One-Stop Resource for Bas-Saint-Laurent, Charlevioix, Cote-Nord & Gaspésie…
Related: Western Quebec Snowmobile Planner & Central Quebec Snowmobile Planner
This Eastern Quebec snowmobile planner provides info, links, contacts, tour articles & itineraries. These are all the basic resources for visiting snowmobilers. As they get started riding snowmobile trails operated by the Quebec Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (FCMQ) in Bas-Saint-Laurent, Charlevioix, Cote-Nord & Gaspésie (listed below from west to east).
La Belle Province is a unique and must-do snowmobile destination. It has the advantage of the most northerly positioning of any mainland Canadian province,. Plus many areas with high elevation,
Its 33,000 km (20,500 mi) interconnected trail network runs through many of Quebec’s 20 tourism regions.
But so many trails and so many regions can make discovering and deciding where to go difficult. That’s why it’s valuable to have my western, central and eastern Quebec snowmobile planners at your fingertips. But remember, I’ve only listed the 13 most popular Quebec tourism regions. The ones with the most reliable snow that I’ve toured and written about!
Eastern Quebec Snowmobile Planner
Charlevoix (southern part of #2 of regional map above)
Eastern Quebec snowmobile planner: Charlevoix Region (photo © Craig Nicholson).
Location: From the Quebec Region, Trans Quebec Trail 3 heads north parallel to the St. Lawrence River towards the Cote-Nord Region. Along the way, it goes through the hilly wilderness of the Charlevoix Region, replete with panoramic views and the most awesome snowmobile hotel in Eastern Canada. Charlevoix is also an excellent staging choice for a saddlebag loop to Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean or Cote-Nord as shown in my Eastern Quebec snowmobile planner links.
Neighbouring Regions Connected by Trail: Cote-Nord (east), Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (north), Quebec – city & area (west). Bas-Saint-Laurent & Chaudière-Appalaches are south across the St. Lawrence but not connected by trails.
Fav Snowmobile-Friendly & Trail Accessible Centres: Baie-Saint-Paul, Clermont, La Malbaie, Saint-Siméon, Baie-Sainte-Catherine.
Season Length: January to end of March
Planning Sites: Tourisme Charlevoix, Bonjour Quebec.
Trail Map: print map file.
Named Loops: yes 6 + 1 multi-region loop.
Tour Articles: Day loops from Manoir Richelieu, Saddlebagging Quebec City to La Malbie.
Itineraries: Quebec City/Charlevoix/Saguenay, Quebec City/La Malbaie
Bas-Saint-Laurent (western part of #3 – Le Quebec Maritime)
Eastern Quebec snowmobile planner: Bas-Saint-Laurent Region (photo © Craig Nicholson).
Location: One of three regions marketed as part of Le Quebec Maritime (“Quebec By The Sea”), Bas-Saint-Laurent (“Lower St. Lawrence”) is positioned on the south side of the St. Lawrence River. Well-known as the staging location for tours of Gaspésie or New Brunswick, the Bas-Saint-Laurent Region is a great destination in its own right, with awesome riding in both its scenic hill country and along the shore of the St. Lawrence valley. With about 1,777 km (1,104 mi) of trails, Bas-Saint-Laurent offers both day looping and saddle-bagging opportunities.
Neighbouring Regions Connected by Trail: Chaudière-Appalaches (west), Gaspésie (east), & New Brunswick & Maine (south). Charlevoix & Cote-Nord are north across the St. Lawrence, but not connected by trails or ferry (except via the Gaspésie Region).
Fav Snowmobile-Friendly & Trail Accessible Centres: La Pocatière, Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup, Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, Trois-Pistoles.
Season Length: Late December to early April.
Planning Sites: Tourisme Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec Maritime, Bonjour Quebec.
Trail Map: print map file.
Named Loops: yes (5) – scroll to bottom of linked page. + 1 multi-region loop.
Tour Articles: Bas-Saint-Laurent/Western Gaspésie saddlebag ride.
Itineraries: Bas-Saint-Laurent/Western Gaspésie.
Cote-Nord (northern part of #3 – Le Quebec Maritime)
Eastern Quebec snowmobile planner: Cote-Nord Region (photo © Craig Nicholson).
Location: The Cote-Nord Region is part of Le Quebec Maritime and as far east as FCMQ snowmobile trails go (even farther than Gaspésie)! Positioned on the north side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, this huge and sparsely populated region is bounded on the west by Charlevoix, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Baie-James, and on the north by Labrador. Trans Quebec Trail 3 is part of about 2,320 km (1,442 mi) of trails that offer incredible riding, but east of Sept-Isles becomes a remote adventure trail that shouldn’t be attempted without local assistance. FYI, there is no marked/maintained trail north through the wilderness from Port Cartier to Fermont on the Labrador border.
Neighbouring Regions Connected by Trail: Charlevoix & Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (west), Bas-Saint-Laurent & Gaspésie (south, across St. Lawrence with ferry connection only), Newfoundland & Labrador north & east with no trail or ferry connection. 
Fav Snowmobile-Friendly & Trail Accessible Centres: Baie-Comeau, Forestville, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Les Escoumins, Sacré-Coeur, Sept-îles, Tadoussac.
Season Length: End of December to early April.
Planning Sites: Tourism Cote-Nord, Quebec Maritime, Bonjour Quebec.
Trail Map: print map file.
Named Loops: yes (numerous tours – scroll down page + 1 multi-region loop). Also, The Northern Trail & Route Blanche.
Tour Articles: Saddlebagging from Sacré-Coeur to Baie-Comeau.
Gaspésie (eastern part of #3 – Le Quebec Maritime)
Eastern Quebec snowmobile planner: Gaspésie Region (photo © Craig Nicholson).
Location: For many visiting riders, the name “Gaspésie” is virtually synonymous with “Quebec”.This scenic region is part of Le Quebec Maritime and positioned as far east as you can go on the south shore of the St. Lawrence,.This peninsula juts out into the sea on three sides as found in my Eastern Quebec snowmobile planner.
With approximately 3,134 km (1,947 mi) of snowmobile trails, Trans Quebec 5 loops around the entire peninsula,.Other trails cut through the central mountains, which include its popular backcountry destination, the Choc-Chocs. Gaspésie is definitely a saddlebagging region that will take at least a week to explore.
Neighbouring Regions Connected by Trail: Bas-Saint Laurent (west), New Brunswick (south) and Cote-Nord north across the Gulf of St. Lawrence (accessible by ferry from Matane).
Fav Snowmobile-Friendly & Trail Accessible Centres: Amqui, Gaspé, Grande-Rivière, Matane, Mont-Joli, Murdochville, New Richmond, Percé, Rivière-au-Renard, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts.
Season Length: End of December to mid-April (in the north & central areas), January to March on the south coast.
Planning Sites: Tourisme Gaspésie, Quebec Maritime, Bonjour Quebec.
Trail Map: print map file.
Named Loops: yes (6) + 1 multi-region loop.
Tour Articles: Gaspésie March Ride, Saddlebagging around Gaspésie.
Itineraries: Looping Gaspésie.
Learn about Quebec snowmobiler rescue on FCMQ trails.
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The tips and advice in this blog are the opinions of the author, may not work in every situation and are intended only for the convenience and interest of the reader, who has the personal responsibility to confirm the validity, accuracy and relevancy of this information prior to putting it to their own use.