Swimming at Brebeuf Beach

Brebeuf beach - a hidden jewel!

In our river kayaking piece, we remarked about the beautiful sand beaches you'll find all along the Riviere Rouge.  Well, the Rouge continues south to the town of Brebeuf and beyond, and after a beautiful waterfall beside highway 323, you'll find a spectacular white sand beach.  The is the municipal beach of Brebeuf, and it is a hidden jewel in the Laurentians.

We've driven through Brebeuf dozens of times on our way to Tremblant via Ottawa.  Blueberry Falls (chute aux bleuets) is easy to spot but the beach is relatively hidden.  Head south on chemin de la rouge just west of the bridge over the falls, and there is ample parking on the right side.  Just cross the bridge over the river to the central island which forms the beach.  There is a charge -$6.50 for adults - and it's a bargain.  The beach is quite spacious so even on a busy day, you won't feel crowded.  The water is fairly shallow and deepens very gradually, so it's great for kids.  We don't have kids and like it anyway...

The water as seen through our beach chair

We're blessed with great swimming spots in the Tremblant area.  The others we've written up are on beautiful lakes, and those are hard to beat from a pure swimming standpoint.  But if you're looking more for sunbathing on a sandy beach, you can't beat Brebeuf!

July 2018 Update
The first few days of July were unusually hot with daytime highs in the mid-30's and humidex values over 40 degrees celsius.  Of course, that meant beach weather and so we upgraded our beach gear with a proper umbrella.  Brebeuf beach was one of several we visited during this stretch and it did non disappoint.  There is still a small fee for usage, but the beach is lifeguarded and the sand is incomparable in the region.  An awesome day!

Val David

Rush hour on Val David's main street

Any town named after me must be a winner,  I say.  And indeed, Val David is a Laurentian jewel just off highway 15, about a 25 minute drive from St. Jovite.  We have visited a few towns in the area including Ste Agathe, Mont Laurier and St Donat, and none have as much going on even though Val David is smaller than those other three. 

We originally visited because a friend recommended Val David as a nice afternoon visit...he knew of the town as his sister had attended a yoga ashram in the area.  I'm not a big yoga fan but decided to check it out anyway, and we were glad we did.  If I'm going to visit a town, I need somewhere good to eat, and Val Davide offers a number of good restaurants.  Our mainstay is Le Baril Roulante with exceptional food and deep selection of craft Quebec beer on tap. And another block or two further is Restaurant Les Zebres, a higher-end spot that we visited during a 2014 kayak trip in the area. There is also Au Petit Poucet, famous for their Quebecois delights (jams, meats, baked goods) and now features a restaurant.

Dining aside, what brought us to this town in the first place is the annual 1001 Pots, an outdoor festival of pottery attracting dozens of potters from across Quebec.  There are also many artist studios in town, as well as the master pewtersmith Chaudron, from whom we have purchased many oil lamps for our chalet.  And if you don't want to drive to Val David, you can cycle there along the Petit Train du Nord which passes right through town at the historic train station.

Mont Tremblant National Park

Vache Noir, near the Diable entrance

The most popular posting we have on this blog is about hiking in the Mont Tremblant National Park. After a couple of amazing visits to the park in October 2013, we realized we didn't have an entry about the park itself and some of it great features, hence this post.  Here are a few key items we'd like to pass along, in no particular order:

1. Shuttle to the park!  If you're staying in the Tremblant resort and don't have a car, you can now access the Mont Tremblant National Park via the daily shuttle. It runs from early July to mid-October, several times daily from the Place des Voyageurs.  This gives you easy access to the canoe/kayak trips, Via Ferrata and all the hiking the park has to offer.  Full details are available on the Tremblant website.
2. Free access for locals.  If you have a place in the Tremblant area, your "carte citoyen" now gets you access to the park for free.  Just drop by with your card at the visitor's centre inside the Diable entrance gates, and they'll issue you a pass valid for the entire year!  Thereafter, you can breeze past the visitor centre, flash your card at the security checkpoint, and they'll provide you a day pass to hand on your rear view mirror.
3. Diable entrance.  There are several sectors and entrances to the park, and the Diable entrance (named for the major river that runs through it) is the closest to Tremblant.  You get there by taking Chemin du Lac Superieur, about 10 minutes north of the actual Town of Lac Superieur.  The road is well signed so no problems finding your way.  This sector is loaded with offices...the first is immediately on your right, where you can get information and sign up for activities.  It was still active as of the writing of this post although I suspect this office is being phased out.  Just a few metres past this office, you pass through a checkpoint with park officials, and then the next office is about 10km north, this time on your left at Lac Monroe.  This is where we checked in for our kayak trip (it was awesome...read about it) and there's also a mini-grocery store here for the campers.  About a minute further along the road and at the top of Lac Monroe is the beautiful new Discovery Centre, and I believe this is where the park plans to conduct more business after they close the first building near the entrance. 
   

