Why this ride
Repeated coastal bends, headlands and frequent viewpoint stops. It also links naturally to Saguenay-St Lawrence Marine Park.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Whale Route
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 162 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 59
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Check provincial road reports, wildfire closures, ferries and fuel range. Specific flag: remote services; ferry.
Seasonal context
Jun-Sep
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Les Escoumins
The St Lawrence is so wide at Les Escoumins that it feels like an ocean, and the whales that live in it seem to agree. The village sits on the north shore, on a road that runs for hundreds of kilometres along the river through spruce forest and granite, and its offshore waters form part of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, where cold, nutrient-rich water rises from the deep trench and feeds krill, fish and, in turn, whales. Minke, fin and sometimes blue whales appear in the summer, and belugas live further upstream. Divers also come here for the underwater walls, which are famous for their cold-water life.
Read the complete Les Escoumins write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Les Escoumins sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Baie-Comeau.
2. Baie-Comeau
Baie-Comeau was built from nothing in the 1930s, and you can still feel the planned-town logic in its streets. A newspaper tycoon, Robert McCormick of the Chicago Tribune, wanted a source of newsprint for his presses, so he chose this bay on the St Lawrence, where the Manicouagan River arrives, and built a paper mill and a company town around it. Streets and schools followed, and the town grew into the main centre of Quebec's north shore. It was also the hometown of Brian Mulroney, later prime minister of Canada.
Read the complete Baie-Comeau write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Baie-Comeau comes up 162 km in.