Our Road Trip to Gaspésie in Pictures

We came back from our road trip to Gaspésie one week ago, yet it feels like it was yesterday. It also feels like it was forever ago. How are we September 13 already?!

Today is actually Shaun and I’s 4 year anniversary. I guess it would be a good occasion to share some pictures from our last road trip!

Some of you may have seen some snaps from our trip to Gaspésie on Instagram. I shared a few on Instagram stories. I had so much fun taking pictures of the gorgeous places we visited, so I thought I’d share some with you. I won’t go on and on about the details of our trip, but I hope you enjoy this little summary filled with pictures of the beautiful Gaspésie scenery. So here goes!

Day 1

When we came home from work on Friday before the Labor Day weekend, we finished some last-minute packing and drove to Moncton, 1 hour and 30 minutes away. That way, we could save ourselves that much time driving the next day. We slept at my parents’ place and left first thing in the morning on Saturday. We then drove 7 hours to our first destination: Percé.

(Percé Rock)

(on our way to Forillon)

After walking around the small town of Percé for a while, we made our way to Forillon National Park. That night was absolutely freezing. It went down to 5°C overnight and we had a small tent with no tarp (mistake number one). We made a fire that night after hours of struggling to keep it alive. Of course we didn’t bring anything to start the fire, like newspaper (mistake number 2). When we finally got the fire to start, we enjoyed it for 15 minutes, then decided we were freezing and went to bed. We didn’t think to bring a tuque, mittens, a warm jacket or any kind of clothes that could keep us warm (mistake number 3). Clearly we packed last-minute.

Day 2

The next morning, we woke up at 5am (probably from the cold) and went for a hike. We hiked Les Graves Trail, which was an 8 km hike. It brought us to Land’s End. Basically a lookout on the coast. We spent some time observing seals (the noises they made were priceless).

(Les Graves Trail)

(Cap-Gaspé Lighthouse)

(Land’s End)

After finishing that hike, we drove to a small waterfall trail close to our campground. It was a nice little 1 km loop that lead to this waterfall.

(La Chute Trail)

At noon on Sunday, we left for our next destination: Gaspésie National Park.

The drive was absolutely beautiful. We drove for 3 and a half hours and arrived to the next park. It was late afternoon, so we decided to go for a small hike before supper. We hiked Mont Ernest-Laforce. It was a short 4km hike that gave us a view of all the surrounding mountains. Absolutely breathtaking!

(Mont Ernest-Laforce)

After our hike, we headed to our campsite. That night, it was announcing rain. A lot of rain. Since we didn’t have a tarp for our tent (of course) we decided to sleep in our car. It sounds horrible, but we pulled down the back seats and slept with our feet in the trunk. It was actually comfortable… for me! I’m not sure Shaun was as comfortable as I was… Being short has its advantages.

Day 3

It was raining all day on Monday. Or at least it was raining all morning and the afternoon was foggy and wet. We spent some time in the morning reading in the car, then went for a drive around the park. We took a few dirt roads and reached a few lakes.

(Cascapédia Lake)

(Paul Lake)

(Paul Lake + Shaun… He won’t like me when he sees this!)

When the rain stopped in the afternoon, we went for our big hike: Mont Xalibut. It was a 16km hike that went to the top of the mountain at 1140 km altitude. At the top, there was nothing but rocks and a lot of wind. Unfortunately, it was a foggy day and we didn’t get to enjoy the view. It was still beautiful in its own way. There’s something about fog that I just love for photography.

(Lac aux Américains Trail)

(Lac aux Américains)

(Mont Xalibut)

We’re getting closer to the top!

(Mont Xalibut)

That’s basically the only view we got… Oh well!

(Mont Xalibut)

That night, we decided to treat ourselves and rented a huttopia for the night. It was announcing more rain and a warm, dry place to sleep seemed well deserved. If you don’t know what that is, it’s like a mix between a cottage and a tent. We had electricity, heat, a propane stove and 2 double beds. It was SO nice! We had some wine, made some pasta and enjoyed our last evening in Gaspésie.

Day 4

Tuesday morning was our last day. We went for a short hike to make the most of our time there. We took a few trails around the campground, saw a cute waterfall and the mountains covered in fog. It was a good way to finish our trip and move our legs before driving 7 hours to get back home.

(La Lucarne Trail)

(Gaspésie National Park)

Until next time Gaspésie!

If you ever get the chance to visit this beautiful place, do it! Gaspésie National Park was my absolute favorite, but Forillon and Percé are definitely worth visiting as well. 🙂