View of Lac Monroe from the Discovery Centre

Animal Farm, Petting Zoo

Goats love Karen

My wife goes crazy for petting zoos.  They don't need to be huge, nor contain exotic animals...give her a few goats and a pony and she's delighted.  So imagine her exuberance to have found Du Coq A L'ane Des Laurentides, a working farm just south of Brebeuf that features a wide range of animals and welcomes visitors.    Brebeuf is about ten minutes south of St. Jovite along the 323, and Coq A L'ane is about another 10 minutes south along a pretty side road.  Apparently they have a lovely sand beach along the nearby Rouge river, but it poured rain the day we were there so we didn't check it out.  Anyway, it's an option for a picnic if you so chose.

Despite the rain, we were treated not only to the cute animals, but also a Medieval Fair.  That's right, archery demonstrations, armored knight battles, chain mail jewelry, and of course a grog tent.  We may have stayed longer had the skies not opened up, but it was a fun afternoon and we even got the chance to try our hand with a bow and arrow (we sucked).  but mostly, we were there for the animals.  Fancy chickens, llamas, rabbits, goats, ponies and more.  Always a riot!

We weren't kidding about the Medieval fair

Fall Colours

Early fall colours as seen from the ski mountain

My wife and I are taking a 5-week leave from work this fall, spending the last three weeks of September in France, and then the first two weeks of October in Mont Tremblant.  I was describing the trip to a coworker...he was aghast that we'd come back to Canada for those last two weeks.  "Why not go to Italy or Spain?  You're already in Europe...why come back to Quebec of all places???"  My response: "Have you ever been to Mont Tremblant in the fall?"  He admitted that he hadn't, and that explains why he didn't understand.  The fall colours in Tremblant are nothing short of spectacular, and I'd rather forego another couple week in Europe than miss a season here.

I don't know that we've ever experienced true peak colours...we've either come up in early September (while Porter is still flying) and caught the onset of the vivid reds, or come at Canadian Thanksgiving for an extended long weekend when the colours are still bright but the trees are half-empty of their leaves.  Naturally the peak varies according to the prevailing weather, but generally it's the last week of September and the first week of October.  And this is no secret...during these prime weeks, the Montee Ryan is jammed with daytrippers from Montreal, heading up to catch a glimpse of the splendour.

So how best to enjoy the colours?  The most popular is to head to the ski village and take the gondola to the peak of Mont Tremblant.  Or if you're more adventurous, take one of the many hiking trails to the top and you can enjoy the foliage up close, get some exercise and truly earn your mountaintop beer. As I mentioned above, the ski village will be crowded but on the plus side, the restaurants, bars and shops will be brimming with life.  If you prefer a quieter experience, try Old Tremblant.  It's close by, and yields beautiful colours among the treed mountains that surround Lac Mercier.  You can also enjoy a wooded walk in either direction along the P'Tit Train du Nord that runs right through town.  And of course, there are several nice restaurants and bars in Old Tremblant including our favourite pub, Au Coin.

View from our balcony...some colours still hanging on in
mid-October

We would also recommend the Domaine St. Bernard.  It will be a popular spot as well, but not overrun like the ski village.  If you haven't been there before, you'll love the views of the Mont Tremblant mountain, and of course there are countless trails on the property to enjoy.  The bottom line is you'll be treated to amazing scenery everywhere you go in Tremblant during the fall colour season...you can literally point your camera anywhere and still take a nice shot.  Enjoy!

Oct 2017 Update
An unseasonably warm fall this year meant that when we arrived for the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, there were plenty of leaves still in the trees as a October 7-9.  Other years, the leaves are mostly down by this point, so it shows how variable the fall colour conditions can be.

