Petit Train Du Nord - 4

 Sainte Adele to Saint Jerome

This was our last day on the trail. It started with an amazing breakfast at Close Rolland and then another sunny day starting at about 60 and quickly going to 70-75. This last part of the trail was gravel and mostly woods with views of the Riviere Du Nord which included some pretty large waterfalls and rapids. We stopped at two parks along the way.

In summary this is a very nice bike trail! 200km of which 150km is paved? The gravel sections are packed and pretty good with a road bike. Plenty of rest stops, areas to buy food, and bike shops along the way. This trail is well developed and they did it right.

The tour was setup through Cecile at Auberge Chez Ignus. We left our cars in St Jerome and then were bussed with our bikes to the Northern end of the trail. Luggage was moved along the route so it was easy to carry what we needed for the day on the trail. 

Places we stayed:

Auberge Chez Ignace: Lake access (swimming), great food, hot tub, nice location and yard. Definitely would go there again.

Le 900 Tremblant: Not on the same level as the other two B&B's. Would try something different next time.

Gite Au Clos Rolland: 1900's era large house. Big rap around porch and nice yard with pool. Great food comparable to Auberge Chez Ignace. Breakfast on the last day included yogurt with granola and maple syrup, strawberry smoothie, egg souffle, watermelon, oranges, grapes. And probably something else I forgot!

Petit Train Du Nord - 3

 Mont-Tremblant to Saint Adele.

This is a nice section of trail. Many lakes and rivers and the trail is in the woods most of the time. We started with a long uphill. 10 miles. Very gradual so not difficult. We stopped at what looked like a new park that had a high viewing point and an elevated walkway in the woods. We didn't go on this walk but it looked interesting for another day. The rest of the day was mostly downhill. Again a gradual down. We had about 10 miles on some brand new pavement which was incredibly smooth. After that we had some gravel sections. We went through an industrial area at one point with two big gravel pits and a large wood cutting operation. We noticed Holly's tire had a sidewall tear and got that swapped out at a nearby bike shop. Again, this trail is well done. Lots of bike shops, rest areas, picnic tables, and plenty of signs near towns. Everything you can think of wanting on a bike trip. The last 10 miles followed a nice river with some waterfalls.

We stayed at the Clos Rolland. A 1900 era large house with an amazing wrap around porch. Claw foot tub and very nice old trim throughout the house. Dinner was also great. A very nice place to stay on our last night.

Petit Train Du Nord - 2

 Nominingue to Mont-Tramblant.

Another nice day on the trail. Cooler today starting around 55 and going up to 70. We had a section of gravel trail today which was arguably smoother than the paved sections. Went by some rapids today on the River Rouge. Nice small museum in the town of Labelle. A mix of railroad history and skiing history including Jack Rabbit (Herman Johannson) who was also active in the Adirondacks.

Mont-Tramblant is busier than the rest of the trail to this point. Skiing in the winter and lakes and hiking in the summer. We stopped at the Old village and are staying in the Centre-ville.

A few more from Holly: