Lac Saint-Jean feels like a world away, as if we’d gone for a weekend at the beach—with sandy beaches, the prickly trees of the North, fields full of blueberries, and little houses lined up along the water’s edge. To get away from it all, we’re going to spend a long weekend there before summer ends.
Three days at Lac Saint-Jean—that’s our plan for the end of August—and we’re bringing a straw basket, thick flower-print bath towels, a cooler to hold our kilos of blueberries, a cap, and a liter of sunscreen.
We’re leaving from Quebec City—or staying there overnight—on our way to Lac Saint-Jean because we have to drive north—and very quickly, we’re driving toward the Appalachian Mountains, through tall spruce trees and fields that keep getting bigger and bigger.
3 DAYS AT LAKE SAINT-JEAN
DAY 1
We arrive at the hotel after an early morning departure from Quebec City and a stop at a roadside diner to drink coffee and feel the scorching sun on our skin. We’re staying at the Chalets et Spa Lac Saint-Jean because the cottages are semi-private, and we can pretend we’ve bought one right on the lake. It’s in Chambord, one of the prettiest lakeside villages.
And then, right away, we’re heading to the beach. After the beaches of Southern Quebec, which tend to be rockier or dirtier, we can’t wait to stretch out on the fine sand of Lac Saint-Jean’s 42 km of sandy beaches. We head to Chambord Beach with a picnic we put together in town (in the straw basket, of course) and take a dip in the cool lake water. Lac Saint-Jean has a distinctly maritime feel, covers more than 1,000 m², and is relatively shallow. It’s like a little sea.
And by the way, we packed a sweater for the evenings—or a striped shirt for boating and getting out of the water, because the air is cooler there than in Montreal.
For a “fries” break, we’ll stop at the Relais du Souvenir diner at 1801 Principale Street in Chambord (and right next door, we’ll take a break at the Relais du Bleuet).
In the evening, we’ll have dinner at Restaurant du Moulin in the historic village of Val-Jabert, which has retained its early 20th-century charm—you can also tour the village beforehand; details are here. The restaurant overlooks the beautiful Ouiatchouan Falls.
We sleep well, in the cool lake air.
DAY 2
On the second day, we’ll hop on a bike (rented from the hotel or in town) and set off for a ride on the Véloroute des Bleuets. It’s a cycling route that circles Lac Saint-Jean. It’s 256 km long, and we can cover a stretch of it on our second day. The Véloroute also passes close to the rivers of Lac Saint-Jean, and there are plenty of them.
We didn’t pack a picnic; we’ll stop for lunch. And we brought our swimsuits, just in case. There are plenty of scenic overlooks, rest stops, diners, and blueberry fields where we can stop
We’re heading to the lovely village of Saint-Félicien, which is about a 2-hour-and-40-minute bike ride from Chambord, and we’ll stop at the Maison du Bleuet for some soft-serve ice cream made with wild blueberries.
We’re heading back toward Chambord, and we’re stopping in Mashteuiatsh, on the territory of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation, for a visit to its history museum.
On the second night, we’ll take a dip in the lake at a beach on our way back to the hotel, have dinner there, and go to sleep after gazing at the sky for a while. It’s black and full of stars above the lake.
DAY 3
On the third day, we’ll go for a walk in the great outdoors.
To go fishing and get lost among the moss-covered rocks of a national park, we’re heading to the Ashuapmushuan Wildlife Reserve. We can also spend the third night there.
To wander among the trees and get a little thrill in a millennia-old cave and on suspension bridges (with views that’ll take your breath away), we’re heading to Le Trou de la Fée Park.
Then we’ll head back home, feeling refreshed, with the car full of blueberries and the scent of warm spruce trees and the cool lake water. We’ll still have sand in our hair and between our toes for weeks to come…
