Hey, Marie? For our road trip in Québec by the Sea, what do you think of going to Côte-Nord?

I can see us driving along the road bordering the St. Lawrence Estuary, our hair blowing in the wind… Rising at dawn to watch the sunrise light up the horizon… Exploring the region while listening to our favourite music or driving in silence, soaking up the rocky capes, endless beaches, small cliffside villages and boreal forest unfolding before our eyes… Taking in all the splendour of this majestic land, which also happens to be the best place to go whale watching in Québec! What’s more, we can also stop to go hiking and maybe even sea kayaking!

• It’s true that the Côte-Nord region sounds spectacular. Would we drive along Route 138 and then back?
• Yes!
• Won’t that be a bit repetitive?
• No, on the contrary! There are many advantages to taking the same road there and back.
• Oh yeah, what are they?

The first that comes to mind is that we’ll double our opportunities for discovery by driving the same road twice since we won’t see the scenery from the same angle in both directions. If we decide to drive all the way to Kegaska, at the end of Route 138, it’s about a 9-hour drive from Tadoussac, which can easily be divided into segments, so we can stay overnight wherever we want. Can you imagine sleeping on an island in the St. Lawrence, in a former lightkeeper’s house? In all, 845 km separate Tadoussac from Kegaska, with so much to see and do in between! Since you’re a nature lover, you’re in for a treat: the road will take us via a shoreline covered in tide-worn rocks, a lush forest, powerful rivers and waterfalls, salt marshes and beaches, peat bogs and increasingly wild landscapes, all the way to a northern forest… These rich ecosystems are full of an impressive diversity of plant and wildlife species! We’ll be able to enjoy a multitude of outdoor activities along the way, so we can admire nature and observe wildlife, which we so love to do.

Speaking of outdoor activities, the second advantage lies in the fact that we can change our plans based on the weather. If it’s rainy out on our way there, for example, we can spend some time visiting workshops and museums to learn about the Innu, the First Nation that inhabits this territory. Another option is to find out more about the history of the region or the marine environment at interpretation sites, or we could browse boutiques selling arts and crafts. Then, if the weather is nicer on the way back, we can set off on an adventure on the water and go sea kayaking, rafting or canoeing, or participate in an excursion aboard a sightseeing boat to see Atlantic puffins or whales (the region is home to 13 species of these giants of the sea!). If you’d rather keep both feet on dry land, there are many other options to choose from, such as hiking, black bear watching or bird watching! Côte-Nord is an exceptional place for outdoor enthusiasts since it’s home to the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park, Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay, the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Parc national d’Anticosti, the Réserve faunique de Port-Cartier–Sept-Îles and the Manicouagan-Uapishka World Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO)!

The third advantage I can think of is being able to stop for any spontaneous discoveries that didn’t fit into our schedule on the way there. For example, as the sun slowly sets over the mountains, maybe we spot a magnificent white-sand beach that would be an ideal place to spend a chunk of the day relaxing, going for a stroll and reading our books… We can make note of it and plan to stop there on the way back. Or maybe we pass through a picturesque village and see the perfect spot for a picnic, with a breathtaking view of the sea, but we’ve just had lunch? No problem! With so many attractions along the way, we can save the ones we don’t have time to discover on the outward journey for our return trip, so we don’t miss a thing!

And last but not least, the fourth advantage is that, on the way back, we can stock up on all the gourmet treats we discovered on our way there (as well as sample new ones!) since not everything will want to spend the whole journey in our coolers! I love meeting innovative food artisans who draw inspiration from wild, boreal and sea flavours to lovingly create their proudly regional products, such as marinated or smoked salmon, gin made with 13 botanicals, cloudberry pie, crab-flavoured beer, haskap berry sauce, mushroom vinaigrette, pastries made with local berries… Yum!

Finally, what appeals to me the most about retracing our steps on a road trip is that we can really take our time… On a loop drive, it’s tempting to rush forward without ever looking back. Whereas on a round trip, we can more easily allow ourselves to slow down, stop for photo opportunities or revisit a site that touched us. The drive becomes freer and leaves more room for improvisation! So what do you think, Marie, are you up for a road trip in Côte-Nord?