By bike in Mauricie: stop at the beauty next door

The tour of Quebec continues with a perfect route for the family, this time in Mauricie, a captivating region too often overlooked and located between the two largest cities in the province.

This article first appeared in the excellent magazine Vélo Mag, April 2021 edition. See also the video at the bottom of the article.

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Nicknamed the "beautiful next door", the Mauricie tourist region extends from the St. Lawrence River to far north-west, beyond the gigantic Gouin Reservoir. Between these two bodies of water flows the historic Saint-Maurice River, on the banks of which were established the forges of the same name, the first industry in Canada.

My own beauty and I will quickly notice that each street contains a fascinating story, and that two days will not be too much to complete the modest round trip between Shawinigan and Trois-Rivières. By the east bank of the Saint-Maurice, we will gently cover less than forty kilometers towards Trois-Rivières before returning to Shawinigan by the other side for some 45 km.

houses and forests

The cycle route, made by Vélo Mag.

Crossing a few residential neighborhoods, we walk parallel to Route 157 then branch off onto Route des Vétérans where, at the intersection of rang Saint-Flavien Ouest, in Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, a pretty cyclist rest area awaits us. tools, a water point and picnic tables.

The surprising municipal cycle path (here called the Saint-Félix section) begins at the end of rue des Dahlias. In a few turns of the wheel, we are transported from one landscape to another, first on a quiet straight gravel line separating agricultural land and woods, then quickly on a magnificent path winding in a soft light. Hardwoods mix with conifers up to the edge of the track, and the undergrowth is made up of tall ferns overhanging tiny yellow or white flowers.

Halfway, we pass La Rochelle campsite, where there are many water games. Opposite, on the other side of the Saint-Maurice River, we will see the same type of accommodation on our return the next day. Thus, if the round trip is possibly done in one day, it can also be divided into four short portions that will appeal to the youngest on the occasion of a first cycling experience.

The forest section, mostly paved and flat, enchants us up to Saint-Louis-de-France. Most cyclists greet us kindly. We see the Terre des Loisirs and Masse parks, near which many cyclists park before accessing the track. On our side, we join the boulevard des Estacades by zigzagging in a few residential streets then follow the river. A few islands stuck in the confluence with the St. Lawrence give the impression that the Saint-Maurice splits into… three rivers.

This portion of the Véloboucles de la Mauricie winds through a beautiful forest area to Saint-Louis-de-France.

In Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, the bike path separates agricultural land and wooded areas.

Tales from Trois-Rivières

I admit it, I didn't know Trois-Rivières well. You have to believe that since 1634, I have lacked opportunities to visit it. However, we have the chance to meet the inimitable storyteller Marc-André Fortin for a remedial course.

The course in question begins at the old prison of Trois-Rivières, which was in service from 1822 to 1986. A first complaint for reasons of insalubrity will be filed in 1823, we learn; it is this cause that will get the better of the establishment… 163 years later. Marc-André Fortin draws our attention to the rope sculpted in the rock above the main door, a sign that the building was also a place of hanging: "These tortures were so popular that the owners of the neighboring houses rented their roof off public who traveled to attend.

At St. James's Anglican Church on Rue des Ursulines, our guide immerses us in the life story of Noël Plaçoa, a Native American wrongfully convicted of murder and hanged right here around 1790.

Crying out his innocence, he allegedly cast a curse on the wall to which the gallows was attached. The following night, the wall collapsed… for the first time.

Despite repeated repairs, cracks will be constantly visible over the centuries. “In twenty years in Trois-Rivières, I have never seen this wall without cracks”, the storyteller will throw at us, tragically. Our wheels take us past the oldest building in the city, the immaculate Boucher-De Niverville manor, dating from 1668 and now home to an exhibition on bourgeois life in New France, then across from the former residence of Maurice Duplessis, now a notary's office.

pictorial epic

The next day, we head for the river, quickly glancing at the long fresco of Trois-Rivières: twelve historical paintings representing the history of the city in 760 m2. The illustrated chapters range from the log drive (which lasted here until 1996!) to the great battles through the various regional economic activities.

Route verte 4, a cycle path lined with tall trees, takes us to the famous Forges-du-Saint-Maurice National Historic Site, opened in 1730 and in operation for 150 years. The interesting tour of this Parks Canada site focuses on this industry as well as daily life at the time. On the banks of the river, we spot the Devil's Fountain, a sulphurous emanation coming out of the ground and causing the water to bubble and ignite when it comes into contact with a match. Legend (as does the local animator) says that it was the passage of the Devil's hand after one of his many pacts that created this permanent turbulence.

Trois-Rivières tales begin in the city's old prison.

The Ursuline Museum of Trois-Rivières, near the river.

Back

Already, we are returning to Shawinigan, through the municipalities of Saint-Étienne-des-Grès and Saint-Boniface. We make the detour in order to see the La Gabelle hydroelectric power station, which dates from 1924 and belonged to the Shawinigan Water and Power Company, a pioneer of electricity in Quebec. It is possible here to shorten the course a bit by crossing the dam.

It is by Shawinigan Bay that we return to our starting point. The road is busy, although the splendid view of the water compensates for the traffic noise.

In two pleasant days of strolling, I remain with the impression that we have only touched on a small part of the territory and the rich Mauritian past. Just enough to want to come back to explore the vast spaces of the beauty next door.

In Trois-Rivières, a library tree has grown.

The La Gabelle hydroelectric dam was commissioned in 1924 on the Saint-Maurice River.

Landmarks

2 days (Itineraries day 1 et day 2)

MY GOOD ADDRESSES

• Forges-du-Saint-Maurice National Historic Site: 10 boulevard des Forges, Trois-Rivières. Les Forges can be visited in a few hours.
• Old Prison of Trois-Rivières: 200 Laviolette Street, Trois-Rivières. Several activities are offered there, including the guided tour by an ex-convict and the possibility of sleeping there one night.
• Victoria Park: 1980 Royal Street, Trois-Rivières. Look for a tree transformed into a library, a work of art by Sylvain Michaud
• Fresco of Trois-Rivières: côte Plouffe, Produced for the city's 375th anniversary in 2009, this historic mural made up of twelve remarkable paintings is the largest in Quebec.
• Le Trou du Diable microbrewery: 1250 Station Avenue, Shawinigan. A true institution of the place, the riverside craft brewery has accumulated prizes and awards since its opening in 2005.
• Mauricie National Park: entrances by the Saint-Jean-des-Piles sector of Shawinigan and by Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc. As long as you are in Mauricie, you might as well visit the great Canadian national park hosting the Défi du Parc. Here you'll find plenty of walking trails and lakes, as well as the silky Promenade route linking one entrance to the other.

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The good world of la Route verte is a 10-episode web series, which I produced for Vélo Québec. All episodes are available for free here.