While we preach diversification of assets for your investments, the current value of our loonie encourages domestic, localized spending. After a winter season that seemed to drag on interminably, we thought we’d offer some vacation planning ideas to help you get the biggest bang for your hard-earned bucks.
Spanning almost 1 600 000 km squared, Quebec is a magnificent sprawling playground for the outdoor lover. As Canada’s largest province, we have one of the world’s most abundant fresh water reserves, vast tracts of hills and mountain ranges, plentiful wildlife, forests, and tundra. The result? There is a virtually unlimited supply of Only in Quebec summer adventures, and here are just a few of them:
Parc de la Chute-Montmorency Falls
Just a few minutes outside of Quebec City is one of our greatest scenic treasures. An imposing 30 meters higher than Niagara, you can view the waterfalls from the ground. The Falls are even more dramatic from above, and enchantingly lit up at night, and there’s even a cable car to take you to the top. If you’re a real adrenaline junkie, try the via ferrata route up the walls of the Falls. Not for the faint-hearted!
Parc national d’Aiguebelle
This is an area of natural lookouts and 2.7 billion year old geological faults. It’s one of Quebec’s favorite hiking areas for its unique topography. The best way to explore it is by walking the 22-meter high suspension bridge. At the Parc, you can traverse the 220 cliff-side steps, climb a fire ranger tower, and finish up at a small wildlife museum at the end.
Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie
Ride a rabaska, a traditional wooden canoe made to hold up to 10 adults plus cargo in tow. Used by French Canadian explorers to access the interior of North America during the 17th and 18th centuries, nowadays this First Nations form of transportation is more for leisure. If you’re feeling competitive, watch the Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie boat race from September 1st to the 4th.
La Route Verte
This is one of the greatest cycling routes in the world, offering close to 5300 km of trails. An entirely interconnected pathway, you can either take on the whole course at once, or conquer it by section. How far you ride and the itinerary is completely up to you.
Éco-Odyssée
Just 30 minutes from Ottawa, the unique aquatic environment Éco-Odyssée offers a water maze and interlocking canal system ideal to explore via boat. Challenge yourself to navigate out of the labyrinths of marshy beaver habitats, while taking in the incredible surroundings.
Laflèche Cave
Crawl through small passages to identify stalactites and stalagmites in Laflèche Cave, Quebec’s most visited underground park. If you’d prefer to stay above ground, there are treetop aerial courses, GPS relays and zip lines also in the vicinity for an action-packed day full of adventure.
Summer Cottage Rental Digest
There is an abundance of cottage rental possibilities in Quebec, available through a simple online search. They can be found in virtually every populated visitor-friendly region of the province and are available in a wide variety of sizes and price ranges.
While we can’t endorse the following resources, we hope you’ll find them helpful in narrowing down your selection:
http://www.chaletsauquebec.com
http://www.auchaletenboisrond.com
http://cottages.louer.com/
