When you go on a road-trip from Montreal, you often have to choose between the water’s edge or the forest.
There are those who want to spend the day at the lake, sunbathing on the shores of one of Quebec’s thousands of lakes or on the banks of the St. Lawrence, with their hair blowing in the wind and a chilled local cider in their cooler. And, on the other hand, there are those who want to get up at dawn to climb mountains, and prefer to hang out in the evening under tall trees, also with a local cider chilled in the cooler …
The choice is complicated, of course, especially if you’re visiting Quebec and want to do a bit of everything. At Baie Saint-Paul, you can divide your time between the water’s edge and the forest and, what’s more, sleep in nature in one of Quebec’s most eco-symbiotic accommodations.
Charlevoix and Baie Saint-Paul
Baie Saint-Paul is just under a 4-hour drive from downtown Montreal, and for the views, it’s one of the most beautiful drives you’ll ever make.
The Charlevoix region, northeast of Quebec City, between the banks of the St. Lawrence and the mouth of the Saguenay. At the heart of the region is the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve, set in a 400-million-year-old asteroid crater.
Charlevoix is a region criss-crossed by the Canadian Shield, a rock formation dating from the Precambrian era (4.5 billion years ago, give or take) and the disparate peaks and troughs of the region’s relief. It’s a true oasis of biodiversity, and the villages and inhabitants of the region give it back with a primordial energy that emphasizes nature and minimizes human impact on the landscape. When you’re there, you feel like you’re alone in the world, on a Jurassic beach.
Baie Saint-Paul is one of the largest towns in the region, but it’s a small village with the feel of a 90s American TV series – and we love it. The village has stores, restaurants and is a great stop-off point for local produce (cheese, fruit and vegetables, honey, meat), but the real road-trip is into the heart of Charlevoix nature.
The forest
The relief, semi-cliff and semi-mountain, is perfect for hiking, and there are plenty of easy to very difficult trails in the area – some lasting several days.
We love the Sentier des Caps, which has two sectors and 70km of hiking trails, and has the best view in the area, at the end of a not-so-difficult trail, of the river. And, what’s more, you can sleep in a refuge.
And it’s not the only place where you can sleep under the big trees…
Eco-tourism and agrotourism are the region’s secret weapons, and if you want, you can sleep elsewhere, but we recommend the little wooden cabins (or, for tourists, we call them “ma-cabane-au-canada”) and the slow-life that goes with them.
At Territoire Charlevoix, you can reserve a place in a cabin or a campsite in their “wilderness resort”. Depending on your level of adventure, these range from good old-fashioned camping to elevated glamping.
Tanières microchalets are just eight minutes from the center of Baie Saint-Paul…
…and the cabins at Repère Boréal are the most luxurious… and you can do yoga, for a perfect symbiosis with the natural surroundings (you’re going to be insufferable when you get back to Montreal).
The beach
There are several beaches in the area, but we love to go straight (in a region where you have to do everything by car) to the Baie Saint-Paul beach on foot-slapping our clogs on the village sidewalks and with a detour to the farm of the grand Hôtel Germain to see the long-haired cows.
You can also go kayaking with Kabatik, another cabin offering sea kayaking outings.
Enjoy your road trip!