Hey guys, Not sure if there's a better place to ask this. Are there opportunities for primitive / wild / possibly stealthy camping in southern portions of Quebec? My buddy and I are planning to head up into Quebec for 5 days on the smallish dual sports in a couple weeks. Are there generally opportunities for primitive camping in wilderness areas or national parks within 5-days-on-small-dual-sports range of the US border. I tried to look online, but mostly found tourism websites more geared towards developed camping.
Don`t take this is gospel as except for camping in Mauricie Ntl. Park, I haven`t done any in QC. But like most of area across Canada within a couple of hundred clicks of the border, you`ll most likely have to deal with paid campgrounds. All the rest is private land. When you get further north, your free to legally camp on any crown land and nobody will say a thing.
If you goggle "Crown Land Camping in Quebec" there is a bit of info that comes up. I've been doing a bit of research for the same kind of camping in Ontario. http://www.mrn.gouv.qc.ca/english/territory/portrait/portrait-use.jsp I would think for the most part if you're doing some trail riding / off road stuff you'll be around areas that are Crown Land and you'll probably even see a few places where its obvious people have camped before. If you are not a Canadian or a resident you may not be eligible to camp on crown land for free. You probably won't run into any problems, there may not even be any kind of usage pass you can buy for Quebec... but I'd check it out. Or just play the dumb Anglophone... its worked for me.
Hey Guys, My first post on ADV Rider. Thanks for the input. I'm the buddy that Birds and I will be doing this trip. So I have another question. Any other slang that is good to know in Canada? Crown Land is great for research. Any other terms they use that would be good to know? Thanks again
"eh" - can mean all kinds of things "tabernac" - french swear word "merci" - thankyou in french "MNR" - Ministry of Natural Resources - they have the power to make your life very difficult if you are fishing or hunting without a license "deet" - chemical found in bug spray that blackflies are immune to Have fun guys! Nice scenery there for sure. Eh tabernac, merci!
Lets not forget the SQ, The Surety Quebec AKA: Quebec Provincial Police. Out of province plates make them salivate, and because you don't speak French, they'll use that any way they can. ... but I'm not bitter.
Really....She was probably salivating at my out of province bike as I was salivating at her. I guess she had seen it in the village and was checking me out....the well above the "you are getting towed away" speed was just the excuse......maybe!A very pleasant roadside encounter with a new rider altough she was at work on that beautiful day in southern Quebec. Anyway..The really detailed maps are in there, you can go and change the scale big time for real details using the navigation tools: http://transports.atlas.gouv.qc.ca/QuebecCarte/QC_Organisation.asp Not a lot of crown lands in Chaudiere/Appalaches, lots of private woodlots where stealth camping may "or may not" be acceptable. May look deserted and a good place to camp but they sure ride their ATVs at all time and look after each other properties. And don't take your 2 wheelers into any of the developped ATV trails, that they will frown upon big time.:eek1 You also certainly want to avoid camping too close from the border, there may be suspicious activities going on at night in some places. Too bad....not going there this year, I'd find you some good camping spots with proper introductions to the landowners and......LOTS of gravel.
Ok, so the police in Quebec, are there any things that piss them off especially? Other then being Americans in their land :) -Obviously do the speed limit in Kph (not Mph) -I'm assuming lane splitting and driving on shoulders is a bad idea? I know it's not a good idea anywhere, but say it's super hot and traffic, ..... -Is riding two sides of the lane, with 1-2 bike lengths in between riders ok? -Any common faux pas that Americans tend to make, in regards to Canadien driving/riding laws? Sorry to be asking questions that are general or dumb, just trying to figure out if there are any DO NOT DO in Canada that is usually accepted practice in states. This should be a thread, AMERICANS be warned .... LOL If you do get pulled over, what's good procotol? Yes Sir, Ma'am, no speakidy French, I only twist the throttle LOL
As long as you put in decent days, in two days you can be just about anywhere in Quebec - well north of anywhere where anyone cares whether you are camping. Ride in staggered formation: leader in the left side wheel line, follower a second or two behind in the right wheel line. Good practice anywhere. If you are stopped by the police, just be polite and honest - its always the best policy. I don't speak any French but my single experience with the SQ was painless and pleasant. Here's a clip from that encounter. By 10AM, the snow had stopped falling, and while they were sodden, the roads were no longer snow covered or slushy, so I strapped my gear on the bike, settled my account at the front desk and set out for home. Hoping to leave the urban area quickly, I joined a major through-way. I had hardly wound up through the gears when the bike spluttered, coughed, then cut out altogether. I coasted to a stop right where two sections of the highway joined, leaving me surrounded on both sides by heavy morning traffic, throwing up spray in all directions from the wet roads. Damn! The distributor and HT lines were dripping water, and when I cranked the bike over, I could see sparks tracking across the surface of the distributor cap. As a sixteen year old, I had once abandoned a 1950 Panther 600 single at the side of a Scottish road when water got in to the electrics, only to be called up by the cops a couple of weeks later with the command to collect my perfectly good, fully functioning bike from their nice dry storage shed. From that youthful experience, I had learned that one only had to wait long enough for the engine heat to dry the electrics and I could be on my way again. As long as I didn’t get creamed by the traffic streaming by me on both sides first - that is. The bike had no sooner struggled back to life when a Sureté du Québec Ford Crown Victoria pulled up behind me, blue lights flashing. It didn’t take much High School English for the policemen to make it politely, but abundantly clear to me that they thought I was a complete idiot to be out on a motorbike on such a day. Nevertheless, after checking my papers to make sure I wasn’t a Hell’s Angel who had somehow escaped the province-wide crime sweep reported on the news that morning, they handed me my papers, suggested I get on to less heavily travelled roads, and wished me well. Throughout my time talking to the police, the Guzzi had been idling steadily as if nothing had ever been the matter, so by the time I started off again, the electrics were good and dry. Apart from a couple of splutters a few miles down the road, she ran flawlessly for the remainder of the trip. (from http://www.adamsheritage.info/stolen_days.htm Good luck Nick
