Lachute takes its name from the falls on the North River, the Rivière du Nord, that tumble through the middle of town: la chute, the fall. It lies at the southern edge of the Laurentians, in the county of Argenteuil, on the plain north of the Ottawa River, and it is a working town of about ten thousand with a long industrial past in paper and textiles. Most people speak French, though an English-speaking community, descended from Scottish and Irish settlers, has been here since the nineteenth century.
The landscape is a transition. To the south lie flat farmlands, fields of corn and hay running toward the Ottawa; to the north the land begins to rise into the Laurentian hills, among the oldest mountains on earth, rounded by ancient erosion and covered in maple and birch. That mix of plain and mountain makes the roads here variable and interesting, with the best riding to the north. The old road to Saint-Sauveur and Mont-Tremblant climbs through villages with steeple-topped churches, small lakes and ski hills, and is busy on summer weekends with cottage traffic from Montreal.
Route 148 follows the Ottawa River westward through Grenville and Hawkesbury, with views of river islands and old stone houses, while Route 329 heads north through Brownsburg-Chatham and Mont-Rolland. The surface is generally good, though frost heaves in spring can be harsh, and Quebec roads are patched with great regularity. In autumn the maples turn blazing red and orange, and the whole region draws crowds to look at them.
Lachute has fuel, supermarkets, fast food and local restaurants, making it a handy base. Quebec specialties to try include poutine, tourtière and maple products, and in spring many farms near here open sugar shacks to serve maple-soaked meals. The best months are June and late September to mid-October, with warm days and clear skies, while summer weekends are crowded. Winter is deep and cold, and the riding season ends by November. A bit of French helps, and signs are in French, with distances in kilometers.