4 DAY ROADTRIP IN THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS – DISCOVER QUEBEC WITH YOUR FAMILY

Discovering the Eastern Townships with your family during a 4-day long weekend is enough to give you a change of scenery and recharge your batteries.

This part of the Eastern Townships, about 2 hours drive from Montreal, is green and hilly. You’ll be making oohs and ahs while navigating the roads that feel like an endless roller coaster.

The Eastern Townships is a region full of farms, orchards, nurseries, and parks. There’s plenty to keep you busy without the kids asking “when are we going home?

Here is our account of our 4-day adventure in the Eastern Townships with our family during the St-Jean weekend.

The Eastern Townships in brief

I was wondering, but in fact, the Eastern Townships or Estrie is the same thing. Whatever the name, this region near Montreal and the American border is a set of Appalachian hills.

The main city is Sherbrooke with its 2 universities. Its name comes from John Coape Sherbrooke, governor in chief of British North America from 1816 to 1818. Nicknamed the “Queen of the Eastern Townships”, in the 1980s, it became the main economic, political and cultural center of the region.

The term Estrie was first used in 1981 by the Quebec government. It refers to the administrative region that includes most of the Eastern Townships, except for the western townships that will be integrated into the Montérégie.

The Cantons de l’Est have a long history of being English-speaking. Its name was translated (like many other terms) from English: Eastern Townships. But it doesn’t matter which term you use. The Eastern Townships abound with beautiful villages, Victorian houses, antique stores, and luscious landscapes covered with a beautiful green Kashmir vest.

Discovering the Eastern Townships

You can’t do a road trip without a car, let alone in the Eastern Townships unless you want to do it by bike. It is possible, but not for us.

The best option is to take your car or rent one from Montreal. However, you can take a bus or train to Sherbrooke and then rent a car. Another option is to book a tour from Sherbrooke. However, this will cost you more than doing it by yourself.

The Townships Trail is a tourist route that crisscrosses the region through its built and natural heritage to reveal to you, according to the Chemin des Cantons, the most beautiful landscapes and the exceptional American and British heritage. So if you’re not sure where to start, take this route and go on an adventure. You can stop anywhere along the way.

Sleeping in the Eastern Townships with your family

Accompanied by my husband, my 13-year-old son, and our two dogs, we made our home in Waterville, located about 15 minutes from Sherbrooke.

We opted for camping. It’s the cheapest thing to do, other than sleeping in your car which would have been a bit too tight for all of us.

Due to the Pandemic of the last two years, the campsites fill up quickly. We were lucky to find a free site at Camping du Pont Couvert during the St-Jean weekend.

I’ll tell you more about our experience below. In the meantime, here are some other places to sleep in the arms of Morpheus close to nature. These places offer campgrounds, Bed & Breakfasts, Airbnb. It all depends on your style of adventure, your budget, the number of people, and of course if you have dogs. I didn’t include Sherbrooke or Magog on purpose, as they are a bit expensive and more urban. That said, Magog is full of adorable and very romantic B&Bs. However, a road trip with family and dogs is far from romantic.

Coaticook and Compton

The towns of Coaticook and Compton are located not far from each other.

The park of the Gorge of Coaticook offers campgrounds. There is a very beautiful swimming pool with a garden surrounding it. It is an enchanting site that will make you want to lie down in a deck chair provided for you. The perfect place to relax. The playground is a bit small, but you are in the heart of the park, its trails, and the river that flows through it. Plus, in the summertime, there’s a different food truck that comes in a few times a month. Showers are free.

In the towns of Coaticook and Compton, you’ll find small supermarkets, the SAQ, pharmacy. So, everything you need is nearby. Coaticook has a beautiful ice cream parlor that is well known throughout Quebec. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to test it. But judging by the line, it is popular.

Otherwise, for a completely different level of quality, at the end of the Townships, on the American border, is the small town of Stanstead, full of charm with its Victorian houses. We saw a beautiful (from the outside) B&B with a huge garden. It’s so inviting that my dog Nouki was eager to discover it.

Camping du Pont Couvert

Before I get into the details of this campground, which is considered one of the 10 most beautiful campgrounds in Quebec, according to a seasonal, I want to say that we loved our stay. But, there is a small BUT.

