Cote Nord: Being spontaneous on the road

One of several trips this past summer, my exploration of the Cote Nord region of Quebec was an incredible time. It had everything that I’ve come to look for in a good trip: amazing views, spectacular campsites, relaxing yet active, and most importantly: being blown away. It was surprisingly good. So much so, that I declared it the best trip I’ve been on since my 2019 trip to Yukon.

So why did I love it so much? Lets back up a bit…
2023 was a return to big trips with a cross country USA trip to pickup the camper top for the Jeep. While it was spectacular, it was also very busy. As my first trip into the states, I intentionally treated it like a scouting trip…but that meant I did way too much driving(even for me), and the places I did visit were crowded, well known tourist attractions. So it was tiring and aside from off-roading around Moab, it wasn’t my usual off-the-beaten-path style of adventuring.
Then the first trip of summer 2024 was an experiment in a completely unplanned trip. I ended up spending a week driving around Nova Scotia. The intention was to slow down once I found something to slow down for, but aside from a delightful time on Brier Island, I spent most of the trip searching and not really finding.
At this point I was actually starting to question if I had lost the awe that I used to have. My trips weren’t filling me with wonder as much and were leaving me tired.

I had actually considered the Cote Nord trip years ago, but at the time it seemed a little too off the beaten path, and I was still driving my little Acura. I was also a bit worried that there wouldn’t be enough things to see…I was so wrong.

Compared to the recent trips, this was opposite in one big way: The area I intended to explore was less than 1000km of driving, and I had 1.5 weeks to do it. Aside from planning to see the Cote Nord region, I didn’t otherwise research or plan much at all. These two things gave me the ability to explore at my own pace. It made the trip incredibly relaxing while also being surprising and spectacular at the same time.

Ok, that was probably a bit too much intro, lets get into the trip log!

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Most of the first day was a typical start to a road trip. The 4am wakeup, the Tim Hortons coffee, my road songs playlist, and hours of driving. One item of note was that I stayed on the west side of the St Laurence all the way, which I haven’t done since 2010.

The plan was to drop by Montmorency Falls, just past Quebec city. I hadn’t researched any deeper, aside from noting that on google maps it seemed like it was right by the highway, so I figured it would be a quick stop. Imagine my surprise when I turned into the entrance and found myself in a lineup of cars waiting to pay a $12 fee to get in. If I wasn’t trapped in the lineup, I probably would have turned around and declared Montmorency a tourist trap, not worth seeing…but I was stuck, so I went in anyway.

It definitely was a tourist trap, more busy than I would have liked. The falls is impressive and worth seeing…though probably not for $12. Anyway, since I was there, I decided to walk around and attempt to climb at least some of the many steps upward to get a better view. I didn’t go all the way to the top, but the views were pretty good. I would be feeling the pain in my legs the next morning…

It was kind of different to end the first day of driving with sight seeing. Initially, I was planning to get quite a bit farther on the first day, but after the falls, I was hot and tired and started looking for a place to spend the night.

At this point I was still quite close to civilization, and there weren’t many campgrounds. I stopped at an rv park but they were full…and looked like more of a seasonal, full-time place anyway. I kept driving, not really knowing where I was going to end up. Eventually I found some camping in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. It was a big grassy area with picnic tables with pretty much open camping for a fee. I got a spot with a small view of the waterway. It was right by the highway, and there was some kind of live music event going on next door, so it wasn’t a quiet spot.

However, directly across the highway was a big cathedral. I had posted a photo on my instagram, and had several friends recognize it and say that it was really amazing inside. So I planned to check it out first thing in the morning.

So the next morning I walked over. It appeared like it was set up for large crowds, there was a big parking lot, washrooms, a gift shop, etc. Yet, it didn’t seem like I needed to pay to go in, so I just walked in the huge metal front doors. It was very amazing, with soaring heights, decorated in mosaics and stained glass.

There were a few people wandering around, and some sitting in the pews. It was a very quiet, reverent atmosphere and I was glad my camera has a fully silent mode.

It was kind of interesting that although it was made in the style of an old gothic cathedral, this is relatively new…built in the 1930s, which means it’s a steel building, made to look like stone.

There is a monastery next door, and there were some men off to the side, I think having their morning communion…and they were singing a chant that echoed through the building. It was amazing and I sat there listening. There is a sense that we don’t build extravagant buildings like this anymore, even less so in protestant circles. Yet, there is an incredible feeling that is captured in a place like this. A sense of being small, of being surrounded by a greater majesty, power and beauty. In a way, you might even say it’s similar to the feeling of being in the mountains, just on a much smaller scale.

I had done some quick research online and knew the chapel in the basement was also worth seeing, so I headed down. There was no one there, and I had the place to myself. The main floor had been warm yellows, and the basement was cool blues. Very amazing.

This was a very different way to start a road trip, but it was well worth it. It was really providential that ended up here, as I hadn’t planned it, and without randomly camping across the street, I probably would have driven right by.

The story will continue. More is coming.