Dog sledding experience in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean!

Here I am back with an article about one of the amazing activities we had the chance to do during the fifteen days we spent last February in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean area. I’m of course talking about our dog sledding experience up above the village of La Baie. If you’ve been following our adventures a bit, the year before we had already done a dog sledding experience in the Laurentians with Mélanie and the kids, and we honestly loved it. I really invite you to go read the article if you’re interested; it’ll give you an idea of that first experience we had.

Today, I’d like to tell you about this experience which, in my opinion, was far above the first one. Now, I don’t always really like comparing things, because we were with a different provider and in a different setting, of course. But this time, we spent 1.5 hours dog sledding in a truly extraordinary setting in every way, and with a provider who really, truly deserves to be better known.

If you’re in the area, I sincerely invite you to go experience this dog sledding adventure, because you’re going to love it. During these 15 days, we also had the chance to do several other really fun activities. And if you’re looking for a winter activity that really stands out, I invite you to read our article about ice fishing on the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean fjord. It was really interesting with the kids, even if I have to say we weren’t necessarily very lucky with the fishing! But that wasn’t really the goal, and we had a great family moment.

So we arrive after about an hour’s drive from where we were staying, near the village of La Baie, at the end of the Saguenay fjord. We find the place easily thanks to the GPS coordinates provided when we booked with Manawa. A few words before getting into the details. Manawa is an online activity booking website that we recommend and have been using for years. Honestly, we’ve never had any issues or bad surprises. So if you’re interested, you can book with your eyes closed.

Anyway, all that to say we arrive around 9 a.m., after driving 10 minutes through a truly magical setting, on snowy roads, deep in the countryside. It’s really beautiful and very enjoyable.

And the first thing that strikes us when we arrive, which is actually pretty funny, is that we’re welcomed by the owners in a very friendly, simple way, and we see the whole kennel with the dogs under the snow. We’re clearly very far from the big facilities—with a restaurant and quite a few tourist installations—that we had seen the year before in the Laurentians. Here, it’s something much simpler, more family-run, and honestly, it’s really nice to see. So we meet the owners, who explain concretely how it’s going to work.

So, in this case, it’s 9 a.m. The sky is overcast for now, but you can feel it’s going to clear up. On the other hand, it’s clearly not warm. There’s a light wind and it’s a bit intimidating, knowing that on a dog sled you can end up going pretty fast, and the cold plus the wind really stings. As I said, we meet the owner, who’s going to take us toward the dogs, then onto the nearby trails with his team. He explains again, like last year, the basics for driving the sled.

Mélanie is going to go with the two kids with him on the sled, because she didn’t really feel like driving. And then me, on my side, I head out alone with a team. There’s also another couple of tourists there who will follow behind me. So it’s really cool. You can feel, so to speak, that it’s much less organized, much less touristy, and really less “business”-oriented. So honestly, that’s nice. You almost feel at home, if I can say that—if you forget, of course, the 40 or 50° difference compared to Guadeloupe, haha.

Anyway, all that to say that while we’re getting ready, we put the kids in a small simply set-up room with a little electric heater to warm them up while they wait. And then on my side, the guy explains again how to turn right or left, how to brake, the braking system, etc. So that’s pretty cool.

I even help him harness the dogs to the sled, so honestly, you feel good. The sky seems to be gradually clearing, so that’s great. And around 9:30 a.m., the sky starts to open up with a beautiful blue sky and great light at the moment we leave. It even really starts snowing. The scenery is absolutely stunning and we can’t wait to go. We feel really lucky to be there at the start. So we leave, as I said, around 9:30. And the first thing that shocks me—in a good way—is that it had snowed 6 to 8 inches the day before and we head straight into the forest, directly into completely snow-covered landscapes. Above all, we make our own track with the sled, which is truly extraordinary.

