Hills, Thrills and a Whole Lotta Throttle
Drive 30 minutes north of Montreal this winter and you’ll know you’re in Lanaudiere when you look over both shoulders and see nothing but God’s beauty and white, powdery fluff.
Nestled between the Laurentian and Mauricie regions, with the Laurentian mountains to the south, Lanaudiere offers consistent snowfall, often receiving more than six feet annually.
Lanaudiere’s extensive trail system offers over 1,400 miles of well-signed, impeccably groomed trails.
The season often starts as early as mid-November but for prime distance riding we suggest loading up the saddlebags late December to mid February and… get ready to log on serious mileage.
All you have to do is decide on a starting point and everything is accessible by trail from there. We recommend setting up home base at a few of our favorite spots: In Saint-Donat: start from Auberge La Cuillere a Pot or Les Cond’Eautels du Manoir or: the famous Auberge Le Cabanon in Saint-Zenon.
When you’re finally ready to hit the trails, use every square inch of space in your saddlebags because you may find yourself going further and further before you stop.
Be sure to try the bladder stressing thrill of riding across the top of the 100-foot high Taureau Dam where looking down has been known to make even the most macho men lose control.
Then there’s the heart pounding excitement of holding the throttle open through Mont-Tremblant Park until your thumb cramps up!
Throughout the region there’s an infinite number of quaint villages where snowmobilers are loved and valued. After logging world record mileage you’ll come to rest at one of the hundreds of hotels, chalets and auberges filled with snowmobilers from all over North America chatting about the miles they put on that day while devouring mouth-watering Quebec home-cooked meals. Sleep and repeat. Sleep and repeat.
Why does Lanaudiere keep making our Top 10 every year? Quite frankly, it deserves it. We ride this region almost every year and there’s still hundreds of miles yet to conquer.
One thing’s for sure, I’ll be ordering my free map and booking another trip again this winter. Maybe we’ll see you there.
Links:
www.snowmobilecountry.ca
1-800-363-2788
Auberge La Cuillere a Pot
www.cuillere-pot.com
Les Cond’Eautels du Manoir
www.manoirdeslaurentides.com
Auberge Le Cabanon
www.aubergelecabanon.com
