During the 20s and 30s, down hill skiing was all the rage and the P'tit Train du Nord played a pivotal role in opening up the Laurentians as a resort area. As the automobile arrived on the scene and the area was accessible by super highway, the trains usefulness finished and the rail line eventually shutdown. It was fortunate that within a few years the rails-to-trails idea was latched upon and a new life was found for the rail bed. Once again the P'tit Train is bringing outdoor lovers north into the Laurentians but now its on foot, bicycles and cross country skis.

There are plenty of accommodations and restaurants along the way including B&Bs, resorts, inns and campgrounds .Winding from Saint-Jerome through the heart of the Laurentians, it travels for 200km to its terminus at Mont Laurier. In the southern section the trail passes by St-Sauveur, then on into Ste-Adele, Val-Morin, Val-David and Ste-Agathe. Access Points to the trail / Distances from town to town along the trail / Leaf Viewing opportunities in the fall / Map of the Laurentians

  
 
     
 

Further north it passes Ste-Jovite, cuts through Mont Tremblant, Lac-Nominingue, Lac-Saguay then onto it's terminus at Mont Laurier. The southern section experiences the most traffic and has the most amenities. Restaurants abound, with some of the finest in Quebec just a short distance from the linear park. The northern section is more of a wilderness experience allowing you to get a little further away from the crowds.

Have a look at our feature article "Riding that Train" for a chronicle of a solo, three day and two night, end-to-end cycling trip along the linear park.

 
     
 

Most of the train stations along the trail have been restored or refurbished and have a new life as regional tourism offices, cafes and in the case of Mont Tremblant, an art studio. The path runs directly through the beautiful Parc Riviere du Nord outside St. Jerome and has a direct connection to the Parc Doncaster in Mont Rolland, outside Ste. Adele. You can access the newly created Parc Dufresne in Val David (you'll need a bike lock) for some hiking or even rock climbing.

Some of the stations provide bike rentals and of course present a prefect place for a picnic while on route. Along with a number of companies providing equipment rentals there are several who provide a shuttle service which solves the problem of making the return trip to your vehicle. Have a look at the sidebar for names and contact information.

 
 
     
 
  Access: The beginning of the trail can be accessed in Saint Jerome 45km (about 1/2 hour) north of Montreal by way of highway 15 (alternatively take old highway 117). Take exit 43 and follow rue de Martigny to the east, then turn south on Labelle Boulevard to rue Parent where you'll find the old station and parking at the corner of rue Legault. There are dozens of other access points along the trail with parking including the following:  
 
     
 
  • Piedmont (St Sauveur): From Hwy 15 exit at St Sauveur and take rue Principal east, turn left on rue de la Gare crossing over the 117.
  • Mont Rolland: Take exit 67 on off Hwy 15, head north along the 117 then double back on rue St-Joseph.
  • Ste-Adele: Take Hwy 115 to exit 69 then follow the 370 east to the parking lot.
  • Val-Morin: Take exit 76 from the 15 north following the 117 to Cure Corbeil where you turn right. At rue Morin turn left then cross the small bridge on the right, then right again onto Chemin de la Gare where you'll find parking.
  • Val David: Take exit 76 from Hwy 15 north passed Val Morin and turn off at rue de L'eglise in Val David. You'll find the parking at the intersection with the trial.
  • Ste-Agathe (South)
  • From Hwy 15 take exit 86 south along the 117 then turn right along the Chemin de la Riviere.
  • Ste-Agathe (North): From Hwy 15 take exit 86 north along the 117 then turn right along rue Principal.
  • Ivry-sur-le-Lac: Turn right on the chemin de la Gare, the parking is just after you cross over the trail.
  • St Faustin: From the 117 follow rue St-Faustin to rue de la Gare.
  • St-Jovite (South): Just off the 117 take Montee Kavanagh, the parking is just across the trail.
  • St Jovite (North): Take rue Ouimet the turn right on rue Limoges.
  • Mont Tremblant: From the 117 take Montee Ryan to rue Principal and turn north
  • La Conception: From the 117 take rue des Tulipes to rue de la Station.
  • Labelle: Take rue Allard from the 117 to the parking lot just beside the trail.
  • L'Annonciation: On the 117 just north of rue Du Pont look for the parking on the the right.
  • Marchand: On the left as you cross the trail you'll find parking.
  • Lac Nominingue: From the 117 take the 321 west to chemin tour du Lac
  • Lac Saguay: Follow l'Eglise from the 117 to the parking.
  • Beaux Rivages: Follow chemin Guenette from the 117.
  • Val-Barrette: From the 117 take the 311 west then turn south on chemin St-Francois

Mont Laurier is the terminus of the trail (or alternatively the beginning). You can access the park from the 117 by following rue Hebert in the city then turning right on rue Vaudreuil.