It’s a bit the same feeling as when we were younger, when we’d go ride off-piste in powder after 8 to 12 inches of snow fell overnight. I’m in second position, with the tourist couple behind me, while Mélanie and the kids are in front and lead the way. So it’s really magnificent, and the early-morning landscapes around 10 a.m., with the blue sky coming up, are truly extraordinary. Honestly, several times during the morning, I had flashes where I thought: “Wow, how lucky to be able to live this experience—it’s really amazing.”

And then, like I already said last year and like I already remembered the feeling, dog sledding is just awesome. It’s almost like snowboarding in powder, except here you have sections where you go more or less fast, of course. When you’re on flat ground, you can go a bit slower, but you also get some really good descents, and you’ll even have to brake the dogs to avoid going too fast, because it can really pick up speed. You can easily lose control in this, knowing you also have to lean, a bit like on a motorcycle, to one side or the other to turn the sled (says the guy who’s never ridden a motorcycle, haha).

So honestly, it’s really incredible, and those first 30 minutes like that in the forest, in totally untouched areas where you literally don’t run into anyone, with the blue sky—it’s truly paradise on earth. Around 10 a.m., we gain a little elevation, so to speak, and we even reach a beautiful, totally snow-covered plateau. You feel like you’re overlooking the whole region; it’s really beautiful and the sky is still gorgeous. It’s truly an experience I recommend to anyone who likes thrills even a little and, above all, stunning scenery.

Several times, we have, as I said, a few descents that can honestly be scary at first when you come up to them. And thankfully they taught us well how to brake, because the dogs don’t really stop and we’re kind of forced, sometimes, to slow them down with the system at the back. You just have to press on a kind of mechanism that lets you slow the sled down a bit, without of course stopping the dogs completely.

And then we also have several uphill sections that are pretty significant. And there, it’s the same: they taught us, and we already knew from last year, that you have to help the dogs. Because, after all, the sled can be pretty heavy. So you step off the back of the sled and push with them. So there’s a bit of a physical side, since you run behind the sled to help the dogs, but it’s honestly fun.

After about an hour, I have to admit I’m starting to get cold hands. As a little anecdote, the owner had given me his pair of gloves, made of some kind of material I don’t really know. But honestly, I found those gloves already very cold and very damp, and I was afraid to put them on. Even though he, for his part—a real tough guy, if I can say—built like a tank, you can tell he was raised the hard way in the region. You can see he’s honestly not cold at all, even though, well, it’s really not warm at all, in my opinion.

And as I said, after an hour, the cold starts to set in. We stop for five minutes in a slightly more sheltered spot, at the edge of the forest, with the kids coming to see me. Everyone is happy, but the kids are frozen—especially Téo, who’s really cold. And in that case, I understand it must not be fun at all for him.

Afterward, he tells us that yes, he loved the first moments of dog sledding, but then, with the cold really taking over, he had a lot less fun. Yet he was still very well bundled up, and we were all very well dressed with our different layers. So we’re not really sure. Then again, it’s true that you’re very still when you’re sitting on the sled; you don’t move much.

By the way, a quick aside about winter gear. Like last year, we had the chance to rent our clothes from Tucque & Bicycle Expérience with Emilie, who is really lovely, and where we were able to rent again all our winter gear for the fifteen days. And I really invite you to read our article on the topic; it can really help you. Above all, it can allow you not to have to gear up by buying too many winter clothes. And for me, it’s a really interesting approach.

As I said, we head back out after that short break. Deep down, I honestly hope the kids will still be able to warm up, even though I admit it’s not easy for a 6-year-old sitting for an hour and a half with a headwind and the speed of the dog sled. So I try to put that out of my mind a bit and still enjoy the moment. We continue our route inside the forest, with truly stunning sections. You feel like you’re alone in the world, and I can’t be far from the truth, because we literally don’t run into anyone. There are only snow-covered fir trees around us. We’re there on our little sled trail. Honestly, it’s an experience that’s truly memorable in many ways.