Asparagus Farm

We drive from Toronto to Tremblant via Ottawa, taking the Cumberland ferry just east of the city.  It's like a dividing line as you float across the Ottawa river: Ontario and the workplace is behind you, Quebec and the calming Laurentians lay ahead.  We then head north to Highway 50, which now extends all the way from Masson-Angers to highway 323 just north of Montebello.  [There used to be an unfinished gap from Thurso to the 323 but that's open now.]

Asparagus as art

Once you turn north on 323, you quickly pass Parc Omega (think African Lion Safari but with Quebecois animals) and you soon see a strange site: six-foot asparagus spears being "charmed" by a metallic piper.  Yes, it's an asparagus farm!  We haven't visited but we plan to this coming fall. In winter, the asparagus spears each wear a little Santa hat.

Farmers Market

Morning at the farmers market

Every Saturday from late June to mid-September, you'll find a morning farmers market in Old Tremblant.  It runs from 9am until 1pm, and is located in the parking lot just behind the public library on Chemin du Village.  It's a favourite stop for us on the weekends because you can find a wide variety of delights from farmers and artisans from throughout the Laurentians.  Naturally, you'll find produce of all sorts, fresh from the farm.  But you'll also find cheese, pastries, jams, honey, and even wine, just to name a few.  If you miss the Saturday market and still need your fresh fix, try the giant corn cob mini-market on the 117.

Lovely veggies at the market!

August 2014 update: We visited the market again yesterday in Old Tremblant and it is still going strong.  We were pleased to see a number of new vendors, including a gourmet chef from La Conception who (among other things) leads wild mushroom picking trips...we'll be doing one of those this September for sure.  We bought a mushroom sauce from him, and then proceeded to another new vendor offering fantastic port jellies and caramel butter, so we loaded up there too.  Of course, some of the mainstays were there, including Fumoir Gibily who offer the most amazing smoked fish.  They no longer do deliveries to old Tremblant, but if you buy $150 or more, they still deliver to the Tremblant area.

Sweet Corn!

The giant corn cob was sporting a cycling helmet

If you've ever driven up the 117, north toward Mont Laurier, you've probably seen the giant corn cob waving to you on the right side of the highway.  We passed it many times on our way up to the airport at La Macaza, and we always vowed to stop sometime and get some corn.  After almost 2 years in Tremblant, we stopped in on our way back from river kayaing in Labelle.  As expected, this is a very cute vegetable stand. Of course, as the corn mascot suggests, they have an antique farm trailer full of cobs picked freshly from their farm.  We barbecued our half dozen that night and they were magnificent...nothing like fresh summer sweet corn.

Much more than corn

Of course, the corn is the loss leader and they sell many other delights, including organic vegetables of all kinds, pies, spices, jams and so on.  So if you have a hankering for country-style treats and can't wait for the next farmer's market in Old Tremblant, make the 15-minute drive and watch for the cob!

August 2023 Update

Hard to believe I first published this post 11 years ago!  Anyway the corn stand is still going strong, and a reader asked for more info.  It's called the Kioske de la Ferme Louiselle & Gaetan Brassard and is at 2370 Rte 117, just north of La Conception and about a 10 minute drive north of Tremblant.  Enjoy!

Zip Lining

Zip! [photo lifted from Activity Centre website]

It was a cool, wet afternoon in late May 2011, and we had a couple outdoorsy friend visiting us for the weekend.  We had already done some hiking and biking, and they were ready for more activities.  So we decided to give zip lining a try.  It was a spur of the moment decision, and we were caught without proper shoes, but since we were in the ski village, there were ample gear shops packed full of athletic footwear.  You can always use an extra pair of sporty hiking shoes!  We were also caught without a camera, hence the lack of original photos in this writeup.

I'll start by saying that you need to book this in advance (we booked day of, about 2 hours ahead), which you can do at the Activity Centre in the slopeside village.  Full details are on the Activity Centre website.  The zip line course is about a five minute walk from the pedestrian village, at the end of a trail that leads into the woods and over a creek.  You're greeted at a gazebo where they gather some demographic info, I suspect mostly to ensure you're not above the weight restriction, and also to get you to sign liability waivers (don't worry, it's safe).  After this, your group is led to the equipment area where you get fitted for a helmet and harness, and receive training on how to do double clip-ins, the same safety technique used in the Via Ferrata.