The trail surface is finely crushed stone in the south and asphalt in the north. The grade is very gentle, so peddling, even on a road bike, is easy. In the summer a set of panniers allows you to take advantage of nearby campsites. Cyclists will find good campsites in Ste-Agathe at Lac des Sables. At the Mont Tremblant section you can connect to the bike path that leads over to the resort and if you don't mind a little road work you can reach Mont Tremblant Parc on the other side of the mountain, where there's great camping.

In winter, a nordic skier can connect to dozens of other trails in the Laurentians. The area is world renowned for its nordic skiing having over 1000km of incredible trails. A few hours to weeks of skiing can be had in the region. Fill a pack with a few extras and you can build a multi-day itinerary going from inn to inn (reservations are required).

In the fall the Laurentians are one of the best Leaf Viewing regions in the world. The Petite Train is the perfect way to experience the colors and get outside to enjoy the Indian summer.

Future plans are to connect to the Arobic Corridor in the south and north, allowing you to loop back to Saint Sauveur from Saint Jovite. This will add several more points of interest including many lookouts and a great picnic spot on the famous white water river the Rouge.

Map of the P'tit Train du Nord - From Quebec's Route Verte

Map of the Laurentians

Distances:

  • 21km Ste-Jerome to Piedmont to Mont Laurier 179km
  • 25km Ste-Jerome to Mont Rolland to Mont Laurier 175km
  • 33km Ste-Jerome to Ste-Adele to Mont Laurier 167km
  • 37km Ste-Jerome to Val-Morin to Mont Laurier 163km
  • 42km Ste-Jerome to Val David to Mont Laurier 158km
  • 46km Ste-Jerome to Ste-Agathe (South) to Mont Laurier
  • 49km Ste-Jerome to Ste-Agathe to Mont Laurier 151km
  • 55km Ste-Jerome to Ivry-sur-le-Lac to Mont Laurier 145km
  • 70km Ste-Jerome to St-Faustin to Mont Laurier 130km
  • 80km Ste-Jerome to St-Jovite (South) to Mont Laurier 120km
  • 82km Ste-Jerome to St-Jovite (North) to Mont Laurier 118km
  • 91km Ste-Jerome to Mont Tremblant to Mont Laurier 109km
  • 93km Ste-Jerome to La Conception to Mont Laurier 107km
  • 107km Ste-Jerome to Labelle to Mont Laurier 93km
  • 127km Ste-Jerome to L'Annonciation to Mont Laurier 73km
  • 134km Ste-Jerome to Marchand to Mont Laurier 66km
  • 145km Ste-Jerome to Lac Nominingue to Mont Laurier 55km
  • 163km Ste-Jerome to Lac Seguay to Mont Laurier 37km
  • 175km Ste-Jerome to Beaux Rivages to Mont Laurier 25km
  • 187km Ste-Jerome to Val-Barrette to Mont Laurier 13km

Cities/Towns, Accommodations, Restaurants and Bicycle Rentals

Not all of the towns and cities are currently listed since they don't all have websites. As they come online, we'll include them in our listings.

Map of the P'tit Train du Nord - From Quebec's Route Verte

Map of the Laurentians

Saint-Jerome

Prevost

  • Aux berge Fleuries - Auberge, Prevost, Laurentians, Quebec
  • La Raphael - French restaurant, 450-224-4870, Prevost, Riviere-du-Nord, Laurentians, Quebec

Saint-Sauveur (off trail accessible only by road)

  • Bentley's -Restaurant, 450-227-1851, Saint-Sauveur, Pays-d'en-Haut, Laurentians, Quebec
  • Le Bonnet d'Or - B&B, Saint-Sauveur, Pays-d'en-Haut, Laurentians, Quebec
  • Maestro - Restaurant, California and Italian Cuisine, St-Sauveur, Pays-d'en-Haut, Laurentians, Quebec

