Going quad riding in winter is really not like going in summer. It’s cold. You have to dress warmly, layer up, to the point where you feel like the Michelin Man. What’s more, everything takes longer and is more complicated: getting ready before you leave, checking the weather, the condition of the trails, especially in the fields, stopping at restaurants, even going to the bathroom is a real ordeal.
Despite everything, when you’re well equipped, prepared, and used to it, you really enjoy the ride. The landscapes are magnificent and change with the seasons. We’re lucky to have access to ATV trails in winter, which allows us to ride all year round.
For our three-day trip, we decided to explore the Lower St. Lawrence and Témiscouata regions.
Friday: Saint-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud to Rivière-du-Loup
We chose the parking lot of the Club Quad de l’Oie-Blanche in Saint-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud as our starting point. The forecast called for a beautiful sunny day with a mild temperature of -5°C.
Already an little trouble…
As I was taking my ATV, a CAN-AM Outlander 850 MAX XTP, out of the trailer, something caught my attention. Looking at the top of the rear trunk, it seemed to be leaning to the right. I checked the shock absorber, the tables, and finally the rear luggage rack support, and that’s when I discovered the problem. It had broken. I hadn’t noticed it during my usual inspection. It probably wasn’t completely broken at that point. The rust on the break shows that the problem wasn’t new and that, lately, it was only held together by hope.
Finding a welder equipped for the trail is as rare as a road without orange cones in the summer. And we don’t want to cancel our trip. In this kind of situation, I bring out my four best friends: electrical tape, zip ties, wire, and vise-grip pliers of various sizes. With these tools, you can work wonders. The final repair can be summed up as follows: two vise-grip pliers to hold the rack in place, electrical tape to prevent them from coming loose, and wire to prevent them from getting lost if they do.
Let’s go!
We head towards Saint-Jean-Port-Joli via Saint-Cyrille-de-Lessard. The route alternates between trails, forest roads, country lanes, and sections shared with snowmobiles. The trails are beautiful on hard ground.
After a few dozen kilometers, we make a quick stop to double-check the temporary repair. It hasn’t budged, which is great! We continue on our way!
Then we head to Club Hiboux for lunch.
In the afternoon, the landscape changes, the trails become narrower and more winding, and we ride through the forest. The route crosses the territories of the Les Avant-Gardistes 3 and 4 roues, Les Maniaques de Woodbridge, and L’Est-Quad ATV clubs.
Further on, in the Saint-Joseph-de-Kamouraska and Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska area, the scenery opens up: we ride across fields and under power lines.
We then stop at the lookout near the Mohawk Dam in Saint-Antonin. Originally, the pulp mill, built around 1888, was called “Lavoie, Blondeau, Soucy et Ass.” The dam was built in 1933 to harness the hydraulic power of the Rivière-du-Loup. It created a reservoir approximately 1.5 km long and directly powered the millstone defibers used to produce mechanical pulp via turbines. In 1973, the mill was sold to the Mohawk company, hence the name of the dam, which continued operations until the early 2000s.
After this stop, we resumed our journey toward Rivière-du-Loup, our final destination, where we will spend the next two nights.
Saturday: Loop in the Basques and Témiscouata area
The plan for the day is to ride to Trois-Pistoles and then down to Notre-Dame-du-Lac-Témiscouata. Then, we will return to Rivière-du-Loup. A good day for riding. After breakfast, we get dressed and hop on the quads. Mine starts after a second try.
Julie’s Polaris decides to act up. Again!
All we hear is “click click” when we try to start it. Julie’s Polaris Sportsman 850 quad doesn’t seem to like cold starts in winter.
I take out the jumper cables and, after just one try, the ATV starts. I put everything away and we take off, heading northeast!
