Gaspé Peninsula

Introducing Gaspé Peninsula

The promontory known locally as ‘La Gaspésie’ is one of those remote rural areas that generates all manner of myths among folk who, generally, have never been there. You can take these urban myths with a pinch of sea salt from the St Lawrence gulf, but they do prove that Gaspé has etched itself into the Québécois imagination.

The remnants of a colorful colonial past can be seen on a coastline that bulges into the gulf, overlooking rusting shipwrecks and migratory whales. Like the whales, Normans, Bretons, Basques, Portuguese and Channel Islanders were attracted by the rich fishing grounds. English, Scottish and Irish fugitives from upheavals such as the Great Famine and American independence settled on the south shore, leaving isolated Anglophone communities where the accents have more in common with the Old World lilts than classic Canadian cadence. Flags erected by the descendents of Acadian settlers flutter above Rte 132.

Between the small communities’ colorful farm buildings and silver spires, the landscape is also striking. There’s the famous pierced rock in Percé, of course, and there are endless beaches overshadowed by glacier-patterned cliffs. The mountainous, forested hinterlands, home to the breathtaking Parc de la Gaspésie, are crossed by few routes, among them the Matapedia Valley drive, the International Appalachian Trail and Rte 198, one of the province’s quietest roads.

In contrast with the brooding north shore, the southern Baie des Chaleurs, named after its relatively warm waters, has a flat, calm landscape. Come here to unwind after the emotional experience of the rest of Gaspé. Throughout the peninsula, the tourist season runs from about June to mid-September. Outside those times, things seriously wind down, and from November to mid-May the main activity you’ll see will be the waves crashing against the rocks.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009