Most snowmobilers have heard the stories of the unbelievable trails throughout Quebec and Chaudiere-Appalaches’ 1,700 miles of beautifully groomed “snowmobile highways” offer the ultimate riding experience.
Our most recent outing in the majestic Chaudiere-Appalaches region of Quebec had us camped at the brand-new Appalaches Lodge and Spa. Talk about spoiling us rotten for 2 days straight! With snowmobile and equipment rentals onsite, self guided tours are a snap.
On a crisp winter morning with a fresh snowfall of at least a foot of fluffy powder spread evenly across a substantial base, we headed out on our rentals on trail 551 through the Parc Régional Massif du Sud heading for our first destination on the tour – Mont Saint-Magloire.
The trails were immaculately groomed; the care and pride the snowmobile clubs take in the trail system is immediately evident. We made our first pit stop for hot chocolate at the Saint Magloire clubhouse and were warmly greeted by fellow snowmobilers from Quebec, Ontario and the US.
After warming up, we made our way up the mountain and at the top, dismounted to climb the lookout tower for a better view – on a clear day, you can see for miles and miles across the beautiful tree-filled countryside.
As we headed off to Mont du Midi the snow began to fall and didn’t stop for several hours. Keep in mind the average annual snowfall for the 2005/2006 season was 19 feet!
Let’s take a second here to also mention the excellent trail maps available at any stop. These maps really helped make our self guided adventure easy and enjoyable and truly allowed us to take pleasure in the beautifully groomed trails and breathtaking scenery abundantly available in this region of Quebec.
We made our way up Mont du Midi, then back down and through the Sainte-Sabine and Saint-Luc areas best known as the sugar shack and maple syrup paradise. Our day ended with us pulling up to the Lodge and enjoying an excellent meal by the fire.
Apart from snowmobiling, guests at the Appalaches Lodge and Spa can enjoy all sorts of winter activities including dog-sledding, tobogganing and ice-skating.
If you’re inclined to mellow out after a hard day of roosting the trails for the past eight hours, you can relax and enjoy the Scandinavian spa or melt away tension under the care of a professional masseuse.
After dinner retire to your spacious chalet, light a fire, sit back on the couch and share your adventures with companions. Get a good night’s rest and do it all again the next day.
Appalaches Lodge and Spa
1-866-661-0106
AppalachesSpa.com