Piedmont

Ste-Adele (Mont Rolland)

Val Morin

  • Auberge du Val Royal - Auberge, Val Morin, Laurentians, Quebec
  • Centre Laurentides - Bicycle Rental, (819) 322-1668, Val Morin, Laurentians, Quebec
  • Far Hills Inn - Restaurant/Resort, Val Morin, Laurentians, Quebec
  • Au Mazot Suisse - Swiss Restaurant, 450-229-5600, Val-Morin, Laurentides, Laurentians, Quebec

Val David

Ste-Agathe

St-Jovite

  • Le Bois du Lac - Hotel/Motel, Saint-Jovite, Laurentides, Laurentians, Quebec
  • Comfort Inn - Hotel, Saint-Jovite, Laurentides, Laurentians, Quebec
  • Saint Arnould - Microbrewery and Restaurant, St-Jovite, Laurentians, Quebec

Mont Tremblant - Mont Tremblant Resort

Labelle

Mont Laurier

 

  
     
  Resources

Association Touristique des Laurentides
14142, rue de la Chapelle, Mirabel
Quebec, J7J 2C8
450-436-8532 or 514-990-5625
info-tourisme@laurentides.com

Adventure

Out-There's Laurentians - Summer Adventures
Out-There's Laurentians - Winter Adventures

Cycling the Laurentians

Riding that Train - Out-There's feature article chronicles a solo, three day and two night, end-to-end cycling trip along the linear park.

The Aerobic Corridor - This is another excellent Laurentian bike path (hybrid is recommended) which travels a more rural route than the P'tit Train. The paths surface is hardpack and a hybrid or mountain bike is recommended. The corridor will connect to the P'tit Train in the future at St. Sauveur in the south and St. Jovite in the north allowing you to loop back to your kick off point.

Lower Laurentian Linear Park - This is a 18km path which extends the P'tit Train almost into Laval (the final section is under construction). The path will eventually allow a direct connection into the Montreal network, which in turn connects into the south shore pathways allowing you to reach Sherbrooke, the the Ontario border and even as far as Quebec city. Most of the path is paved but there are some stone dust sections. From St. Jerome the Linear Park heads south through the communities of Mirabel, Blainville, St. Therese and Boisbriand.


Quebec Bike Paths - A list of bike paths throughout the province
Camping in Quebec - Front country camping in Quebec
Velo Quebec - Quebec's most excellent cycling portal
Route Verte - Quebec's exceptional network of cycling paths and roadways

Parks

Parks along the P'tit Train du Nord include the Parc regional de la Riviere-du-Nord just outside St Jerome, Parc Doncaster outside St Adele and the newly created Parc Dufresne in Val David (you'll need a bike lock to do some hiking). If you're willing to put in some extra roadwork you can reach Mont Tremblant Provincial Park from the cycling path.

Accommodations and Restaurants

Quebec Fall Foliage, Nature and Harvest Festivals
Home - Out-There's Main Page

Bike Sales Rentals and Repairs

  • Cafe de la Gare - Cafe, Bike Rental & Service, Ste-Adele (Mont Rolland)
  • Cycles Cadieux - Sales, Rentals, Repair, (450) 432-4686, 536 St-George, St-Jerome
  • C.K.C. Sports - Bicycle Rentals, (450) 229-5602, Ste Adele, Laurentians, Quebec
  • Intersport Bermarc - Bicycle Rentals, (819) 425-3421, St-Jovite
  • Phenix Sport - Canoe, Bicycle Rentals, P'tit Train du Nord & Riviere du Nord, Val David

Shuttle Service

  • Autobus du P'tit Train du Nord - Bike and rider shuttle from St-Jerome to Mont Laurier. Also has full service packages as well.
  • Domaine Maie-Max - Bike and rider shuttle from St-Jerome to Mont Laurier. Also has full service packages as well.

Tour Service

Gite et Velo - Complete packages available

 

  
 

Note: There P'tit Train has a users fee and some of the parking lots also require payment. In the summer the whole length of the trail is reserved for cyclists and hikers. The upper section of the trail above Val David is used by snow mobiles in the winter, with the lower section available for cross country skiers. If your looking to ski the trail plan a route in the lower section which does not allow motorized traffic in the winter.

 
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