From there, the course begins.  If you've never done zip lining before, I'll do my best to describe it.  To begin, you climb up a ladder to an elevated platform about 10-15 feet up.  This gets you off the ground, and into the tree elevations.  You have a pulley wheel connected to your harness, which you clip onto the heavy gauge wire that connects to the next platform, and you zip across!  Each platform is a circular deck that is anchored into the tree trunk at various elevations.  On the higher platforms, you do feel a bit of a sway, which gives you an appreciation of how magnificent an engineer mother nature is...the trees are so strong, yet flexible.

Now, it's not just zipping from platform to platform.  In fact, only about half of the traverses from station to station are done via zip line.  Many others require you to inch along wire, or crawl through hoops, or toe along a plank bridge.  It really is fun, and we saw all ages and all fitness levels on the course with us.  If you're afraid of heights (like me), you may have a couple scary moments, but overall it was fine.

So would I do it again?   Eventually...for me, it's not the kind of thing I'd come back and do again and again  and we may we have another go next year.  But if you haven't tried zip lining yet, I would definitely recommend it!

Oct 2014 Update:
There is a new zip lining adventure at Tremblant now, which we had front-row seats for when we had lunch at the Casino patio.  So while the experience we describe above features some zip lining, the new ZipTrek is zip lining with a capital Z.  We haven't tried, but it looks amazing.  At first we thought it was just from the rocky peak at Versant Soleil and spanning the entire valley below.  But now we realized it does a circuit of zip lines all around the top of the ski mountain...based on the screams and shouts of joy we heard, it is exhilarating.

Scandinavian Spa

When we bought our chalet here in Tremblant, an outdoor hot tub was included.  Not that we're big hot tubbers, but we looked forward to luxurious post-ski soaks in our very own spa, surrounded by snowy pines.  But this vision faded for two reasons.  One was the approximately four hundred bucks a month we'd pay in electricity and spa maintenance, which is pricey considering we'd use it once or twice a month.  The second reason was that the Scandinavian Spa was a ten minute drive from our place...we could go there twice a month and still save money!  Suffice it to say we've sold the hot tub...

The Scandinavian is truly beautiful.  It's situated along the Diable river, and although it's beside the busy Montee Ryan (main thoroughfare into the Tremblant resort), the road noise fades once you enter the grounds.  There is a series of hot pools hovering just over 100 degrees F, and cold plunge pools kept at a frigid 50 degrees..  If you're particularly brave, there's a long staircase leading to a platform beside the river...the ultimate cold plunge awaits if you can handle the rushing water (somewhere in the 30's during winter).  The buildings you see in the photo above house quiet heated sitting rooms, a steam room and a sauna.

The magnificent fireplace

Perhaps our favourite part of the grounds is the outdoor fireplace.  In winter, only front-row seats will do but we've never had a problem getting those seats.  (We love the fireplace so much we had one built in our backyard.)  You can easily spend a couple hours at the Spa, switching from pools to sauna to fire to sitting room.  And the whole experience is even better if you have a massage first, the perfect way to drive out the lactic acid built up from the day's activities.

The Scandinavian can get quite busy, so we would recommend booking in advance.   Even at it's peak capacity, however, it never feels crowded.  A recommended experience...for more details, see their website.

Sugar Shack

Drip, drip, drip

The weather forecast called for an uncharacteristically rainy Thursday during our ski week in March 2012.  No outdoor activity was going to be any fun.  So instead of skiing or snowshoeing, we booked a visit to the local sugar shack.  That's right...tin buckets on the trees, a wooden boiler house condensing gallons of sap, jugs full of maple syrup and some good old down-home Quebecois cooking.

The place we found was Millette's, a local institution that has been sugar shacking for five generations.  Of course, they don't call it a sugar shack in Quebec, but rather a cabane a sucre.  No matter what you call it, this is fun experience you shouldn't pass up on your trip to Mont Tremblant.

The interior of Milette's is charming, barn-style decor with red plastic checkerboard tablecloths, bench seating, and old sap buckets turned into lamp shades.  Make no mistake, this is an eatery and everyone who attended was ready to dowse their lunches in syrup.   We got there around 11:30 in the morning, so we avoided the crowds.  By the time we left, families were pouring in as it was Quebec March break.