I wouldn't do any lane splitting or driving on shoulders. I certainly used to do that in my younger days over there but nowadays NO WAY. Be aware that 40 km/hr over the speed limit is "automatic license suspension for a week" and vehicle towed away. Would they automatically apply that rule to you.....all depends. She didn't but sure made me aware of it. I say all depends because the following year Officer Brulot got my friend's son for $1,200 worth of fines when I was there again. His mom was pissed so I had to tell her of my encounter with her.....pissed her off even more. Good the son deserved it anyway, he is a real sh...d and just about forced my sister off the road once.:eek1 Not sure about pissing them off.....we used to be pretty good at that back then.They are certainly better educated these days and more polite than they used to be and don't be surprised if they do speak English to some extent. More so in the Eastern Townships but still all over. If they had a bad day like anyone else they could be grumpy, there are ways to relax them and get them to smile first then you are halfway there. Really watch for the farmers and tractors at that time of the year if you are doing the gravel rural roads. Kids are off school and do drive them tractors at a pretty young age just like I did. Honk or make sure they notice you before you pass. Oh.....and the cops are patrolling the gravel roads. Something they never really did back then but they figured out that too many were using them roads under the influence to bypass the paved roads and go from bar to bar, they'll be there nowadays applying the speed limit.They may even be there on ATVs some of them roads are part of the designated ATV trail systems.Kids on fast quads now they are scary when they are on the roads, had a few too many encounters when riding gravel over there.:eek1
I think the real "fun" begin at the town called La Tuque, 180 miles north-east of Montreal. West of that town you got hundreds miles of gravel road, from 4 lane hiway to "what the f$%? I'm doing here" wide. It's almost all public land and there is a lot of nice lake in this area so you can do camping were you want. There is a very small town about 125 miles east of La Tuque called Parent, it's "middle of nowhere" at is best. About 130 miles in any direction you got nothing but forest, gravel road and lake! Great place to ride. but you need some good map and GPS, you don't want to get lost here.
As previously stated be polite and honest when stopped by the police. I stopped a few Americans tourists, while posted in Montreal, going over the speed limit. The first one got a warning because I was surprised by his arrogance. The others did not fair as well. Mistakes happen, as stated above be honest. However 150 kph in a 100 kph zone is not a mistake. Follow the speed limits, have your papers in order (vehicle/license) and everything should be fine. 99% of travelers are well behaved. Arrogance has no nationality. Have a good one Brian
Thanks a lot guys. Trip was pretty intense, with many casualties (aux light bracket, wheel bearing, 2 relays, front tire, my engine). We did end up going to Parent, and had a blast at Reserve Faunique Mastigouche as well. We found out why no one tent camps in QC. We got eaten alive a couple of the nights.
You need a campsite in Chaudiere/Appalaches, pm me, I go you covered. One spot by a lakehouse(shared so not avail at all times) or another on a culdesac semi private road(better) with power. OT:Theres many logging lots in that area and as a local I would not hesitate to camp on these lots at all times except during hunting season. Most logging lots and sugars shack lots have wire fences at the entrance but quite often it will have a beaten ATV path trail that goes around the fence. Avoid the ones with neighbors and you should be fine and dont camp near a sugar shack; people are more protective as there tends to be a lot of expensive equipment in there. In my hometown I ride all the time on private properties w/o a hitch. Quite often chartered atv trails go thru private properties etc. Worst that can happen is they ask you to leave. Or.. just PM me
Me.... Eh I have quite a few sites in C/A where I can camp. Cabins...lots etc...! That's where I am from, just not much time to go that way as often as I'd like. Probably a good thing, everytime I go my sister mentions "me" building myself a "camp forestier" on her lot. I got some darn good syrup from St-Benjamin this year.
I may have spelled it correctly but sure know how to pronounce it correctly.It is St-Banhamin. Eh is the rang 14 still bumpy? :eek1 If you go that way go show the ADV salute to "L'Armee de Marie" in L.-E.The "Virgin" Marie Paule....my Grandpa's cousin. Stay out of the woodlots in St-Luc de Dijon....some of my friends may not like that.Even if they are in "La Metropole" others do keep an eye on their properties. Good syrup in St-Benjamin!...off to my friends in L.-E. after this, they just gave me a location yesterday, no name but a small producer with 1,000 trees.Need a good cobbler/skate sharpener over there?...you can have a reference if you need.
Yes Rang 14 is still crappy... They redo a small part of it every year but its always a mess. L'Armée de Marie is actualy on the way to the lake house in L-E. That place is kind of like a sect... My godfather is a catholic priest and he takes care of the small chapel across the road from the Armée de Marie. The Armé has been trying forever to buy that little chapel with a lake side view but they wont sell it to them. If you visit this thread - post #6 is in st-benjamin http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=903135&highlight=dt200
