The Abitibi-Ouest as your Land of Adventures - Family Getaway to the country of the limping beaver!

by Bianca Bédard

The series L’Abitibi-Ouest comme terre d’aventures (Abitibi-West as your Land of Adventures) have prepared two getaways to experience with the family. Indeed, no need to absorb hundreds of kilometers to live an original and entertaining weekend, adapted to a family friendly context! It proposes a series of small excursion circuits in Abitibi-Ouest that are well thought of and at a low cost!

During a getaway in Abitibi-Ouest, let’s camp in Chazel!

Begin your getaway in Abitibi-Ouest at the municipal camping of Chazel where you can set up your tent for the next two days. The camping’ wilderness makes it the ideal spot to enjoy the spectacular sunsets of our region, but also to see northern lights, also called aurora borealis!

If camping in the wilderness does not interest you, 8 camping sites with 3 services are available on the shores of the Lac Macamic (Macamic Lake). Moreover, if you seek a rustic experience, you can book a stay at the Gîte du Presbytère. (du Presbytère Holiday Cottage).

When your getaway rhymes with time travel!

Enjoy the first glows of daylight (and apparently often windless) to slide on a kayak or on a paddle board onto the calm waters of the Lac De-Courval (De-Courval Lake)!
Then, during breakfast, get inspired for the next activity by reading the légende de la Montagne à Fred (french content, The Legend of Fred’s Mountain), as told by Guillaume Beaulieu. Thus, once fully satisfied and ready, bring a lunch and head towards the sector of Colombourg to visit said mountain. The hike is beautiful, easy, and will please everyone in the family. The beauty of the many landscapes, from dense forest to rocky formations sprinkled with scattered grey pines, the undergrowth and the fruit bushes will delight you.

On top of being a dream spot for the mushroom aficionados, you will have the chance to see remnants of the glacial era in the rocky rivers dating back to the Quaternary times. More than 8 500 years ago, Fred’s Mountain was in fact a small island on the former glacial lake named Ojibway-Barlow.

Food lovers Detour

Continue your adventure in Abitibi-Ouest and jump back in time by heading towards Macamic and stopping by the stunning Molesworth covered bridge. Built in 1930 to allow people to cross the Rivière Loïs (Loïs River), it owes its name to the Rivière Loïs’ former name. Nowadays, it stands as one of the 19 authentic covered bridges still existing on our territory.

Complete your day on the shore of Lac Macamic by a relaxing moment at the park, a refreshing shower at the water games. If you have good eyesight, you could even notice far away, on the lake’s shores, an unusual home, built according to an ancestral technique.

A rejuvenating Sunday on an Abitibi-Ouest Getaway

Finally, after two nights under the starry skies and a slow morning on the shores of the lake, head towards the du Grand-Héron hiking trails! The easy hike, accessible to the younger ones, also showcases 13 interesting interpretive panels to be discovered with your family.
The little ones will have the impression of living a real adventure because of the trail and its succession of rocky outcrops, of small elevated spots where they can marvel at the views over the area. The belvedere is an amazing resting stop to observe the islands of the Lac Macamic, but also to admire a heronry!

Enjoy your getaway! Oh, do not forget to clean your watercraft before every use and to leave no trace behind after your stay in nature.