Trois-Pistoles Suspension Bridge
Our first stop is the Trois-Pistoles Suspension Bridge. It is known as the Passerelle Basque. This suspension bridge, approximately 44 m long and located 25 m above the river, offers a beautiful view of the waterway and the remains of an old hydroelectric dam. An interesting and amusing historical fact about the name of the river and the town: around the 17th century, a rowboat reportedly ran aground in front of a river of the same name. One of the sailors, while trying to drink, dropped a silver cup worth three pistoles (an old coin) and exclaimed: “There go three pistoles!”
We then head southeast towards Citadelle Mountain, where we plan to stop for lunch. In this area, the route alternates between long open stretches and wooded trails, passing through a few villages that were founded during the colonization movement, among other reasons, to stem the exodus of families to the United States.
Notre-Dame-du-Lac-Témiscouata
After a delicious lunch, we had planned to go see the wind turbines in Saint-Honoré-de-Témiscouata, but with the relatively low clouds and light snow falling, we decided against it. It was a 34 km round trip, so we continued southeast instead.
We rode leisurely through the Trans-Témis quad club area, a really pleasant and winding wooded trail.
Once we reached Cabano, we filled up with gas and headed for the Notre-Dame-du-Lac-Témiscouata observatory. Despite the clouds and snow, we were treated to a view of Lake Témiscouata under a winter sky.
Then comes an unusual experience: crossing a frozen lake to get to Saint-Juste-du-Lac, a distance of 1.5 km. It’s not every day that you get to drive alongside cars on an ice bridge. It has been around for over 140 years and is one of the few places in Quebec where this type of crossing is still in use. At the time, it was a vital link between two villages, and now it serves as a shortcut to avoid driving an extra 40 km by road.
Return and a beautiful evening ahead
We turn back to return to Rivière-du-Loup. On the way back, between Saint-Hubert and the Est-Quad relay, we pass through a really cute spot: the crossing of the elves.
Saturday is Valentine’s Day, so I prepared a little surprise for my girlfriend that melted my heart. When I organized the trip a few months ago, I booked a dinner at a casual gourmet restaurant and a taxi without her knowing.
I just wanted her to let herself go, to enjoy herself without thinking about anything. We dressed up, laughed, and savored every bite and every second together. In short, it was a perfect evening, filled with love and good food.
Sunday: back to the parking lot
It’s already the last day of riding. Time always flies when you’re having fun! For the return trip, we basically took the same route as on the first day, but in reverse, with a few small detours to vary the scenery.
Although the weather forecast called for less than 1 cm of snow, between 20 cm and 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) fell between Rivière-Verte and Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska. The snow swirled in large white plumes in front of the ATV, almost giving the impression of riding in a cloud.
Instead of heading to Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, we turned off toward the Sentiers d’Ixworth trails. We took the opportunity to stop at the Sainte-Anne River Falls lookout, better known as the Ixworth Falls.
We then continue on to the popular Le Jasmin restaurant in Tourville for lunch. On the way, we drive through an area known for its deer population. They are everywhere. We saw several crossing calmly or watching us from the side of the trail. We have to be careful, as there are many of them and they can sometimes jump out in front of us without warning.
After lunch, there are less than a hundred kilometers of trails left before we reach the parking lot. The end is already in sight, but we refuse to let that spoil our fun. On the contrary, we savor every kilometer to the final destination.
Conclusion
We enjoyed three days of perfect weather in the Lower St. Lawrence. The sky was sometimes clear, sometimes cloudy with a few light snowflakes, and just cold enough to keep the trails beautiful and firm. Winter completely transforms the landscape, the open fields become immense, the forests are silent and sometimes covered with a thick white blanket, and everything seems bigger and brighter.
We return with our heads full of images and memories. And above all, a huge thank you to the club volunteers. It is thanks to them and their passion that we can enjoy wonderful adventures on the trails.
Oh, and before I finish this story, you’re probably wondering if the temporary repair held up… I can confirm that it remained rock solid! As you might have guessed, my next trip with my ATV will be to a welding shop for a permanent and solid repair.
