A new Territory to discover

(La Malbaie) Certainly, the views of the river are majestic in Charlevoix. But the hinterland, with its mountains and valleys, does not leave you indifferent either. It is in the mountain sector that the Territoire project was born, offering rustic stays to lovers of the outdoors, breathtaking landscapes and architecture.

Eve Dumas
Press

A 20-minute drive from La Malbaie, the “free and wild resort area” will be open all year round. From February 4, the more daring will be able to winter camping on one of the 9 platforms (eventually, there will be 15) or stay in one of the five shelters, designed by the architects of L’Abri, in Montreal. .

It is a visionary from Quebec, Yannick Cimon-Mattar, who is at the origin of this haven of peace. The co-owner of the lepointdevente.com ticket office, an entrepreneur at heart, used to go and get lost in the Charlevoix forest to get away from his hectic urban life. He even bought land there six years ago. Then, one day, daydreaming between two spruce trees, he saw himself sharing his little piece of paradise with other campers / glampers in need of nature.

A real raw immersion

With financial partners, Yannick Cimon-Mattar bought the land adjacent to his own and developed the Territory vision. Admittedly, the region already has a few microchalets and other unusual accommodation projects, including Repère boréal, Momentôm, Dômes Charlevoix, Réflexion Charlevoix and the possible Vertendre Zooboxes, but Mr. Cimon-Mattar wanted to offer an even wilder experience.

Very fond of camping, he could not find his account in the majority of the facilities he visited. Land too cramped or deforested, or both, lack of tranquility, cars parked too close … He wanted a real raw and minimalist immersion, where we leave the car at the reception and we sink into the wood on foot with all its necessities.

The entrepreneur is not an anti-social, quite the contrary. He sees Territory as a place where cultural and gourmet events in nature could also be held. Yannick Cimon-Mattar has after all worked for years organizing shows and has an online ticket office. But his own balance passes through moments of solo renewal.

At the time of our visit in November, construction of the shelters was nearing completion. There was already a small carpet of snow on the “Territory”. “I love winter! », Declares Alexia Loret, manager at Territoire Charlevoix. The Guadeloupean came to Quebec to work at the Manoir Richelieu in 2017.

Soon the interiors of the small wooden cabins will be painted white, the furniture and the wood-fired oven installed. A solar panel on the roof will power the light and charging outlets for small electronics. A pump system will distribute the water, supplied at 20 L strokes.

For all tastes

With their views all more breathtaking than the next, La Vigie, Le Hublot, L’Ajour, La Lucarne and L’Ouverture all have their own unique personality. Fans of spectacular sunsets will be well served in L’Ouverture, for example. La Lucarne offers the most generous glance, from left to right, on Mont DuFour, Mont des Morios, Mont du Lac des Cygnes and Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière national park. Malbaie.

Campers who opt for the tent will not be deprived of a horizon. They will have access to a beautiful panoramic shelter to contemplate the landscape. There is one per “Archipel”, which includes three “islets” of camping. In each of these shelters there is a space for cooking, a wood stove, water and storage to protect its food from the wild life.

“That said, the islets are far enough away from this common space for those who want peace to be able to find it”, explains Yannick Cimon-Mattar, always concerned about solitary people.

Next summer, there will also be sites for “real, real” outdoor enthusiasts, die-hards who prefer to pitch their tent on the ground and connect directly to the earth!