Laurentides (Laurentians)

This 226-km (140-mi.) route is a foodie’s paradise, featuring 20 or so gourmet events, 22 stops that will make your mouth water with delight, a museum and two parks—after all, you’ll need a break to digest!

Ice wine is made from grapes harvested frozen.

You’ll find everything under the sun, from traditionally milled flour, sparkling and ice wines, to flowers, homemade jams, a wide variety of apples, mead, and even an old-style sugar shack guaranteed to please maple lovers. You can also taste “Dieu du ciel!” craft beer or stop in at a local smokehouse that smokes an array of meats and produces its own charcuteries. Treat yourself to this feast for the soul and enjoy the journey!

Author Claude-Henri Grignon parachutes his fictional characters into the true story of Curé Labelle, a parish priest and veritable hero who fought for a railway to be built between Montréal and Mont-Laurier to ensure the region’s survival. That’s the backstory for this 284-km (176-mi.) tourist route.

The Curé Labelle was really nicknamed the “Roi du Nord” (king of the north).

Today, the train no longer runs. In its place is the P’tit Train du Nord linear park, a 232-km (144-mi.) multi-use trail providing a north-south corridor in your land of adventure.

The “belles histoires,” or wonderful tales, are brought to life by museums, train stations converted into cafés and interpretation centres, parks and covered bridges, heritage tours, theatres and even a podcast.

With a delightful blend of rural and urban elements, the park has a certain romantic air about it, following rivers and flirting with mountains, lakes and forests.

It’s easier to pedal from north to south due to the downward slope of the land.

The former train stations, lively and welcoming to all travellers, have been transformed into cafés, inns, shops, museums, galleries, studios and bike repair shops, providing all the necessary services and amenities to park visitors.

What’s more, the user-friendly site also offers a shuttle service. Visitors can leave their car at point A, and their luggage gets transported from inn to inn. After reaching point B, they are brought back to point A along with their bicycle and luggage.