Our campsite was the worst we have ever had to date. It was full of ferns that we had to clear. Hard to do when we are supposed to keep our dogs on a leash at all times. It’s a good thing we got there early for once and it was still daylight. Otherwise, it would have been a real pain.

We can agree that camping is an experience in itself and if you’ve ever had to pitch your tent in the dark or in the rain, you know what I mean. But cleaning up your own campsite, no, that was a first. Plus, it was the smallest site in the campground.

Well, we won’t complain too much because at 40$ a night, it’s better than nothing. We were still very lucky to have this site, the last one available during the St-Jean weekend.

Our location was SA, but we would have been happy to have S1 or S2. Both are located off the main road. Far enough away and out of sight to feel almost alone in the world while still being close to dry toilets (2 minutes) and drinking water (only 5 minutes). It is even more convenient if you have dogs that move at the slightest noise. It was not the case with ours because we burned them well with all our walks.

The Facilities

Other than camping in a tent, if you don’t have your own equipment, no problem. This campground offers ready-made accommodations for you at a rate ranging from $102 to $155 + tax per night for usually 5 people (2 adults and 3 children).

You will also have access to free Wifi for 1h per day or pay for $5 per day.

The choices are the following:

• Yurts
• Cabin
• The Bubble
• The Fully Equipped

Note that in Yurt 1 and Cabin 1 you can sleep with your dog!

In addition, there are sanitary blocks with showers. You have to pay to wash at a rate of $1 for 5 minutes.

There is also a small convenience store that has a little bit of everything, including local beer that is much better than Coors Light. This is where you can get wood for your campfire and ice for the cooler. I can’t remember the price, but under $10. Regular rates.

Activities at Camping du Pont Couvert

During the summer, there are constantly activities to do on weekends at the Camping du Pont Couvert. Since we were there for St-Jean’s day, we had beautiful fireworks, a bonfire, and a concert. In addition, the first night, they broadcasted the Habs game. You know, the one that got us to the final!

The children will love this campsite. There is a nice little pool with water at 27 degrees. Water jets that light up in the evening. A small farm with alpacas, goats, horses, donkeys. A soccer, bocce, and volleyball field, and a zip line. I tried it and didn’t break it! It was convenient because it was close to our field. Blondie Bear spent the majority of his time there.

Otherwise, the site is so large that you can take a nice walk through the little trails that go around the campground or on the ones through the forest.

The “beach” access falls right in line, but we love the adventure. We all loved the experience and especially had a good laugh. We succeeded in crossing the river with all its small rocks, dogs included. Nouki got stuck at one point, but Price and Blondie Bear rescued him. It’s a nice place to spend time with your feet in the water, far from civilization and without costing you a dime.

Activities to do in the Eastern Townships with your family

The Eastern Townships is a big place, so I can’t list everything there is to do. However, below are the activities that we did during our 4-day road trip in the Eastern Townships with our family, including others in the same area that we could have done.

Since we slept in the same place for 3 nights, we did an activity before going to the campground, then around the campground, and on the way back.

Around Waterville, where we stayed, there are orchards to pick your apples in September or otherwise pick your own strawberries in June. Just take 147 South and stop in Pommalbonne. I love the name!

Magog

Magog is a beautiful little town with lots of Victorian houses located on a lake. There is actually a public beach and one where dogs are allowed (on a leash).

Not far from Magog is Mont-Orford park. It is part of the Sepaq. Dogs are allowed, but check their website to see where they are allowed. There is a long grassy beach and you can even rent kayaks and canoes. If you decide to spend the night camping there, I recommend that you go on an evening tour under the stars. It is very interesting and at the time, it was free.

If you feel like it, you can go to Bleu Lavande which has just moved to Magog. I think it’s a shame because I found their former site located in Stanstead very enchanting. But, there are still beautiful things to discover and dogs are allowed. You can visit their site HERE to learn about the activities offered.

Marais de la Rivière aux Cerises (2h)

During our family road trip through the Eastern Townships, we chose the Marais de la Rivière aux Cerises as our first stop. The parking is not free, $5 for the day. However, you can’t pay by debit card and the easy pass wasn’t working when we were there.

Dogs are allowed on a leash at all times. If you forgot your poop bags, there are some available at the entrance of the trail for FREE.

There are also garbage cans and toilets at the entrance. There are none on the trails.

• To make your walk more enjoyable, test your knowledge by answering fun and intriguing questions by participating in the nature rally through the trails. FREE.

