Day 5: Stunning Coast & Forillon National Park
DAY FIVE: AT A GLANCE
Starting point: Parc National de la Gaspésie, QC, Canada
Ending point: Forillon National Park, QC, Canada
Starting mileage: 11,376
Ending mileage: 11,533*
Daily total (miles): 157*
Trip total (miles): 1,005*
*= approximate totals, as I forgot to take a pic of the odometer at the end of the day!
Day 5 might just be my favorite day so far, as our route took us along the coast to the stunning Forillon National Park, our first Parks Canada national park of the trip. Often, we find ourselves enjoying the drives to and from our destinations as much (and sometimes even more than!) the destinations themselves, and today’s journey was pretty fantastic—we stopped to visit three lighthouses along the way, all the while marveling the vast expanse of the St. Lawrence. By the time we arrived to our campsite at Forillon, the beauty just kept on coming!
First stop: La Martre Lighthouse
This lighthouse stands out because of its color—red, with a large white vertical stripe along its north side. The light is named after the Marten River, and according to this page, “considered by some to be the crown jewel of the Gaspé lighthouses.” The light is perched on a bluff overlooking the St. Lawrence, and while we didn't go up to the top, I imagine the views were—as they always are!—incredible.
Second stop: Cap-de-la-Madeleine Lighthouse
Another interesting lighthouse, the Cap-de-la-Madeleine stands out for its cylindrical shape. Built in 1908, the light is 17m (55m) tall. Situated on the same property as the light were additional outbuildings—one that particularly caught my eye, so I of course had to make several photographs of it as well!
Third stop: Pointe-à-la-Renommée
Everything about this stop: whoa. After taking a very steep and dusty dirt road, we arrived at what looked to be the end of the world—and it kinda seemed so! Pointe-à-la-Renommée, like the others we visited along Route 132, overlooks the St. Lawrence. But what sets this particular light apart from the others is its fascinating story. The first lighthouse on the site was made of wood and built in 1808. Then, about 100 years later, a new lighthouse, made of cast iron parts—in Paris!—replaced the old. Then, at one point the lighthouse was “kidnapped”—yup, there one day and gone the next, as explained by our guide—and turned up in Québec City. Then, due to the tireless efforts of three women and seemingly an entire community, the light was restored to its original spot. One of the films included in the tour/exhibit details the story of these women and their pursuit to recapture their light. The film luckily had English subtitles, but regardless of the language, one thing was clear: those women are absolute badasses!
The Pointe-à-la-Renommée site also includes a building, Marconi Station, dedicated to Guglielmo Marconi. The site is home to North America’s first maritime radio station, and the building offers an incredible exhibit detailing the importance of the telegraph and of Marconi himself.
We walked the grounds and then walked one of the gorgeous trails leading from the lighthouse. We meandered on a boardwalk that cut through the trees and opened up to fantastic views of the sea along the way and, of course, the lighthouse—breathtaking at every step.
Visiting Pointe-à-la-Renommée is 100% worth the trip and the admission fee (about $11 USD each). At first, I opted to pay the fee to just walk the grounds and take a few photos. Within a few minutes, however, I was back in the welcome center looking to upgrade our admission bracelets to include the tour of the lighthouse and all of the onsite exhibits. And here we thought we were just going to view another lighthouse!
Our Final Destination: Forillon National Park
It was late afternoon by the time we arrived at Forillon National Park, a Parks Canada national park. Of all the new places we’d be visiting on this trip, I was most looking forward to this park and the one that would follow (Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé National Park in Percé). And let’s just say this: our first glimpses of Forillon did NOT disappoint! First stop: the visitor’s center for park guides and trail maps and, of course, stickers from the camp store. We also decided to pick up a late lunch there as well; we initially thought we’d take the food to go and eat at the campsite, but then decided to just order and eat, as we hadn’t eaten since downing protein shakes that morning. This way, once we arrived to our site, we could settle in and relax. We both ordered the ham and cheese sandwiches, which also came with a side of chopped vegetable salad and the best cinnamon shortbread biscuit cookie I’ve ever had.
A short time later, we were at our campground (Des-Rosiers) and our site (A16). The campground was terrific; our site was private and offered probably the most spacious campsite we’ve ever had—it was like having two “rooms”—one for the van, and one with the picnic table, a pretty large clearing, and a bunch of hammock-worthy trees. So far, so good! We parked the van, popped the top, and I quickly set up my hammock and relaxed. As I swayed in the wind, I could hear the gentle waves lapping against the shore. G and I decided to take the short walk down to the beach—and from the trail, we were treated to our first glance of the peninsula. The views from the water, however, would be even better…but little did we know that the BEST view would still be a day away!
