Are you planning a trip to the Gaspésie region but aren’t sure where to start? This 7-day road trip itinerary will help you plan your next road trip! This itinerary includes camping, canoeing, as well as hiking.
Please be respectful of nature and always follow the Leave No Trace Principles (you’ll find these principles here) when heading out into the wilderness.
In addition, please make sure you are prepared when heading out on that beautiful hike! You’ll find the 10 essentials to bring with you hiking here.
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You will absolutely love the Gaspésie region and everything it has to offer. There are so many different places you can visit, a huge range of activities, and a bunch of delicious spots to grab a bite to eat! What we focused on for this road trip was mostly camping, hiking as well as canoeing. This here is the exact itinerary that I planned out myself by doing a ton of research and finding the best spots for what I was looking to do!
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Gaspésie is very big but it’s also very popular so it’s recommended to book your trip way ahead of time.
THE ROUTE TO GASPÉSIE
Here’s the exact route we took for our 7-day road trip! Please note that the route from the Parc National de la Gaspésie to Murdocheville (driving from point D to E) is a gravel road. You may want to choose a different road if you have a smaller car.
CAMPING PACKING CHECKLIST
To make things easier for you, I’ve created a camping packing list that you can print so that you never forget anything ever again!
OPEN THE PRINTABLE CAMPING CHECK-LIST here! (4 pages)
DAY 1: DRIVING TO THE PARC NATIONAL DU BIC (BAS-SAINT-LAURENT REGION)
copyright image: @claudia_coulombe
We began our road trip to Gaspésie by heading to the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. From our home to this location it was a good 5-hour drive. This region is beautiful and also has so much to offer. We decided to book a 1-night stay tent camping in the Parc National du Bic. Furthermore, you can also book camping spots for RVs and vans in this National Park.
Upon arrival, we decided to hike the Cap-a-l’Orignal trail. This incredible trail follows the beach where we spotted foxes and seals along the way.
The Parc National du Bic is operated by Sépaq. You can find all of their hiking trails and all additional information on their website.
In addition, this park also offers bike rentals, kayaking, and so much more.
PARC NATIONAL DU BIC CAMPING AND HIKING TRAILS
DAY 2: CHUTE-PHILOMÈNE AND DRIVING TO BONAVENTURE
copyright image: @claudia_coulombe
Our plan for Day 2 was to wake up from our campsite in the Parc National du Bic and do a small hike before heading out. Unfortunately for us, it was raining so we decided to get back on the road right away. Of course, if you see that it’s a beautiful day you can definitely do a small hike in the morning prior to leaving the park.
On Day 2, we drove from the Parc National du Bic in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region all the way to the town Bonaventure which is about a 4-hour drive.
On the way, we decided to stop at a must-visit waterfall called Chute à Philomène. This place has a suspended bridge as well as a hiking trail that leads to the bottom of the fall.
From there, we headed to our next campground where we stayed 2 nights. The campground we stayed at for nights 2 and 3 is called Cime Aventures and is located in the town Bonaventure.
There are also so many food trucks on the way to Bonaventure. The lobster in Gaspésie is delicious!
DAY 3: BONAVENTURE RIVER CANOEING
copyright image: @claudia_coulombe
On Day 3 we woke up at the camping Cime Aventures. We had booked a canoeing adventure in the Bonaventure River for today.
Please note that you need to book this rental ahead of time.
The canoeing adventure down this stunning river started at 10 am and a bus brought us all the way down to the river. We then canoed a total of 20km back to the Cime Aventure campground. There are several different options you can choose from but we decided to go with the 20km which also includes canoeing through a few rapids.
Not only is this river completely clear and a beautiful turquoise/green color but it’s also incredibly fun! The rapids went over our canoe and completely soaked us. Do me a favor and just Google Bonaventure River and see for yourself. This is definitely an experience you won’t want to miss!
