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Departure
Métabetchouan

25 km

ROUTE DESCRIPTION

A pleasant route without any particular highlights that follows Lake Saint-Jean along a bike path and also takes you through a typical Quebec village and introduces you to a small town that’s thriving economically and culturally.

Start

1773 Route 169, Métabetchouan-Lac-à-la-Croix, Quebec G8G 1M3
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Finish

820 Avenue du Pont Sud, Alma, Quebec G8B 2V8
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Distance

25 KM

Route duration

DAY 1

Difficulty level

STAY ALERT AT INTERSECTIONS

Elevation gain

NONE

Itinerary

From Métabetchouan to Alma

  • Take Route 169 toward Alma (east) on the left until you reach RoadNo. 16. (0.5 km)
  • Take Trail #16 on your left and join the bike path. Take the bike path on your right. It leads to the village of Saint-Gédéon. (8 km)
  • Cross the bridge and continue along Rue Dequen (Main Street): Saint-Gédéon Church. You can stop at the bike route kiosk just past Saint-Gédéon Church. (2.1 km)
  • Continue along Main Street until you reach the Médard Cheese Shop. (2.2 km)
  • At the traffic light at the corner of Rang des Îles, continue on Route Principale, keeping to the right.
  • At the next turn, keep to the right and take Lane 5. (2 km)
  • Go past the last blue and yellow house on your left. (1.6 km)
  • Take the side road on your left. It’s a gravel road. (3 km)
  • Javie Farm (green and white) (2.2 km)
  • Bridge over the Bédard River. (2 km)
  • Just a few meters further, at the top of the hill, across from the brown house, take the trail on your left. You’ll need to cross the ditch. (0.4 km)
  • This is a shortcut to Saint-Jude Boulevard. If you see the farm “Clair de Lac Ltée, #815,” turn back—you’ve just gone straight past it.
  • Cross Maurice Paradis Boulevard and continue straight ahead.
  • Go straight through the intersection at Route du Lac and continue on Saint-Jude Boulevard until you reach Auger Boulevard. (1 km)

Practical Tips

Plan for today's drive

  • Water; soft bars
  • Lunch

Planning for the Road Ahead

  • Water, snacks
  • Lunch

Point of View

Lake Saint-Jean

From the start of the bike path, you can see the beauty of Lac Saint-Jean in all its vastness.

Restaurants / Food

Metro Plus

370 South Begin Avenue
Alma (Quebec) G8B 2W8

Esso Convenience Store

520 Avenue du Pont-Sud
, Alma, Quebec G8B 2V1
Tel. (418) 662-3326

Roberto’s Restaurant

Quebec cuisine and fast food
, 11 Scott Street East
, Alma, Quebec G8B 1B6
Tel. (418) 662-219

Normandin Restaurant

800 Du Pont-Sud Avenue
, Alma, Quebec G8B 2V8
Tel. (418) 662-3561

Saint-Hubert Express

75 Saint-Luc Boulevard
Alma (Quebec) G8B 6W7
(418) 669-1191

Salvatoré Pizza

50 Collard Street (Suite 2)
, Alma, Quebec G8B 1M6
Tel. (866) 695-6666

McDonald’s

850 Du Pont-Sud Avenue
Alma (Quebec)

A&W Restaurant

745 Du Pont-Sud Avenue
Alma, Quebec G8B 2V3

Tim Horton

1049 Du Pont-Sud Avenue
Alma (Quebec)

Accommodations

Normandin Hotel and Motel

820 South Bridge Avenue
Alma, Quebec G8B 2V8
Tel. (418) 668-2354

Best Price—BOOK EARLY.

Almatoit

755 Price Street O
Alma, Quebec G8B 4T3
Tel. (418) 668-4125

100 TripAdvisor reviews; www.almatoit.com;
A vacation rental located in a magnificent historic home.

Other (120 Canadian dollars and up)

  • Universel Hotel
  • Comfort Inn
  • Travelodge (Wynham)

Things to Do in Alma

LEISURE AND RELAXATION

Open Swim: Mario Tremblay Center

Closes at midnight.

605 Saint-Luc Boulevard
, Alma, Quebec G8B 2K8
Tel. (418) 669-5127

HERITAGE AND CULTURE

The Builders’ Odyssey

Visit the Maison de bâtisseurs museum, accessible by car and bike. This is the Lac-Saint-Jean museum, where you’ll find more than 20 historic photos accompanied by explanations based on documents from the local historical society.

1671 Avenue du Pont N
, Alma, Quebec G8B 5G2

EXPLORING THE CITY

Centenary Bridge

A pedestrian promenade accessible via Boulevard des Cascades. View of the river and the Petite-Décharge.

Rue Des Cascades
, Alma, Quebec

LEISURE AND RELAXATION

Mario Tremblay Center

Swimming pool and other physical and cultural activities near the accommodations on Rue Du-Pont-Sud.

605 Saint-Luc Boulevard
, Alma, Quebec

A Brief History of the Stopover Town

Alma

Although Alma was founded in 1867 at the instigation of Damase Boulanger, it did not truly develop until after the hydroelectric dam was built in 1923 on the Grande-Décharge River. Paper mills, aluminum plants, and other factories were established there, and their operations continue to this day. For this reason, it is now the major industrial center of the Lac-Saint-Jean region. To ensure that its historical and cultural aspects are not overlooked, it is worth noting the town’s prominent architectural heritage (historic buildings), along with the local archives and the museum’s collection.

 

Photos: Artem Militonian on Unsplash, Louis-Philippe Poitras on Unsplash

Next Stop: Departure from Alma

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