At one point, we even come out of a forest onto a totally frozen lake. You realize it because, all of a sudden, you find yourself in an open space without fir trees, like on a huge frozen swimming pool. We even pass a house by the water. You think: wow, that person must be really peaceful there. And so, for five short minutes, we continue our route right on the frozen lake. Now, obviously we’re on ice, but it’s covered by more than 3 to 6 feet of snow, including 6 to 8 inches of really fresh powder. So the feeling is still really pleasant. Honestly, it’s great. And then, once again, we’re there making our own tracks in the snow, so it’s really fun.

But it’s true that even I, after more than 1.5 hours of dog sledding, start to get cold. And yet we’re really well dressed and I don’t have much exposed; I don’t have much visible skin. I have a beanie, a ski mask, a neck gaiter that comes up to my nose, so I barely have a tiny bit of nose sticking out, and despite all that, it’s clearly not warm. After crossing the little lake for five minutes, we dive back into the forest once again to finish this amazing session, which ended up lasting 1.5 hours. We then return to our starting point after completing a loop.

Honestly, personally, I’m over the moon. Mélanie also really enjoyed the experience. I have to admit the kids are indeed frozen and obviously decide to run around and take off as much as possible to stand in front of the heater at the entrance.

Then we spend another half hour chatting with the owner and especially helping him unharness the dogs from the sleds and put them back in their spots. Really, you can tell this guy has a heart of gold. Obviously it’s a business, obviously it’s how he makes a living, but besides that, you can tell profit is not what matters most. You can tell above all that he enjoys it; you can feel the passion that drives him, and that’s really appreciated.

And then, once Téo has warmed up, around 11:30 late in the morning, he even offers to take him for a short snowmobile ride. Téo hadn’t been allowed to do it, unlike Mélanie and Louis who had done it before. So they go for a little ride for five minutes. He took Louis and Téo on the snowmobile, and Téo is honestly thrilled with that little ride. So that’s really nice. And clearly, I recommend this experience 100%.

A few quick words to wrap up this article.

Of course, you’ll first need to get to Canada, most likely through the gateway cities of Montreal or Quebec City (if you want to be closer). To explore Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean independently, renting a car is, in my opinion, the simplest and most comfortable option. As usual on our trips, we went through DiscoverCars, a comparison site that lets you browse offers from many rental companies, and we found a very good price by picking up our rental car at Quebec City airport. Feel free to compare the different options to choose the one that best fits your trip.

From Quebec City, plan on 2.5 hours for a bit over 220 km; here is the full route.

We were doing a HomeExchange on our side, more than an hour from here, but you can find some very nice places to stay in the area, especially in La Baie. Here are three in particular:

• La Grange aux Hiboux : You’ll appreciate its peaceful waterfront setting, its gorgeous view of the fjord, its warm atmosphere, and its excellent value for money with breakfast included.
• BATTURES Hotel Fjord Saguenay : A peaceful 4-star hotel in La Baie, well located facing the fjord, with a restaurant, free parking, and comfortable rooms.
• Bois Rond Expérience : This accommodation offers a total immersion in nature, with wooden cabins nestled in the forest, a peaceful change-of-scenery atmosphere, and everything you need to enjoy an authentic experience.

Otherwise, you can check out the map below, which pinpoints quite a few accommodations in the area—always handy.

Alright, I’ll stop here for the end of this article. I truly hope you enjoyed this little experience story, even though I admit it doesn’t really live up to what you’ll feel if you do this dog sledding experience: it’s truly magical in every way, and I recommend it 100%.

See you soon, and if you’re looking for another very nice and much calmer experience to do, you can go read our article about snowshoeing in the Monts Valin.

Written by Sylvain PONS

I had the opportunity to explore the beauty of this country I love on several different occasions and in different places (Canadian Rockies, the Island of Newfoundland for 1 month, Yukon and Québec)!

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