Tours Golf and St. Lawrence Circuit

Photo: Jean-Pierre Huard

Great waters and settings. From Newport to Sainte-Madeleine-de-la-Rivière-Madeleine. 275 km, one way.

The Newport, Pabos Mills, Pabos and Saint-François-de-Pabos municipalities, annexed to the town of Chandler, sometimes skirt the sea on a sinuous road. An array of activities is offered: hiking trails, picnic areas, marina, sandy beaches and many lakes and rivers perfect for swimming. In order to get acquainted with the fishing environment, stop at the Usine de morue salée-séchée à la gaspésienne (salt-dried cod fish plant) in Sainte-Thérèse-de-Gaspé. Take a look at the fish flakes, these displays that are lined up in fields where cod is dried by the sun and marine winds.

Take a break at the Havre de L’Anse-à-Beaufils and at its old plant to stretch your legs in a warm and entertaining atmosphere: show hall, relaxation room, workshop-boutique, café bar, terrace on the wharf and observing lobstering in-season. Towards Val-d’Espoir, go alongside croplands ofthe Bio-Jardins Rocher-Percé. Back on Route 132, stop at the roadside rest area of Côte Surprise and enjoy a breathtaking view of the Rocher Percé and the Bonaventure Island. Go to the Tourist Welcome Bureau to find out about the activities to do in Percé. You will learn absolutely everything on the Charles Robin Le Chafaud historic sector, la Neigère, the Rocher Percé sector, the marine sector and the Bonaventure Island sector, home of thousands of Northern Gannets and a colony of seals. Also enjoy other activities like kayaking, sea excursion, scuba diving and hiking.

In Coin-du-Banc, you can comb its renowned beach for agate and jasper, all the way to Barachois go alongside the marshes of the most important interior lagoon in Québec and visit the Centre d’information ornithologique. In Pointe-Saint-Pierre, look to your right to see a rock resembling the profile of an Amerindian that watches over the roadside rest area while waiting, according to the legend, for his beloved. Further north, admire a great scenery, the tip of Forillon on one side, and the Bonaventure Island and Rocher Percé on the other. At the limit of the two muncipalities of Percé and Gaspé, you will come across Fort-Prével, a long-time renowned tourist place. From this point, you are riding on the Gaspé territory that encompasses 17 coastal villages spread out over 150 kilometres, from Douglastown to L’Anse-à-Valleau. Located next to the Saint-Jean River barachois and Gaspé Bay, Douglastown offers an exceptional view of the Forillon Park peninsula. You will also find very nice beaches in the area. At this point, stay on Route 132 (pay attention to the road signs) in order to discover the Haldimand beach, a haven for swimmers, windsurfers and kayakers.  

Keep going on Route 132, and before the bridge, stop at the Tourist Welcome Bureau and at the marina to admire the magnificent bay of Gaspé. Cross the bridge and you are in downtown Gaspé where celebrations and shows take place year-round. Maybe you will be tempted to go salmon fishing as you discover the three crystal-clear rivers: the York, the Dartmouth et the Saint-Jean. Downtown Gaspé, Route 198 leads to the cove and mountain circuit.

To access the Forillon National Park, continue on Route 132, admire the breathtaking view of the Gaspé Bay, the Penouille presqu’île, the Boom Défence dunes. Going towards Cap-aux-Os, explore Fort Péninsule, an old lookout, vestige of the Second World War. Riding through these sea and mountains sceneries, you will be charmed by the panoramic route, then at the end of a curve, the splendid Bon Ami cape appears. The park is an ideal place to watch moose, black bears, whales, seals and seabirds. As you exit the park, you can not miss the Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse of the country. The circuit then continues towards Anse-au-Griffon where you can get familiar with leading cod merchants and fishermen of the time at the Centre socioculturel Manoir Le Boutillier and at the Centre culturel Le Griffon. In Rivière-au-Renard, the chapel lookout offers a wondeful view of the village. Discover the wharves, fish processing factories, the imposing ship fleet, the marina and the Centre Bardeau et Bateau. Heading west, while exiting Rivière-au-Renard, watch for the Route 197 intersection and stay on Route 132 to continue this circuit.

The second part of this circuit is absolutely wonderful because it is a true paradise! As you continue your journey, enjoy Petit-Cap, Saint-Maurice-de-l’Échouerie, Pointe-Jaune, L’Anse-à-Valleau. The next twenty kilometres will bring you a maximum of adrenaline: tight curves, steep ascents and descents. In L’Anse-à-Valleau, located in an amazing scenic point, visit the Pointe-à-la-Renommée lighthouse, the most travelled lighthouse in the world. Spread out over more than 16 km, along the coast, the township of Cloridorme (Saint-Yvon, La Petite-Anse, Pointe-à-la-Frégate) snakes along the majestic sea, the cliffs and the capes. Turn right to the Village en chanson de Petite-Vallée, a breeding ground for new artists performing Québec song, to enjoy a cultural stop while tasting local products. A little further, take a break at the tourist rest area located at the fishing harbour.

At the heart of the Grande-Vallée village, going left, keep riding until you reach the Galipeault covered bridge and stretch your legs on the lighted boardwalk along the Grande-Vallée River or simply relax on the wonderful sandy beach. When you exit this hamlet, you must stop at the roadside rest area where you will be astonished by the magnificent setting overlooking the village and the lighted cape where the church is located. You will be completely amazed by the last kilometres of this stretch. In Madeleine-Centre, while visiting the Cap Madeleine lighthouse site, it is possible to watch whales from the top of the lighthouse, to take a coffee break and to access your messages on the Internet.

Visit: Site Mary Travers dite La Bolduc, Usine de morue salée-séchée, Vieille usine de L'Anse-à-Beaufils, Magasin général historique authentique, Parc du Bourg de Pabos, Biojardins Rocher-Percé, Parc national de l'île Bonaventure et du Rocher Percé, Centre d'interprétation ornithologique de Barachois, Parc national du Canada Forillon, Musée de la Gaspésie, Site historique micmac de Gespeg, Sanctuaire Notre-Dame des Douleurs, Bardeau et Bateau, Site historique de Pointe-à-la-Renommée, Centre sociocluturel Manoir LeBoutillier, Centre culturel Le Griffon, Village en chanson, Site du Phare.