This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Too often forgotten, the west of the province can be discovered through the forests, the many waterways and the legends linked to its territory. To fully enjoy a trip to the Laurentians, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Outaouais, time is your best ally. The new Summer Vacations series will offer some ideas for trips to plan during the summer period.
As you enter the Saint-Jérôme station, you can imagine the animation that reigned in the rooms where the men were waiting for the train on one side and the women on the other. When the Canadian Pacific Railway erected it in 1897, there was no question of them taking part in political discussions.
The small building where gentlemen were once allowed to smoke cigars is one of the dozen or so stations preserved in the region. Today, a linear park that delights sports enthusiasts is located where Canadian Pacific trains once ran. The route of the P’tit Train du Nord extends from the Saint-Jérôme station — kilometer 0 — to Mont-Laurier, 234 kilometers further.
In addition to playing a major role in the tourist development of the Laurentians, the railway has facilitated the development of industries. Stations were then much more than places of passage. “These are really stations that have allowed the development of villages all along because vacationers went there as much in summer as in winter,” underlines Sabrina Riel, of Histoire Archives Laurentides. Since the northernmost lands of the Laurentians do not have the agricultural potential of the Lower Laurentians, tourism quickly established itself as a source of income.
Then, travelers gradually abandoned the train in favor of the car. The construction of the highway between Montreal and the Laurentians in the 1950s forever transformed the landscape and the lives of the villagers, who no longer saw tourists parading through their businesses as in the days of Route 11. Prévost, the station is now a tourist information center.
Heading for Abitibi-Témiscamingue
It takes about four and a half hours to cover nearly 400 kilometers that separate Tremblant from Val-d’Or. To be visited once in a lifetime, the Cité de l’or invites visitors to descend 91 meters deep into the Lamaque mine, in operation from 1935 to 1985. Each of the rooms leaves a strong impression, particularly that of “the hanged men”. , nickname given to the dryer section where the miners’ suits were hung. Another good reason to visit all the sections: you’ll never be fooled by the cinema again after weighing the precious metal: it’s far too heavy for anyone to casually run away with a bag full of ingots over their shoulder !
Of various origins, the miners were housed in the village of Bourlamaque. Visiting it with the audio guide (rental from the Cité de l’or) gives you a good overview of life at the time. We learn, for example, that the local newspaper published articles in different languages so that everyone could have access to information.
The influence of the communities present since that time is still visible in the region. In Val-d’Or, Charcuterie du Nord is celebrating more than 80 years of existence. The first owner, of Croatian origin, bequeathed the company created in 1939 to his grandson, until the parents of the current owner took over. The specialty of the place: Polish sausages.
Near Amos, the Aiguebelle National Park is a must. The geological and geomorphic phenomena of the Abijévis, a chain of hills whose rock of volcanic origin dates back to the Precambrian era, make the sector particularly exciting for anyone interested in these disciplines. Intermediate level, the La Traverse trail allows you to cross a 22-metre suspended footbridge. If the potholes, these circular cavities dug in the rock during the melting of the glaciers, inevitably pique curiosity, the volcanic cushions visible in several places are just as fascinating, as are the fault lakes. “Only submarine volcanoes create pillow lava,” explains geologist Elzéar Belzile, a local resident who never tires of exploring this vast playground.
From First Nations to Hollywood
In Duhamel-Ouest, the Obadjiwan–Fort-Témiscamingue historic site bears witness to some 6,000 years of Aboriginal presence. Erected in 1720 in the narrowest part of the lake, the fort was in a strategic location, when the canoe was the main means of transport in summer. “When travelers [nom donné à ceux qui transportaient les marchandises dans les postes de traite] were moving around the area, we couldn’t miss them, explains guide Angela Hunter. It was the mall. The only store in the area. »
The youngest SEPAQ site, Parc national d’Opémican in Témiscaming appeals to history and outdoor enthusiasts alike. “There are three sections in the park, explains France Lemire, outdoor development consultant. That of the Kipawa River is more “adventure”. Not far from there is the private Topping estate, which once belonged to the owner of the New York Yankees, also the husband of American actress Lana Turner. Paramount Pictures films shot in the 1920s near the Kipawa River earned this area the name of “Hollywood Rapids”.
Near the discovery centre, the Pointe-Opémican sector is particularly rich in history. The outdoor exhibition takes you back in time to the Ice Age. Historic buildings can also be visited, such as a blacksmith shop. Although it is still forbidden to swim in the bay because of decades of industrial activities that have contaminated it, the beach also has something to change your scenery. Ready-to-camp sites are also found in the area.
The Outaouais so close, so far
Let’s say it right away: the road that leads to the Outaouais from Témiscamingue is not the best maintained in Quebec… nor the busiest. In the Pontiac, the Parc des Chutes Coulonge, in Mansfield-et-Pontefract, makes us smile. The variety of its offer is surprising: in this century-old pine forest where the history of log driving is honored, it is possible to soar above a canyon on a zip line and admire the landscape from the rock wall thanks to a via ferratahalfway between climbing and hiking.
In Chelsea, where stretching out time seems the only option to take full advantage of the Village’s comfortable Lofts, Gatineau Park easily convinces us to go back the other way at the first opportunity.
Can you pass through the Outaouais without stopping at the largest log cabin in the world? The Fairmont Le Château Montebello remains a classic that you never get tired of. Next door, the Mackenzie Estate, where the 10e Prime Minister of Canada has spent nearly 50 years, visiting with a guide-interpreter, just to take full advantage of the places and the thousand and one anecdotes surrounding the host and his family. Anything but ordinary!
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.