When we were done with our adventure, we headed out to the town Bonaventure to grab some food and drinks!
And as mentioned above we booked for 2 nights at this campground so we slept there on Day 3 as well.
DAY 4: HIKING IN THE PARC NATIONAL DE LA GASPÉSIE
copyright image: @claudia_coulombe
Rise and shine! On Day 4 we woke up from our campsite and headed towards the Parc National de la Gaspesie for another hiking adventure!
Please make sure you stop, refill on gas, and purchase some food and water before heading out because there is no service and basically no stores in this National Park, and it’s also quite big!
It took us about 2 hours of driving from our campground to arrive at the trailhead. There are so many incredible hikes in the Parc National de la Gaspesie and for all difficulty levels so you can choose whichever trail you’d prefer!
We chose to hike the Pic de l’Aube. In my opinion, this hike was more intermediate for me. To give you an idea, the path is a four-wheeling path that is inclined all the way up the mountain.
Duration: 12km roundtrip
Level of difficulty: Difficult
Parking lot: Coupe-feu
Once we completed the hike in the morning, our next location was Percé! We drove from the Parc National de la Gaspesie all the way to Percé. Again, please note that there are not many stores and gas stations around and the majority of the time you won’t have any service so it’s important to plan ahead and to be prepared.
If you’re planning on taking the route from the Parc National de la Gaspésie to Murdocheville it’s important to note that this is a gravel road and is less recommended if you have a smaller car. The goal is to take route 198 all the way to Gaspé and then to drive from Gaspé to Percé.
This took us about 3-4 hours of driving to arrive at Percé. Upon arrival, we slept in a small hotel/motel right next to the Rocher Percé for 1 night!
There are so many amazing accommodations to choose from near the Rocher Percé.
PARC NATIONAL DE LA GASPÉSIE HIKING TRAILS
DAY 5: THE ROCHER PERCÉ AND THE PARC NATIONAL DE FORILLON
copyright image: @claudia_coulombe
On Day 5, we checked out of the hotel/motel and woke up with a view of the Rocher Percé. We decided to take the small trail called Cap Mont Joli to see the Rocher Percé from up close!
We grabbed some breakfast in town and then headed to the Parc National de Forillon. In my opinion, this is definitely one of the most beautiful National Parks in all of Québec.
In the Forillon National park, we decided to check out 3 different areas. We stopped and hiked at the Chute Trail which is located right off the road. This hiking trail was easy and under 1km.
We then headed out to Cap-Bon-Ami. This spot offers picnic tables, a beautiful view of the cliffs, as well as stairs that lead to a breathtaking beach. This place makes you feel like you’re in another country!
We explored the surrounding areas and then started hiking Mont-Saint-Alban. The trailhead for this mountain starts from Cap-Bon-Ami. The hike was difficult to intermediate and leads to a tall tower overlooking the Gaspé peninsula. You can even spot the Rocher Percé from a distance. An incredible view and must-do hike.
After our adventurous day, we drove back to the main town of Gaspé and stayed in a hotel that we had booked for a 1-night stay.
DAY 6: TAKING THE SCENIC ROUTE TO MATANE
Waking up in the town of Gaspé, we headed straight to Matane and decided to take the scenic route (the 132) back home. Along the way, there are many food trucks you can stop at to eat as well as lighthouses to visit!
We arrived in Matane and decided to get food nearby in the town. We stayed in a beautiful location right by the water on the beach where we admired the sunset and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
DAY 7: DRIVING FROM MATANE BACK HOME
Today we woke up in Matane and headed back home. There are a lot of popular and beautiful spots to stop at in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region on your way home!
GASPÉSIE 7 DAY ROAD TRIP ITINERARY
That’s it friends! To conclude, this 7-day road trip itinerary to Gaspesie included camping, hiking, canoeing, and lots of driving and exploring! Please make sure to sign up below for our newsletter in order to receive emails when new itineraries come out! Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and happy adventuring!
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