Itinerary to Discover La Baie-des-Chaleurs (Bonaventure) in Gaspésie

Here’s a suggested four-day itinerary to explore the Bonaventure area in the La Baie-des-Chaleurs sector. Discover beaches, crystal-clear rivers, a mountain of trails and a wide variety of gourmet delights in this area.

Once you arrive in Mont-Joli, you’re in Gaspésie! To get to the La Baie-des-Chaleurs sector, head east towards Amqui along the south side of the Gaspé Peninsula. It will take you about 3.5 hours to drive to New Richmond.

Drop off your luggage at one of the many lodging establishments in New Richmond, Bonaventure or the surrounding area and then head to Taylor’s Point Park in New Richmond. The park offers a beach, kayak and paddleboard rentals, a bike path and a playground.

Taylor’s Point Park. Photo: New Richmond

If you’re looking for somewhere to eat, Resto-Pub Bayou offers grilled dishes, tartare and burgers along the banks of the Petite Cascapédia River in New Richmond. In Bonaventure, Poissonnerie du Pêcheur serves the freshest fish and seafood. Another option is Kano (Riôtel Bonaventure) where you can enjoy seafood specialties, pasta, grilled dishes, burgers or pizza overlooking Chaleur Bay.

At Café Acadien, near the marina, you can sample a menu inspired by regional flavours featuring fish and seafood dishes. Finally, at Le 1760 Bar & Grill in the centre of town, you can choose from a varied menu that includes seafood poutine and pasta dishes with a local twist.

Café Acadien. Photo: Mathieu Dupuis

Start your day with an active morning of hiking or mountain biking! Located inland in New Richmond, the Pin Rouge tourist resort (which is a ski hill in the winter) offers 21 km of hiking trails, nearly 9 km of mountain bike trails and a bike park with a pump track and skills course. From the top of the mountain, at an altitude of over 670 metres, you can admire the Chic-Chocs and Chaleur Bay!

Pin Rouge resort area. Photo: Au Queb

In Saint-Alphonse, inland from Caplan, the Domaine des Chutes du Ruisseau Creux offers 37 km of hiking and biking trails of varying levels of difficulty. This beautiful site is 

Next, head to the Boisé Le Malin lookout, which offers a unique and spectacular view of the Bonaventure River. In the afternoon, relax on the beach between dips into the salt waters of Chaleur Bay. Choose from the seven beaches found in the Bonaventure area.

In the evening, enjoy a show with the Théâtre de la Petite Marée. Located in the centre of Bonaventure, this theatre presents original productions every summer that appeal to audiences of all ages.

Domaine des chutes du ruisseau creux. Photo: Gratien Bergeron

Day 3 – Fishing and sailing

Want to go fishing in one of the crystal-clear rivers in La Baie-des-Chaleurs? At Zec de la Petite-Rivière-Cascapédia, you can go fly fishing for salmon or brook trout. You can also camp on site or stay in a fully equipped cottage.

You can also fish for salmon or take a fishing class at Zec de la Rivière-Bonaventure. On site you’ll also find a campground that offers glamping options. 

Fishing on the Bonaventure River. Photo: Antoine Blier

If you’d rather go on a sea outing, Rats de Marées offers sport fishing excursions on Chaleur Bay departing from Bonaventure. Your guide will provide you with invaluable tips on how to catch striped bass, cod, mackerel and flounder.

Based in Paspébiac, La Belle Vie Sailing offers sailing discovery packages and classes aboard a 4-cabin luxury catamaran.

For happy hour, head to La Belle Aventure in the centre of Bonaventure. Enjoy a cold beer and appetizers featuring local flavours in this microbrewery’s warm atmosphere.

Photo: Rats de Marées – Fishing Guide

Start your day in Bonaventure with a delicious breakfast at the La Pétrie bakery, where you’ll find it hard to choose between the freshly baked breads, butter croissants, danishes and other tempting treats!

Then stop by Verre et Bulles, a glass-blowing studio and shop selling beautiful objects made of kiln-formed glass, a collection of glass and sterling silver jewellery pieces and a range of soaps made with natural ingredients.

Photo: Atelier Boutique Verre et Bulles

In Saint-Siméon-de-Bonaventure, stop by Ferme Bourdages Tradition, a strawberry farm that also makes spreads and pies as well as strawberry and rhubarb wines.

Then head back to Caplan to the superb facilities of Distillerie des Marigots, which overlook the water. Here you can sample or purchase their award-winning gins or get your hands on one of their other spirits produced in small batches. Their copper pot still is also worth a look!

Also in Caplan, fill your cooler with fresh fish and seafood from Poissonnerie La Coquille, a fish market that’s renowned for their rigorous quality control processes.

In New Richmond, take Route 299 and then Route des Ponts to reach Fumoir Cascapédia, a smokehouse selling tasty hot- and cold-smoked trout and salmon. On your return journey, you can follow Route de Patrickton back to Route 132.

Distillerie des Marigots. Photo: Dany Vachon

Be sure to also read our blog post about can’t-miss experiences in the Bonaventure area so you don’t miss anything during your visit!

To extend your stay, find out more about the 8 sectors of Gaspésie.

Please note that this itinerary is intended for information purposes only and is not a package. It is meant to inspire you and may be modified as you wish.