Gaspé Peninsula Tour

Circles Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula along Route 132, with the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast, Forillon National Park, Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island as the highlights.

The Gaspé Peninsula Tour (Tour de la Gaspésie) follows Route 132 around the Gaspé Peninsula in eastern Quebec. It typically starts in Sainte-Flavie on the Lower St. Lawrence, near Reford Gardens, and covers about 885 km. Heading east along the north shore of the St. Lawrence estuary, you pass Matane, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts (where you can enter Gaspésie National Park to see caribou and the Chic-Chocs Mountains) and the Cap-Madeleine lighthouse, with French-speaking fishing villages tucked beneath the coastal cliffs. At the tip of the peninsula, Forillon National Park is home to the Gaspé Lighthouse at the 'end of the land', where seals and whales are often spotted. Gaspé city has the Musée de la Gaspésie and a wooden cathedral. Then comes the highlight of the whole trip, Percé: the giant sea arch Percé Rock, boat trips to Bonaventure Island to see more than 100,000 northern gannets, and the geopark's glass viewing platform. On the south shore, the route follows the Baie des Chaleurs past Bonaventure and Carleton, where Miguasha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located, before returning to Sainte-Flavie through the Matapédia Valley. Allow 4 to 7 days; the loop can be driven clockwise or counterclockwise. French is the main language. Accommodation in Percé is tight in peak season (July and August), so book well ahead.

Along the route

  1. Sainte-Flavie
  2. Parc national de la Gaspésie (Sainte-Anne-des-Monts)
  3. Cap-de-la-Madeleine Lighthouse
  4. Gaspé & Forillon
  5. Gaspé & Forillon
  6. Gaspé & Forillon
  7. Percé (Gaspésie)
  8. Percé (Gaspésie)
  9. Percé (Gaspésie)
  10. Miguasha National Park
  11. Carleton-sur-Mer
  12. Matapédia
  13. Sainte-Flavie