Syrup on eggs?  Mais bien sur!

Lunch was delicious...scrambled eggs, ham, potatoes, bacon, weiners, beans and bread.  And pork rinds.  A far cry from the elegant dinner we had at Cheval de Jade the night before, but equally satisfying in its own way.  [The folks at Cheval knew Milette's well and assured us we'd enjoy it..."it will be a bit sweeter than the meal you have here", our hostess added.]  After lunch, they asked if we were ready for the tire sur neige.  I knew sur neige meant "on snow", and tirer is "to pull", so I figured this was some sort of sleigh ride.  Instead, they pour syrup onto a bed of snow on a small tray, and the syrup hardens with the cold, almost into a taffy.  You use a wooden stick to "pull" the stringy syrup off the snow.  Tasty...but still syrup.  But the kids loved it!

Karen gets a kiss from Mr. Goat

We had a great time, including a quick stop at the mini zoo.  I suspect this will be an annual trip!

Aug 2013 update
The Millette family has sold the business, but the operation continues under the name La Tablee des Pionniers.  We haven't visited yet, although the webiste suggests they're doing a slightly more upscale version of the sugar shack experience.  They're also licensed, so you can get local wines and ciders!  Not sure if the goats are still part of the package...

May 2016 Update
Although it's not officially a sugar shack, try Au Petit Poucet in Val David. They offer a sugar shack breakfast, and the entire restaurant is an experience worth having.

February 2018 Update

We found an interesting new take on the sugar shack experience at La Cabane a Tuque.  It's located about a 15-20 minute drive from the main ski resort, south on highway 323 toward Brebeuf...easy to miss and we needed our GPS to find it.  I call this a "new take" on sugar shack for two main reasons: the first is that the meal is entirely vegetarian.  That may be enough to discourage those who love their ham and bacon as part of the traditional sugar shack meal, but it would be a shame to dismiss this delicious dinner.  Plus, there is ample maple* syrup to thoroughly douse your plate...I found the veggie omelette to pair particularly nicely with the syrup.  And the hosts make a number of interesting homemade garnishes including kimchi, vegetable ketchup, pickled beets and a lovely apple compote to go with the dessert crepes.

The intimate table setting

The second reason is that this is a *very* intimate experience.  Rather than sitting down at picnic tables in a large hall, you are in fact dining in the hosts' house.  It is an ecologically-built structure made of "hempcrete", complete with passive solar heating and recycled building materials.  You are invited to wear slippers to help preserve the heated clay floor.  You can see the meal being prepared in the open kitchen, and the chef (Simon) is also the server on a slow night.  He tells us that he has fit up to 40 people into the space, but on a night of freezing rain, we were just 8 guests.

Simon prepares the Tire Sur Neige

Like all sugar shacks, they create their own maple syrup on-site and had we not attended on a rainy/icy night, we would have been able to tour the facilities including the collection buckets and boiling shack..   The rain didn't stop us from all utdoor activities however,  After dinner, we of course went outside to enjoy maple taffy (or tire sur neige).  For those unfamiliar with this Quebecois tradition, you boil maple syrup to concentrate it a bit, pour it over a compacted snow surface, and as it cools you can twirl if off the snow with a stick, making a sort of maple lollipop.  A great way to finish the night...a highly recommended experience.

*awesome anagram

Casino Mont Tremblant

Yes, you gambling fools, there is a casino in Mont Tremblant.  There's even a gondola that will whisk you there from the comfort of the slope-side resorts.  It's not huge, nor is it ever terribly busy.  But we like our little piece of Vegas in the Laurentians. So does my 82-year old mother, who gladly boarded the shuttle from the ski hill to play slots and blackjack while we skied for the afternoon.

On the main floor, you'll find the cashier, most of the slots, and the coffee bar where you can get a free drink.  Take the escalator up for the bar, music venue and (pricey) restaurant.  The resto has an amazing view of the Versant Soleil ski run.  Take the stairs down a level below the main, and you'll find the gaming tables. 

The casino has a small parking lot, but free valet service.  There are also shuttle buses from the resort and the gondola mentioned earlier.  Happy gambling!