The Route of the Three Lakes is well known in Québec City as a great ride to help you practice your climbing skills.
The three lakes included in this ride are: St-Joseph, Sergent and Sept-Îles. Each of the lakes has its own topography and includes many short and sharp hills.
This ride has been suggested by local Québec City based cyclist, Geneviève Healey. Geneviève’s passion for ultra cycling has helped her seek out the best local rides around the city!
For more Québec City cycling routes, check out our guide to cycling Québec City.
Highlights
- With a circumference of 25 kilometres, Lake St-Joseph is the largest of the trio of lakes and offers stunning natural landscapes.
- Lake Sergent, the smallest and more discreet of the three lakes, is nonetheless worth the detour.
- The picturesque Lake Sept-Îles has seven charming inhabited islands and quaint wooden bridges!
Route notes
1. Lake St-Joseph 0 to 25 km
As this ride is a great challenge for the legs, starting with the biggest of the three lakes might be frightening because it’s never flat. But trust me, the loop is a really fun one where you always have the energy from the last descent to help you climb the next one. Great views of the water are a bonus!
2. Lake Sergent 26 to 42 km
This part is a little less hilly than the rest of the ride and is on a higher traffic road, but the shoulders are large so it’s easy to reach a great tempo to reach the next lake.
3. Lake Sept-Iles 43 to 69 km
Lake Sept-Iles is about half the length of Lake St-Joseph, but is not easier with its three main longer hills. However it has really great views of the lake when you cross the three small wooden bridges.
You then return to the start of the ride through a great small gravel cycle path surrounded by swamps and forest.
Café stops
There are a few food markets and gas stations on this route, in between the lakes.
There is also a renowned potato shack, called Ti-Oui’s in Saint-Raymond’s town. It’s a great place to try Quebec’s famous Poutine dish!
Quebec’s famous Poutine dish is a delicious meal for cyclists! (photo credt: Geneviève Healey)
Accommodation
Duchesnay resort is a great place to stay. Or Hotel Roquemont, restaurant and brewery in Saint-Raymond’s town.
To get to the start of this route, I’d suggest either taking a cab (large enough to bring bikes) or renting a car. Alternatively, if someone wants to do an extra long ride: the Cheminots’ cycle path goes directly from the Quebec city centre to Lake St-Joseph (and is also a really great ride to do!).
Take a look at our Québec City guide for more information.
Tips
The route is mostly rural roads with medium and low traffic.
But beware! Prepare your legs for the constant hilly terrain you’ll face.
See more tips for cycling in Québec City in our city guide here.
A wooden bridge over Sept-Îles Lake (photo credt: Geneviève Healey)
Have you ridden Québec cycling routes before?
We’d love to hear about how cycling in Québec City went! Drop us a comment below.
Looking for more cycling routes in Québec?
Don’t miss these:
- Guide to cycling Québec City
- St. Lawrence and St. Charles river loop
- Maizerets park to Cap Tourmente
- West Suburbs of Québec City
- Les Équerres loop
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Geneviève is a passionate cyclist from Québec City, Eastern Canada.
She loves to travel by bike and thrives on long hours in the saddle, having participated in several ultra cycling events around the world, including in Canada, Portugal and France. Most recently she completed the BikingMan Corsica race and has also taken part in Race Across Québec, a 500 kilometre road cycling event that was held in the Laurentian's, just north of Montreal.
Alongside regularly found riding around Québec City, Geneviève contributes to Vélo Mag and Nature-Humaine. She also runs a personal blog, PinteuseBlogueuse, which highlights cycling routes that connect local microbreweries and artisanal food shops!
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