We took the Pioneer Trail which is the longest trail. There is no shade, so be sure to bring a small hat for your child. The trail can be walked with a stroller. On this walk, you’ll still see remnants of an old railroad that ran through the marsh in the 19th century. It was dismantled in 1888.

If you have time, take the Big Pine Trail on the way back and watch the birds having lunch at one of the many feeders provided. Also, the smell of the pines is very pleasant. It’s walking in the forest but in a miniature version.

Water activities

It’s possible to take a guided tour in a kayak (without the dogs). However, if you have your own boats, it’s allowed.

Two departures per day are offered from Wednesday to Sunday at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. The cost is $29 per adult and free for children under 9 years old in double kayaks.

You can find out more about this HERE.

The Coaticook Gorge (1h30 +++)

The Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook is located in the town of the same name.

It’s free to park and the entrance fee is $20 for two adults and a child of 13 years old. Dogs are allowed on a leash.

Address: 135 Michaud street or 400 St-Marc Street, Coaticook

There are several easy to intermediate trails. They are generally doable with a stroller even if the trail goes up.

We did the gorge trail (3.5km) and the mountain trail (3km). Both can be done easily on the same day with a short lunch break. There is a much longer one, Tillotson (8.5km), but we didn’t have enough time to do it. The park opens between 9 and 10 am depending on the summer season.

If you don’t feel like preparing a picnic, there is a restaurant at the entrance of the park with local products or you can go to the campsite. Some days (check their website for dates HERE), a food truck is set up at the back of the tent (the reception).

We were lucky and treated ourselves with Faim Renard. A food truck is still expensive, but it’s not something we do often. We were on vacation after all. The cost of the meal for 3 people including 2 drinks: 46$.

History of the Park in brief

The formation of the gorge dates back 15,000 years. The river that flows from it continues to dig its bed every year. It has already gone through 50m through the rock.

This park is located in the heart of the city of Coaticook and welcomes more than 70,000 visitors per year (according to the park sign). I think it’s much more than that now.

The name Coaticook comes from an Amerindian word that means: river of the pineland. A name that characterizes well this area which owes its evolution to the energy produced by the river and the easy access to raw materials.

In 1881, the first sugar beet factory was built in Coaticook, but due to poor management, it had to close its doors shortly after.

As you walk around, you’ll see small abandoned factories, including the Belding-Corticelli factory. Built in 1886, it produced shoelaces, clothing elastics, and satin ribbons over the years, but closed its doors in 2004.

From 1886 to 1921, a wooden dam was used to draw electric power to operate the factory’s machines. This dam was replaced by the concrete one we see today.

Gorge Trail 3.5km

Although it’s possible to walk this trail with a stroller, it’s recommended to use a baby carrier because of the difference in elevation and some steps.

There are many things to see on this trail, including the longest suspension bridge in North America (for pedestrians), a cave, an observation tower, and a hydroelectric station.

The stops are so varied that you can spend well over an hour and a half on the trail.

The bridge is 50 m high and 169 m long. You mustn’t be afraid of heights. My dogs for once were not afraid, but Blondie Bear, it was another story. At first, he refused, then he decided to take his courage in his hands and crossed the bridge to join us, running!

By the way, at the end of the bridge is a cross. Is it for motivation?

From the bridge, you’ll have an unparalleled view of the gorge in the heart of a lush forest.

If you really don’t want to take the bridge, you can bypass it by taking a trail that runs underneath. Here you’ll notice the walls along the trail showing how the river has been cutting its way through all this time. The river was once 30m above its present bed!

The rest of the trail

Next, you’ll have the opportunity to walk inside a cave and observe a dam. The landscapes of forests, a clearing, and a rocky river intermingle to enhance your family walk.

The cave dates from 1923 and is 24m long. It was dug with a pick and shovel and its walls are made of slate.

You can climb to the top of the Couillard tower. Although it offers a 360° panoramic view of the park, only a part of it is interesting to look at.

The tower was built in 1986 and is 29m high with 120 steps.

Before arriving at the hydroelectric power station, you can stop at the edge of the river to dip your feet, jump on the rocks or make small sculptures. Be careful not to slip!

We didn’t have access to the inside of the power plant, but seeing, even from a distance, these big machines in the little shack was interesting.

