Gaspe Travel Guide
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The southern bank of the St. Lawrence sweeps north and then eastward toward the Atlantic. At the river's mouth, the thumb of land called Gaspé Peninsula -- Gaspésie in French -- pokes into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Gaspé is a primordial region heaped with aged, blunt hills covered with hundreds of square miles of woodlands. Over much of its northern perimeter, their slopes fall directly into the sea. Winter here is long and harsh, making the crystal days of summer all the more precious.
The fishing villages huddled around the coves cut from the coast are as sparsely populated as they've always been, with many of the young residents moving inland toward brighter lights (unemployment in the region is close to 30%). Left behind are the crash of the surf, eagles and elk in the high grounds, and timber to be harvested gingerly by lumber companies.
All that makes it the perfect place for camping, hiking, biking, hunting, and fishing in near-legendary salmon streams. Almost every little town has a modest but clean motel and a restaurant to match. The purpose of a trip is a complete escape from the cities, and your destination is the tip of the thumb, the village of Percé and the famous rock for which it's named.
From Québec City, driving around the peninsula and back to the city takes at least 4 days, assuming only an overnight stay when you get to Percé. The first half of the trip is the most scenic, while the underside of the peninsula is largely a flat coastal plain beside a regular shoreline. That southern shore is the route of Via Rail trains, a thrice-weekly service between Montréal, Québec, and intermediate stops on the way to the town of Gaspé. The train, called the Chaleur, leaves Montréal at 6:45pm on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday and arrives at Percé at 10:50am the next day. (At least so says the timetable. Expect to depart on time but to arrive 1-2 hr. late.) There is a dining car with meals that will not recall the once-glamorous 20th Century Limited; defrosting occupies most of the chef's active time. Passengers in sleeping cars have the use of showers and a domed lounge car.
For more information about the Gaspé, log on to www.gaspesie.com.
