Adventurion

The objective is to try different experiences around Lake Saint-Jean, not drive long distances and fit everything in one day.

Location

Lake Saint-Jean is located to the north of Quebec City. And it offers a big variety of tourist attractions for any type of traveler. You can easily enjoy this place over the week or more. But even if what available to you is only one day, we have some interesting ideas.

Hiking and speleology

Ideally, the day should have physical activity. And in our case this means hiking. We propose Parc de la caverne Trou de la Fée as it is one of the best places to visit in this area. The name is translated as “Fairy’s Hole Cavern Park”. They offer a very well maintained hiking trail in the canyon around the Métabetchouan River. Which reminded me of Canyon Saint-Anne. And an unforgettable experience in the cave.

Hiking in the park

The park offers the “Three Falls” hiking trail.  This trail does a loop and leads to three waterfalls.

This is a very easy and comfortable hike. From the waterfalls, the loop takes you down to walk on the well-preserved remains of a hydroelectric power station, which now forms a tunnel.

The tunnel is connected with the wire bridges, which lead to wooden pathways.

This path eventually leads to “Coulée Verte” (Green Corridor) trail. This is a more natural and calm hike in the woods.  It becomes a bit more challenging with some slippery and rocky uphill areas.

The cave

You may skip this part, but we highly recommend to include it in your visit. This experience takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes or so. But it worth every minute.

You will get a helmet and with the guide start the tour down the cave. Inside, the guide will ask to turn all lights off and sense the silence in the total darkness. Hold the hands of your kids to keep them calm.

Overall this experience is safe and easy for families with kids. There are three rooms of different sizes in the cave. The first is of rounded form. The second is more like a corridor. And the third is of elongated form and much larger. The helmet is really necessary and can protect your head from the injuries. And have appropriate footwear. Something like hiking boots will work just fine.

This cave is known for the settlement of bats. And it has 400 specimens of them. The two species hibernate in the cave are the little brown (in greater numbers) and the northern long-eared. In the summer, they leave the cave for warmer places to give birth to their young. As a result, it’s very rare to observe the bats in the cave during the tourist season.

Interesting facts (Park)

• The length of the hiking trails is 7 km.
• The difficulty level is easy.
• There is a picnic area available on the site.
• There is a zip line 50 meters high and 350 meters long above the river.
• On May 13, 2014 “Parc de la caverne Trou de la Fée” won the National Silver Award.

Interesting facts (Cave)

• The temperature in the cave is 4.5C
• Humidity in the cave is 96%
• The depth is 68 meters (225 feet)
• The Fairy Hole Cave is the only protected natural hibernacula for bats in Quebec.

Cheese making

After enjoying the nature there could not be a better place to continue the day than in the cheese-making farm. We recommend the Museum of Cheddar Cheese.

Exhibition

Start from the dive to the history by visiting the exhibition, which is offered in French and in English.

In the late 19^th century, making the cheese became very important in Quebec. More than 1200 cheese factories were operating in 1897. And the majority of the premium cheddar cheese was shipped to Great Brittan. But with time Brittan reduced the import from Quebec and most of the cheesemakers gradually disappear from our landscape. The old cheese dairy Perron managed to survive. And today, the products of this cheese dairy you still can find on the shelves of our grocery stores.

Fortunately, they are not only producing the premium cheddar cheese but allows you to dive into the history of the cheese–making in Quebec.

You allowed visiting the house where Joseph Perron, his wife, and their 12 children lived. This fully restored home is located just above the cheese factory and represents the values ​​of that time and family solidarity. 

Workshop

Visitors are invited to try themselves as the cheesemakers. The workshop starts after the excursion which is in detail describes the process of cheese making. 

With the help of an easy to make recipe everyone can make a ricotta-style cheese and bring the fruit of their work home.

Important information

• The cheesemaking workshop is offered for children from 9 years old. Younger kids have to be accompanied by an adult during the workshop.
• No reservation required if your group consists of less than 20 people.
• The excursion starts every 30 minutes.
• The cheesemaking experience takes approximately 45 minutes.

Alternative ideas for Lake Saint-Jean

There are many other attractions in the area of Lake Saint-Jean. With the most prominent:

• Find your self in the village of the 1920s.
• Visit the Zoo.
• Ride a bike with Véloroute des Bleuets.
• and much more …