Lac Morency – Day 4 – Prévost to Blaineville

It was minus one when we got up so we decided to relax a bit before heading out in the hope that the sun would come out and warm up the day. We headed south from Prévost.

Only the first 3 or 4km were on grit today, with the rest paved. It was cold, but the winds were calm, and it was dry. I wore an extra long sleeved layer and second pair of socks, and gave Cindy, who only had shoes, not boots, my shoe covers.

The trail went through quite a mix of landscapes today – urban, forest, village, farm, alongside roads, and under highways. There was a great collection of street art under the first highway.

The sections of the P’Tit Train du Nord which we explored roughly follow the Riviére du Nord. There was a beautiful set of rapids on our way to Saint-Jérôme. I stood and tried to imagine my line if I were kayaking them, as I used to kayak on the Ottawa River. It is certainly beyond my skill level at this point, and probably always was, at least at this water level.

The pictures below show some of the varied landscapes through which we cycled.

At the north end of Saint-Jérôme we started to see the type of house architecture , with outdoor staircases, for which Montreal is famous.

There is a beautiful church in Saint-Jérôme with a lovely tree-canopied park in front of it.

They have recently created a lovely riverfront park and are working on a second phase.

The old train station has tourist information, but was closed. There was a bike counter for the P’Tit Train du Nord beside the trail here.

We stopped to warm up in the Vert Vert Café. It was lovely and bright and the sun streamed in, warming our cold extremities. However, we didn’t get nearly as cold as yesterday. We enjoyed the apple pastry we purchased to share so much that Cindy bought us a second one.

Saint-Jérôme had some lovely murals including one for the P’Tit Train du Nord.

Saint-Jérôme has a new train station with trains to Montreal. The P’Tit Train du Nord runs alongside it, and zigzags from one of side the tracks to the other several times, but the crossings are well designed and when it runs along the road it is either raised or curb protected. In many places along the P’Tit Train du Nord there are tables and benches and bike racks. It is clear that the designers have thought about how people will use the trail. In villages there are playgrounds and fitness equipment. There seems to be more of an active, outdoor culture here, than in Ontario.

Blainville has a library that has won an architectural award. We loved this piece in front of it.

There was a detour here that was well signed, and easy to follow, in both directions.

Many of the villages have connecting Active Transportation paths with the P’Tit Train du Nord. This park had an homage to the train tracks, shade covered seating, bike racks, and a playground.

Believe it or not there is an asphalt trail under all these leaves.

Back in Saint-Jérôme we see the new intermodal train station, and the entrance to a permanent, covered outdoor market. There was a smaller one of similar design in the south end of Prévost. We also saw one on one of our rides to the north.

We ate lunch at the same café and there was now live music.

And we are done. It has been wonderful exploring the P’Tit Train du Nord. We would definitely come back to do it again and explore north of Mont-Tremblant. Tomorrow we will have a short ride in Montreal, lunch with friends, and then drive home.

We ate very well this trip, both in restaurants, and what we prepared for ourselves at the auberge. It makes it healthier, more economical, and saves time, eating out only one meal and coffee break each day.


Discover more from Lisa Stokes

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.