The Best Place for Awesome Winter Fun
Content Partner: Tourisme Jacques-Cartier
Come and have fun just 20 minutes from downtown in Québec City’s biggest playground: the Jacques-Cartier region. Discover the joys of winter, try a new outdoor activity, or just enjoy a well‑deserved holiday from the everyday. Read on for activities that have our hearts racing!
Hike through a Snowy Forest
The Jacques-Cartier region is the ideal winter hiking destination, with plenty of family‑friendly and expert‑level trails. Head out for a Nordic ramble along groomed trails or strap on your snowshoes and chart your own path through the snow. Choose from a multitude of epic locations, including Parc national de la Jacques‑Cartier, Station touristique Duchesnay, and the Marais du Nord marshes. You’ll be swept away by the beauty of the landscapes and the snow‑covered trees. Take a break in one of the heated cabins and enjoy a nice warm soup or a cup of hot chocolate. Keep your eyes open for wildlife. There are hares, foxes, and even deer!
Hit the Trails on a Fat Bike
Ready to embrace the latest winter sports craze? Hop onto a bike with oversized tires and head out along one of the many groomed trails in the Jacques‑Cartier region. A mountain biking spin‑off, fat biking is less technical, since obstacles tend to disappear under all that snow. Try the Empire 47 trail network in Lac-Delage, a local fat biking hotspot, or try one of the six mechanically groomed fat‑biking trails at Sentiers du Moulin in Lac‑Beauport. It’s the sport you didn’t know you couldn’t live without.
Fly across the Snow on a Dogsled
The Jacques-Cartier region gives you plenty of ways to try that most authentic of winter adventures—dogsledding. Just head over to Aventures Nord-Bec Stoneham, Aventure Inukshuk, or Pourvoirie du Lac-Beauport. Let a pack of happy and energetic dogs whisk you out into the wilds. It’s a thrilling sensation! And be sure to visit the dog kennel to see the mothers and their pups when you get back from your great northern adventure.
Discover the Finest Cross Country Ski Trails Around
With hundreds of kilometres of trails and the highest concentration of Nordic ski centres anywhere in the province, the Jacques-Cartier area is a must for cross‑country skiers. For touring or skate skiing, you’ll find incredible conditions and exceptional trails, with scenery that simply can’t be beat. Try Camp Mercier in the Réserve faunique des Laurentides wildlife reserve, Station touristique Duchesnay, or Sentiers du Moulin. Some locations offer cabin accommodations.
Go Skating on Ice Trails
Skating is a wonderful way to spend time with family, friends, or that special someone. Go winding through the forest on the Shannon ice oval or at Parc du Grand-Héron in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, or head out on a big lake in Lac-Beauport. There are even skating chalets on site so you can warm up between laps.
Relax in the Great Outdoors
Wrap up a day of snow‑filled fun or simply enjoy the great outdoors by relaxing at a Nordic spa. Manoir du Lac-Delage-SPA, Spa Duchesnay, and Spa Aroma at Village Vacances Valcartier all have spa experiences to suit your every need. With its spectacular setting at the base of a mountain and inspiring view of the Jacques-Cartier Valley, Nordique Spa Stoneham is also a real treat.
So Much Winter Fun!
There’s even more fun to be had: snowmobiling, downhill skiing, ice fishing, sledding, wildlife observation, ice hotel and the indoor waterpark! There’s literally a mountain of possibilities for a memorable winter experience in the Jacques-Cartier region. So grab your toque or beanie, scarf, coat, boots, and mittens, and come on out and play!
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