P’tit Train du Nord day 1: First poutine, then a 4-course gourmet dinner

The P’tit Train du Nord once transported skiers and others into the Laurentian mountains north of Montreal. Now it’s a popular 200-km (120-mile) rail trail between Mont Laurier and St. Jerome, plus a 32-km addition into the Montreal suburbs, and part of Quebec’s fabulous Route Verte network of bike paths.

It’s also an easy day’s drive for us, with a reason to visit Montreal (and bike the F1 racetrack). And there’s a daily morning shuttle service from St. Jerome to the end of the trail. (Parking there is C$6 per day, free on weekends.)

So there we were in the parking lot at 7 a.m.(!), ready to load our bikes and luggage onto the shuttle and munch our grocery store schokolatines (the Quebec version of pain au chocolat). That’s what happens when you pick a no-name hotel with no breakfast. I’ll spare you the details of that penny-wise, pound-foolish decision. And yes, we could have arrived a little bit later. But if you’re thinking of taking an early morning train to St. Jerome from Montreal, you’ll never make the shuttle.

The van dropped us off in the IGA parking lot in Mont Laurier around 11 a.m. Not quite the real end of the trail. And not that I am an EDI-er (Every Damn Inch), but we knew we had more than enough time to bike our planned 35 or so miles. So we pedaled all of an extra half-mile to the real end of the trail. At the 201 km marker. OK, go ahead, call me an EDI-er.

The day’s goal: Nominingue, a village of about 2,200 people.

The scenery is lovely — conifers, beech and some maples turning red. Gorgeous lakes. Oh we stopped plenty of times for yet another water photo! And we couldn’t have asked for better weather.

The path is paved but sometimes bumpy. Yes the trail goes uphill at one point, but trains had to be able to handle it, so nothing more than 2%.

Just be aware that this is a truly rural stretch. Grab a snack or something that passes for an early lunch in Mont Laurier because you may not find food until you reach Nominingue. But you will find picnic tables, shelters, (primitive) toilets, maybe even water along the way.

So when we reached Nominingue, I was ready a mid-afternoon bite. Hence the poutine, that quintessentially Quebec dish of French fries, squeaky cheese curds, brown gravy and in our case some thinly sliced pieces of smoked meat.

I highly recommend the hotel on Nominingue’s golf course. We upgraded to the meal plan for C$100 apiece, and that covered a four-course dinner plus breakfast. Smoked salmon! A hefty duck breast, something I never cook at home, with spaetzle on the side. And if you want to trade travel tales with other cyclists, you’ll probably find some staying there.

If this hotel isn’t your style, you will find other places to stay around Nominingue, including camping options. Or keep heading south.

Now for day 2.