Bicycle Touring in Quebec
The Route Verte
Quebec's Route Verte was ranked as the number one bicycle touring network in the world by National Geographic. It's easy to see why. With over 5,000 kilometers of marked bike routes and 1,200 of those being separated bike paths or rail trails this is a cycling hot spot. It's also a favorite touring destination of our shop owners, Leslie and Jeff Latimer. They recently completed two trips in Quebec and their story and photos can be found below along with links for tourism, lodging and planning.
P'tit Train du Nord - bike village to village on 200 KM of car free rail trail
North of Montreal you'll find the perfect spot for your first bicycle tour. The little train of the north used to run from Montreal to the lumber yards and ski towns of the Laurentian mountains. Today Le P'tit Train du Nord is a rail trail that streches for 200 kilometers. Sure the trail is in the mountains, but trains don't like big grades so you'll find it's easy pedaling. Most folks prefer to ride it "downhill" and will park their car in St. Jerome and take a shuttle north to Mont Laurier. Then they'll ride back to St. Jerome over 3-4 days staying at inns along the way. You can carry your gear or have the shuttle service move your bags each day. Campsites are also available along the trail. We recommend that you take 4 days to complete the journey which will allow you more time to explore the 18 villages along the way.
Resources:
Jeff & Leslie's 25 Anniversary Tour
Route Verte Le P'tit Train du Nord is part of Route Verte #2
Welcome (Bienvenue) Cyclists - list of accomodations that cater to the needs of cyclists as approved by Velo Quebec.
The Eastern Townships
Lake Champlain stretches north across the border into the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Lying between Montreal and Quebec city, it's an area that most whiz through on the Interstate. Get out of the car and on a bike and you'll find a great area for bicycle touring. Small towns are connected by back roads and Quebec's sytem of bike routes and paths known as "Route Verte" - the green route. The wide open Champlain valley is flat - as you move west you'll find some hills around Sutton. Pull out your passports and prepare for a great trip.
Resources:
The Eastern Townships - Tourism
Bienvenue (Welcome) Cyclists - accomodations approved by Velo Quebec
Auberge Harris - An early pioneer of bike tourism the owner of Auberge Harris put together a great map of routes on each side of Lake Champlain near St. Jean Sur Richelieu. You can call for a paper map or download their "e-trails" app
Champlain Bikeways - Offers a great map of the Champlain Valley and routes to connect to Quebec from Vermont.
Tourism Links - area information and lodging
Quebec is divided into 22 tourism regions, each with their own tourism bureau here are the ones we've traveled through, but each has it's own tourism web site.
The Eastern Townships: This is the area immediately North of Vermont. You'll link into the Route Verte in the townships via the Champlain Bikeways in Vermont. The website changes by the season, but with a few clicks you should be able to find the link to their "Cycling the Eastern Townships" map.
The Laurentians - This is the area that the P'tit Train du Nord is located in.
Tourism Monteregie - This area is West of the Eastern Townships and South of Montreal.