info wanted: family ride in Quebec



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Joeli

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I am planning a family trip to Quebec this summer. I am looking for a relatively flat route with low
traffic suitable for kids. 35Km/day 600Km total. I would be grateful for any suggestions/ideas.

Yoel Vancouver BC
 
My advice, although I'm just an out-of-towner without a lot of experience beyond Montreal, is to
ride the designated bike route/path out of Old Montreal into Lachine, stopping at the old Expo
Grounds along the way.

See the "Out-of-Town" section of my website (url below) for some details. Have fun!

Low-Impact Rides in the NY/LI region www.geocities.com/NYRides
 
Since 1995 the Route Verte has been under consruction in Quebec. It consists of bikeways and marked
roadways and will be 4000 km long when completed in 2005. I believe that 3000 km are complete at
this time. There is a very nice guide available which I have beside me as I type. You can learn
about the Route Verte and order a copy of the guide at: (http://www.routeverte.com). This seems like
a good place for you to look. I have the guide but I've not cycled any of the route.

Bob Taylor
 
Suggest the following sites for research:

http://www.canadatrails.ca/biking/bike_qc.html http://www.velo.qc.ca/route_verte/index.html

My favourite ride in Quebec is Le P'*** Train du Nord, 200 km along a former rail line from St.
Jerome to Mont Laurier. If you cycled up and back it would be 400 km, short of your total, but
completely safe for kids.

Ken

"Joeli" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I am planning a family trip to Quebec this summer. I am looking for a relatively flat route with
>low traffic suitable for kids. 35Km/day 600Km total. I would be grateful for any suggestions/ideas.
>
>Yoel Vancouver BC
 
Bonjour

I wrote a review of the route verte trails around montreal last summer, search google groups for "my
big fat route verte vacation". I reviewed approx ten of the trails making up the route verte network
around Montreal.

The route verte is a 3000+ km network of "intermunicipal" bike trails" that are often rail to
trail paths.

Montreal itself is a east/west/north/south starting point to the route verte, and has an impressive
bike path network of its own. For example, the Jacques Cartier bridge has been rebuilt with a 8 ft
sidewalk added for better bike use, it was 4 feet before. (Now they need to make the signage to the
start of the bike access for the bridge a bit better, but I am nitpicking). Be sute to ride the
lachine canal bike path. Also, the Olmstead road up Mount Royal to the summit (all the way to the
very top on bike, yes) with a stop at the Mount Royal chalet lookout over downtown is extremely
spectacular. And from here you can survey the eastern townships that you will ride!

You can ride north and south and east and west for hundreds of KM exclusively on the route verte
bike trail network. It is really quite phenomenal.

The guidebook is excellent, and in English too. THere is another guidebook, guide to bike trails in
quebec, exhaustivly comprehensive, which fills in the local bike trails for communities that the
Route verte may pass through. (and others of course) http://www.routeverte.com

Also, the chateauguay valley corner of quebec southwest of Montreal is very nice (read quiet, flat
and agricultural), and has chateauguay river (use the road across the river from route 138), covey
hill, and the beauharnois canal path for nice rides. Lots of backroads.

Quebec is a BIG place, and very scenic, and cheap for yanks to visit. The route verte network is a
huge addition to the provinces tourist potential. Come visit!

Bievenue!

tiger

[email protected] (Robert Taylor) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Since 1995 the Route Verte has been under consruction in Quebec. It consists of bikeways and
> marked roadways and will be 4000 km long when completed in 2005. I believe that 3000 km are
> complete at this time. There is a very nice guide available which I have beside me as I type.
> You can learn about the Route Verte and order a copy of the guide at:
> (http://www.routeverte.com). This seems like a good place for you to look. I have the guide but
> I've not cycled any of the route.
>
> Bob Taylor
 
[email protected] (Tiger Cub) wrote:

> Also, the Olmstead road up Mount Royal to the summit (all the way to the very top on bike, yes)
> with a stop at the Mount Royal chalet lookout over downtown is extremely spectacular. And from
> here you can survey the eastern townships that you will ride!

The Olmstead road? My map shows Camillien Houde from the east and Chemin Remembrance from the west.

In 1976 when I was young and foolish I road up Camillien Houde, or at least tried to. I think I had
to get off and rest part way up. The Olympic road race went up Camillien Houde, and because there
were 10 laps they did it 10 times. I went with a friend to watch the race along this climb.

Ken
 
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