin, on Flickr
The next morning I hiked up to Mont Saint-Alban’s lookout tower that gives you a perfect view of Land’s end. The view from the tower was breathtaking. I then went to Cap-des-rosiers to visit Canada’s highest lighthouse (37 m). I had the privilege to have a tour as the sole visitor for the 2:00 pm tour. It was fascinating to learn about the history of this lighthouse and how its whole system used to work.
Land's end by Matt Godin, on Flickr
Lighthouse1 by Matt Godin, on Flickr
Land's end2 by Matt Godin, on Flickr
Before leaving for Perce, I hiked the 8 km (round trip) Les Graves trail to Cap-Gaspe (Land’s end) that is also part of Forillon National Park. At the end is a beautiful lighthouse and you are now as much east as you can get in Gaspesie. At that point, the Appalachian Mountains disappear in the Atlantic Ocean before re-emerging in Newfoundland.
Cap-Gaspe by Matt Godin, on Flickr
To be continued...
Lead Image by Matt Godin, on FlickrBorn and raised on the east coast of Canada, I used to admire the mountains of Gaspesie across from the Baie-des-Chaleurs as a kid. I knew that one day I would go explore that area and stand on one of those mountains. I grew up on a very flat land and the mountains were calling me. Unfortunately, life got in the way and this adventure was put on hold for a while. This summer however, I decided that it was time for me to go explore Gaspesie and left on a two weeks overland trip to do just that. I would travel solo and would be camping alone for the first time ever; I was excited but at the same time, a little nervous for doing this on my own. Would I get bored, would loneliness kick in after a while? There was only one way to find out, sometimes taking the decision to just go is the hardest part.
I did not have a fixed itinerary but I planned to see the major points of interest (POI) along this trip: Gaspesie National Park, Forillon National Park and of course, that big rock in Perce.
Leaving from Ottawa, I decided to stop halfway at Bic National Park, which is a beautiful park, located in the St. Lawrence Estuary. I planned to be on the road for about 7 hours until I would reach Bic so this sounded more reasonable instead of driving about 12 hours to get to Gaspesie National Park. I have done long trips like that plenty of time before but you don’t get to enjoy the ride much after a few hours and besides, with all those moose on the loose it is safer to stop and set up camp before dusk rather than to keep driving.
Pathfinder1 by Matt Godin, on FlickrThe Societe des etablissements de plein air du Quebec (SEPAQ) manage Bic National Park along with 24 other national parks located all across Quebec and this also includes Gaspesie National Park. I have visited a few of these parks before therefore I knew that my stay there would be enjoyable as I found these parks to be well managed (e.g. clean facilities) with friendly staff. I could have planned to stay for free on crown owned lands but since I was traveling solo, I preferred to stay at campsites and see other human time to time and did not have to worry about finding a campsite at the last minute every day. I went on my trip at the beginning of September just after the regular tourist season so I did not have to worry about reservations and would also enjoy some privacy at campsites with fewer visitors at that time of the year.
Bic is a rather small park but still, it has so much to explore. I was missing the sounds and the smell of the sea so I definitely got my fix when I got there. I stayed there for 2 nights and then left for Gaspesie National Park, which really was my main POI. I drove on road 132 along the St. Lawrence, which has beautiful scenery and then got close and personal with Gaspesie’s mountains by taking road 299 that travel across Gaspesie from north to south. I remember seeing a wall of mountains somewhere on the way, which was higher than any I had ever seen in eastern Canada, my mouth just opened, it was spectacular!
Once I arrived at the park, I booked a campsite for two nights and went on with my exploration. Since I had an injured foot that was still healing I settled for one of the easiest hikes that would bring me at the top of a mountain, Mont Ernest-Laforce. Although it is not the park’s highest mountain, the view from the top was amazing. I was finally standing on one of Gaspesie’s mountain a dream just came true. I chatted with some French tourists, took tons of pictures and then went down to eat some snacks and plan my next micro-adventure.
View from M. Ernest-Laforce by Matt Godin, on FlickrSince I was on an overland trip, my objective was also to do some backcountry travel and drive on some gravel roads. Instead of returning on road 299 to get back on the 132, I drove east across the Chic-Chocs Reserve, as it would also lead to the 132 eventually. I left on a foggy morning, which made for beautiful scenery in the reserve.
Chic-Chocs1 by Matt Godin, on Flickr
Chic-Chocs2 by Matt Godin, on FlickrAfter getting back on road 132 I finally arrived at Forillon National Park after driving a few hours through the fog with not much for visibility. I booked a campsite for two nights once again and drove to the picnic area at Cap-Bon-Ami. The view at Cap-Bon-Ami was stunning although it was still quite foggy.
Forillon by Matt Godin, on FlickrThe next morning I hiked up to Mont Saint-Alban’s lookout tower that gives you a perfect view of Land’s end. The view from the tower was breathtaking. I then went to Cap-des-rosiers to visit Canada’s highest lighthouse (37 m). I had the privilege to have a tour as the sole visitor for the 2:00 pm tour. It was fascinating to learn about the history of this lighthouse and how its whole system used to work.
Land's end by Matt Godin, on Flickr
Lighthouse1 by Matt Godin, on Flickr
Land's end2 by Matt Godin, on FlickrBefore leaving for Perce, I hiked the 8 km (round trip) Les Graves trail to Cap-Gaspe (Land’s end) that is also part of Forillon National Park. At the end is a beautiful lighthouse and you are now as much east as you can get in Gaspesie. At that point, the Appalachian Mountains disappear in the Atlantic Ocean before re-emerging in Newfoundland.
Cap-Gaspe by Matt Godin, on FlickrTo be continued...
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