Itinerary to Discover La Haute-Gaspésie, in Gaspésie

Here’s a suggested itinerary for a stay in La Haute-Gaspésie, between the sea and the mountains. Home to Parc national de la Gaspésie, a popular hiking destination, this sector on the north side of the peninsula offers a variety of things to discover between Cap-Chat and Sainte-Madeleine-de-la-Rivière-Madeleine.

From Saint-Flavie, you’ll drive towards Matane along Route 132 to reach Cap-Chat, the first village in La Haute-Gaspésie, within two hours. Let your first stop be the Distillerie Cap-Chat, which produces a range of flavourful artisan spirits, including gins made with botanicals (wildflowers, spices and herbs), many of which are harvested from the distillery’s immediate surroundings in Gaspésie.

Only 15 minutes past Cap-Chat, you’ll arrive in the sector’s main town, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. In and around this town, you’ll find a variety of accommodation options on the mountainside, overlooking the sea or in the heart of the forest.

Once you’ve checked in, head to La Face B, a seaside bar in Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis, for happy hour. Offering a breathtaking view of the St. Lawrence, this welcoming spot with a patio serves tapas, fine tinned fish, natural wines and other local products. The bar is in the same building as La Pointe Sec, a cultural space with a unique program featuring emerging artists.

La Pointe Sec. Photo: Jérôme Landry

When it comes to enjoying the fresh or salt waters of La Haute-Gaspésie, you have many options to choose from. For example, the team at Eskamer Aventure in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts offers two types of adventures: sea kayaking and canyoning. A guided sea kayaking excursion will give you the opportunity to see marine mammals as well as admire the St. Lawrence at sunset. Canyoning, on the other hand, is a thrilling river adventure involving navigating pools, natural slides and rocky outcrops, including soaring above it all on a zipline!

If you’re more interested in a sea excursion, participate in a fishing trip with Pêche l’Aventurier departing from the Cap-Chat wharf during which you’ll hopefully catch various types of groundfish and/or striped bass.

At the end of the day, stop in at the Le Malbord microbrewery in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts for a refreshing craft beer either in the tasting room or on the seaside patio.

Eskamer Aventure. Photo: Dany Vachon

Still in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, visit the Couleur Chocolat chocolate economuseum where you can go on a virtual tour of the facilities and sample the chocolate creations made by Carl Pelletier. This passionate master chocolatier offers sweets inspired by his native Gaspésie, such as his renowned forest collection. His delicious artisanal ice creams are also a must in the summer!

Next, stop in the Plein Ma Valise gourmet shop, where you can stock up on fine cheeses, artisanal deli meats, imported wines and various other local products.

Couleur Chocolat, Économusée du Chocolatier. Photo: Jérôme Landry

Continue your drive to Marsoui and stop in at the L’Hybride café and bookshop. Here you can sip a hot or cold drink and then browse the small selection of books. Next, drop in at Atkins & Frères in Mont-Louis to sample and purchase smoked fish and seafood from this renowned smokehouse.

With your cooler full of provisions, keep driving to the Cap-de-la-Madeleine Lighthouse in Sainte-Madeleine-de-la-Rivière-Madeleine to enjoy a picnic overlooking the sea. You can also tour the lighthouse with an interpreter guide and visit the gift shop in the assistant lightkeeper’s house.

Photo: Cap-de-la-Madeleine Lighthouse

On your way back, stop to take a break and enjoy the Mont-Saint-Pierre Beach, which offers a view of the mountain of the same name. You can then savour a good meal at the Le Délice motel restaurant, which makes its own smoked meat in a Southern U.S. style. Then treat yourself to a homemade ice cream at Sucre Glace.

Mont-Saint-Pierre. Photo: Tourisme Gaspésie

Before you leave this sector, stop in at the Monique and Gisèle Benoit Centre to admire the largest exhibition of wildlife art in Eastern Canada.

Be sure to also read our blog post about can’t-miss experiences in La Haute-Gaspésie to make sure you don’t miss anything during your visit!

To extend your stay, find out more about the 8 sectors of Gaspésie.

Please note that this itinerary is intended for information purposes only and is not a package. It is meant to inspire you and may be modified as you wish.