Experience Québec
Discoveries
Highway to Heaven
If the Chic-Chocs mountain range is the backbone of the Gaspésie, then good old Highway 132 must be its main artery. Awarded three stars as a scenic drive by the 2004 Michelin Road Atlas, one of only 12 routes in North America to receive this honour, it paves the way to an unforgettable universe. Start your engines!
Circling the Gaspé Peninsula for more than 930 km (580 mi.), the fabled Highway 132 is more than just an extension of the Navigators’ Route-it’s an expressway to breathtaking vistas and extraordinary people.
Our itinerary begins with the spectacular Reford Gardens, a lush paradise filled with 3,000 species of native and exotic plants. Sharing the spotlight with the prestigious Estevan Lodge, which hosts musical brunches and afternoon tea, the gardens are an exceptional piece of Québec heritage.Onward and upward
Continuing your trek through the Matane sector, you could make a slight detour southwest to visit the area’s wildlife reserve or dine on succulent shrimp. Take a quick side trip to Cap-Chat and visit Éole, the world’s highest vertical-axis wind turbine (110 m / 360 ft.) and the Parc éolien Le Nordais (a windmill park). Éole is no longer in operation, but you can still learn all about its imposing mechanisms and the benefits of this type of energy.
Once you reach Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, you’ll hear the call of the Parc national de la Gaspésie. Be sure to pack your hiking boots, because with 130 km (73 mi.) of trails and over 25 peaks a thousand metres (3,280 ft.) high, you’re going to want firm footing! And the reward is heavenly: you’ll be touching the clouds as you tread the mountain tundra. Of note, the only caribou herd south of the St. Lawrence River lives in this park!Between mountain and sea
Journeying along to Rivière-au-Renard, you’ll be welcomed by Forillon National Park of Canada, with its wildflower meadows, pebble beaches and steep cliffs. Inside the park, the Grande-Grave National Heritage Site attests to both the way of life of fishing families and the Micmac aboriginal tradition.The definitive Québec postcard
The road twists and turns and gives you no warning. Suddenly, it leaps into view: the famed Percé rock, sculpted by time and a true geological miracle. It’s no wonder that it was chosen as Québec’s tourist symbol. If the timing of your visit coincides with the outgoing tides, you can walk right up to it. Otherwise, you’ll have to take a short cruise. The marine habitat is home to numerous treasures: crabs, starfish, whales, seals... and that’s not all! Île Bonaventure boasts the largest Northern gannet colony in North America. Don’t forget to bring your camera!The journey continues!
Now it’s time for the Baie des Chaleurs to unveil its charms, particularly the Banc-de-Paspébiac historical site-the centre of the fishing industry in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the 18th and 19th centuries-and the Oratoire Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Saint-Joseph (an oratory), in Carleton.
Before taking the return route along the salmon-rich Rivière Matapédia, a visit to the Musée d’histoire naturelle du parc national de Miguasha (the natural history museum at the Parc national de Miguasha) is a must. The park has been designated a world heritage site by UNESCO, and the museum’s numerous fossilized plants and fishes will take you back to a world that existed 370 million years ago.| Gaspésie in celebration! |
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Guillaume Rivard
2008-04-10