The power plant was built in 1925 and is capable of producing 10% of the total consumption of the city of Coaticook.

From the power plant, if you go straight for 20 minutes, you can reach the park’s campground and other trails. It’s all flat and there are several accesses to the river that will make an ideal stop for the little ones and the furry ones. By the way, Nouki showed us his ability to do 2 things at once: quench his thirst and cool off.

Foresta Lumina

You can do the Gorge Trail at night by following the illuminated Foresta Lumina trail.

This illuminated nighttime walking trail is very popular and is off-limits to dogs. I was wondering why that is since during the day they are allowed. In fact, it’s because at night, there are too many people and the lights and lasers can make the dogs react badly.

The course usually starts around 9pm depending on the season. You can find the schedule HERE.

It is said that fairies listen to the wishes of people who let their heart speak.

However, this is an activity that is a bit expensive for a family. The cost is $20 for an adult and $11.50 for a child over 3 years old for about a 1-hour walk. This does not include the entrance to the park during the day.

It’s all a matter of choice. Since we had the dogs, this was not an option, hence our little snack at the Food Truck.

Mountain Trail 3km

We hoped, by taking this trail, to see waterfalls, but we did not see any. We must have taken a wrong turn!

This trail starts next to the reception of the campground. At the reception, you’ll find real washrooms! That’s always good to know.

In spite of the lack of waterfalls, this path has a really different landscape than the one of the gorge. There, you’ll follow a path that zigzags through a pine forest. It smells great!

There is the possibility of mountain biking during the day for 10$ for an adult and 6$ for a child from 4 to 15 years old.

Around the Park

After your hikes in the park, as already mentioned, you can stop for ice cream at the Coaticook Dairy Bar or do another activity. How about a game of mini-golf?

This one is a little different and perfect for either an evening or a rainy day. The illuminated course is located inside an old church and the cost is $11 for adults and $9 for children.

Visit the Glo Golf Adventures website HERE for more information and reservations.

Stanstead Stone Circle (30 minutes +)

To get to Stanstead from Compton, it takes about 30 minutes.

This bucolic town is literally on the American border. There is not much to see except the Victorian houses, a flea market disguised as a granite museum, and the stone circle.

Sure, it’s not Stonehenge, but the scented walk is worth the small detour. Our dogs loved the walk there (for once it was flat) which takes 30 minutes.

This circle of stones is a testament to the importance of granite to those who live around it, according to a plaque in the park.

Otherwise, in the area, you can pick raspberries or blueberries in July at Bleuetière l’Or Bleu.

Mont-Ham (3h ++)

We saved the hardest part for the end of our family road trip through the Eastern Townships. BUT, it was the most beautiful activity.

The Mont Ham is at more than 700m of altitude and overhangs the Northern valley of the Eastern Townships, at least I think so!

You can go there with the dogs but only on the last weekend of each month (Friday to Monday). Moreover, it’s possible to sleep on-site, notably in a teepee for 35$ per person per night. There are free carts to take your gear to your camp.

Admission to Mount Ham Park is $8 per adult and $4 for children under 17. Parking is FREE. There are ecological toilets at the main trail entrance and garbage cans. This will be the time to go because there is nothing on the trails to accommodate you.

The trails of Mount Ham

The trails are of difficult level, except at the very beginning. They are full of rocks, but we saw parents with young children aged 4 or 5 years old managing very well on the trails. This is truly an adventure or expedition. You’ll sweat, you’ll hurt, but in the end, you’ll have a panoramic view of the valley and its many lakes.

Although not comparable, I imagined myself on Mount Everest. I felt like I was on top of the world.

We passed a lot of people with dogs of all sizes and even dads with babies in a baby carrier.

Don’t forget to wear good shoes and bring water and snacks for both you and the dogs. You’ll need it after all that effort. Try to bring only what you need to keep the weight down.

There is a lot of wind on the summit which made the experience much more pleasant as we did the trail on a hot day. The coolness and wind were not too much.

If you come with dogs, it’s recommended to take the 1.9km Intrépide trail which joins the 2.1km Panoramic trail because it’s “less” rugged.

I’m not going to lie to you, it takes a lot of courage to climb to the top of Mont-Ham, but it’s quite feasible. You just have to take your time, not be in a hurry and take breaks.

After all this effort, it was time to end our family road trip through the Eastern Townships and find the comfort of our home so we could finally wash up!