Eastern Canada’s Best Touring Roads

Eastern Canada—We all seek spectacular road trips and you might be wondering where to go this summer for a new adventure. Well, there are thousands of miles of great touring roads in eastern Canada; some you’ve probably heard of, most you haven’t. A few of these roads were once more rumor than fact, but when I couldn’t find information, I went there. In doing so I discovered amazing touring in places like the Madeleine Islands, the Charlevoix, and along the Côte Nord. By no means do I profess to having ridden all the roads in this vast territory from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean and my concept of “best” might differ from yours, but for better or worse, here’s my list.

The Viking Trail, Route 430 in Newfoundland, begins at Trans-Canadian (T-Can) Route 1 and runs north for 255 miles (411 km) from Deer Lake to Port Barbe and the ferry to Blanc-Sablon on the Labrador Highway in Quebec. It’s another 84 miles (136 km) to the northern tip of Newfoundland and the only verified Norse settlement in North America, L’Anse aux Meadows. This spectacular road features expansive coastal views and very little traffic other than the pulse that occurs when the ferry unloads. You can’t ride at night because of caribou and even in July you will see icebergs from the northernmost vantage points.

You can make the crossing of the Strait of Belle Isle to explore Labrador’s 96 miles (154 km) of paved highway. The ultimate tour is linking to the Côte Nord by catching the weekly supply ship, the Nordik Express, to Route 138 in Natashquan, but unless you’ve made reservations months in advance (a year is not too early), expect to find yourself returning south on Route 430 to leave this part of the world.

The Cabot Trail, Route 105, makes a 186-mile (302 km) loop around the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. This serpentine highway with its spectacular vistas along a very dramatic coastline and through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park is acclaimed as being the premier motorcycling touring road in eastern Canada.

The Whale Route (Route des Baleines) is the easternmost segment of Quebec’s Route 138. Following the northern shore (Côte Nord) of the St. Lawrence Estuary, it’s a 513-mile (826 km) ride from Tadoussac to Natashquan. A deep undersea canyon runs just off shore and the great whales travel hundreds of miles from the Atlantic Ocean to feed on krill at the mouth of the Saguenay River at Tadoussac. It’s probably the only place in the world where you can see a Blue or Fin whale from the seat of a motorcycle. Raging rivers filled with salmon, wild boreal forest, small fishing villages, and expansive taiga mix with amazing coastal views. However, once you reach the end of the road you have to either backtrack at least 355 miles (571 km) to the nearest ferry crossing to Matane or catch the weekly supply ship (the Nordik Express) to Blanc-Sablon or Rimouski, Quebec, on the south shore (reservations are required 120 days in advance, but a year is not too early).

The Madeleine Islands has one main highway connecting six of the seven inhabited islands of this tiny archipelago in middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Route 199 is only 55 miles (88 km) long and offers no technical challenges, but provides access to over 200 miles of flawless, almost completely deserted beaches and small fishing villages where every house is painted a different color. It’s an amazing place. A daily ferry makes the five-hour run between Souris and the island of Cap-aux-Mueles; the weekly ATMA ferry makes stops at Chandler on the Gaspé, Quebec City, and Montreal.

The Gaspé is a 540-mile (864 km) ride. Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec simply because the eastern end loops completely around the Gaspé Peninsula to junction at itself in Sainte-Flavie. Long favored by touring riders, it runs through four distinct regions—the Matapedia Valley, Chaleur Bay, Lands End and the Gaspé coast—with the last two being the most dramatic. The Gaspé links to the Whale Route via ferries between Matane and Baie-Comeau or Godbout.

Cape Chignecto: Nova Scotia’s Glooscap Trail follows the entire coastline of Minas Basin at the end of the Bay of Fundy, but two segments, Route 2 from Bass River to Parrsboro and Route 209 from Parrsboro to Joggins, offer 92 miles (148 km) of some of the best motorcycle touring found on mainland Nova Scotia.

The Fundy Trail Parkway in New Brunswick is presently only 10 miles (16 km) long, but its length increases each year. This is one of those “dream” highways—absolutely stunning vistas of the Bay of Fundy, tight corners, steep grades, flawless pavement, lots of pull-off areas and absolutely no trucks. This is not a free ride, but the entrance fee is worth it. It will reach Rt. 114 in the Fundy National Park in 2013, but until then you simply continue to the end of the completed section, turn around, and have as much fun riding back to St. Martins.

Quebec Route 172 from Tadoussac to Chicoutimi parallels the Saguenay River for 73.5 miles (117 km). This highway travels through a long glacially-gouged canyon and thick forest, and has very little traffic. To catch glimpses of the famous Saguenay Fjord, side roads have to be taken to L’Anse-de-Roche and Sainte-Rose-du-Nord.

La Route du Fleuve (The River Route) is Highway 362 between Baie-St-Paul and La Malbaie in the Charlevoix region of Quebec. This is UNESCO World Biosphere Region, one of only three populated meteorite impact craters on the planet, and is internationally acclaimed for its artists and gastronomy. Although only 30 miles (48 km) long it’s considered to be one of the top 10 scenic roads in all of Canada and offers sweeping views of the St. Lawrence River.

Route 381 from St.-Urbain to La Baie is a 70-mile (113 km) trek with plenty of curves and elevation changes as it heads north through the Laurentian Mountains to the head of the Saguenay fjord. The most dramatic views are seen when traveling south through Quebec’s Parc National des Grands-Jardins.

The Thousands Islands Parkway follows the St. Lawrence River in Ontario for 25 miles (40 km) between Brockville and Gananoque. The road offers beautiful scenery and easy cruising with light traffic. The Thousand Islands Bridge—actually a system of bridges and islands—crosses from New York to connect with the parkway.

The Niagara Parkway follows the western edge of the Niagara River from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario for 35 miles (56 km). It’s a gorgeous ride, first along the river and then along the rim of the gorge from the Horseshoe Falls to the beautiful town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The speed limit is 40 mph (25 mph through Niagara Falls) and you have to time it correctly to avoid traffic (try first thing in the morning), but the scenery is famous throughout the world.

Northern Lake Superior: From Sault-Ste-Marie to Nipigon is 322 miles (520 km) on the “T-Can” (Trans-Canadian Rt. 17) around the northern side of Lake Superior. The most scenic segment—and the one with the greatest number of elevation changes—is the 139 miles (224 km) from Sault-Ste-Marie to Wawa, while the most remote part is the 111 miles (180 km) between Wawa and Marathon. The 73 miles (118 km) to Nipigon has great elevation changes, especially west of Terrace Bay.

Editor’s Note: Some of these roads are included in the just-released Motorcycle Journeys Through Atlantic Canada by Rannie Gillis and Ken Aiken, available from Whitehorse Press.