Our Snowmobiling Experience in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean

Hi, Melanie here! I don’t often take over Sylvain’s keyboard, since he’s usually the one doing the writing, but this time I was the lucky one who got to try this fantastic activity: snowmobiling in Saguenay! This is the final article in our series about all the activities we tried during this wonderful Canadian winter. You can also read about our ice fishing experience or our snowshoe hike in the Monts Valin.

For a little background, I’d already had the chance to go snowmobiling with Louis in the Laurentians last year, after beating Sylvain in a game of drawing straws, haha. This year, we once again debated who would get to go, since Teo is still too young to ride and someone had to stay with him. But I won again, so I got to do it—much to Louis’s delight, since it meant some mother-daughter time! Teo still got the chance to take a short snowmobile ride with the people we met during our dog sledding experience in Saguenay.

So, come along and discover this wonderful experience with us!

After an hour’s drive from our house, we arrive above the village of La Baie, at the end of the Saguenay Fjord. The meeting point is in the parking lot of Hôtel Les Battures. When we get there, it is absolutely freezing that early in the morning! We leave Teo and Sylvain in the lobby of this lovely hotel, where they can at least enjoy a beautiful view of the fjord. Meanwhile, our guide, Charles, welcomes us and takes us into a room to go over the formalities: safety instructions, the deductible, and the documents we need to sign.

Once that is done, it is time to gear up. Suits, boots, balaclavas, helmets with visors… almost everything is provided on-site (except for a neck gaiter, which we had brought with us anyway). We usually rent our winter gear from Tuque and Bicycle Experience, and we honestly recommend them 100%. Feel free to read our article about it! After looking over our gear, the guide confirmed that it was good quality. He simply replaced my coat and gave me gloves with separate fingers so I could operate the controls more easily.

And just like that, we are fully geared up! We head back outside with our small group, spread out across several snowmobiles, and make our way to the hangar to see the machines.

Before we set off, Charles explains how the snowmobile works: how to accelerate with your thumb rather than twisting a handle, which is safer; how to use the kill switch at every stop; how to engage the parking brake; and how to position your body and maintain your balance through turns.

He also warns us to be careful on certain bends, where patches of ice can form, and recommends slowing right down—sometimes to as little as 10 km/h—to avoid losing traction or leaving the trail. You really have to manage your speed and anticipate your line. We then complete a short test loop around the parking lot, including a few turns, to make sure everyone feels comfortable with the controls. Honestly, it all goes very smoothly.

We are riding electric snowmobiles, which are quiet, produce no gasoline smell, and now have a stated range of around 100 km. On a guided excursion like ours, there is no need to worry about managing the battery! What surprises us most is just how quiet they are compared with gas-powered snowmobiles. You can barely hear the other machines approaching, so it is important to stay aware of your surroundings and keep track of the other riders in the group to reduce the risk of an accident. Once we have reviewed everything together, we finally head out onto the local snow-covered trails. Louis is bursting with excitement!

It does not take long to leave the open areas behind and enter Saguenay’s beautiful boreal forests. Pines, birches, and snow everywhere—the scenery looks straight out of a Canadian postcard. We ride along official snowmobile Trail 83, part of Quebec’s vast trail network connecting several regions, including the Laurentians.

The route alternates between plenty of climbs and descents through the pine forest, winding turns, and narrower stretches between the fir trees. We cross paved roads several times and also pass over a few very bumpy sections. Overall, though, the ride is very accessible, even for a first snowmobiling experience.

Honestly, I loved spending more than an hour behind the controls, and Louis loved the ride too. The snowmobile feels stable and is easy to handle. The only thing I enjoyed a little less was the pace set by the guide, at around 50–55 km/h. On an introductory excursion, you can sometimes find yourself concentrating more on keeping up than on fully appreciating the scenery.

Fortunately, we make several stops along the way to check that everyone is doing well, make sure no one is too cold, take a few photos, and learn a little more about the route. At one stop, Louis’s hands are very cold, and the guide immediately gives him hand warmers to slip inside his gloves—a really thoughtful gesture.

Louis sits behind me for the entire excursion, and I thought it would be nice to ask what he made of the experience. Here is what he had to say: “It was so beautiful. We could see the forest and the tracks in the snow really well. I saw gray birds as big as chickens—the guide said they were probably partridges. At one point, I also saw a little bucket attached to a tree to collect maple sap. My fingers and toes were really cold, but apart from that, it was fantastic. It’s definitely an activity to try in Canada.”

After about an hour of following the trails, we turn around and retrace our route. Altogether, the outing lasts around two hours, including the briefing and gear fitting, the driving introduction, the guided ride, and the breaks.

On the way back, we have to wait for a few minutes because a forestry vehicle is cutting and moving logs along the trail. The route remains blocked while it pushes and loads the wood, delaying us slightly. In the end, though, it adds an authentic touch to the experience, and I love the smell of freshly cut wood in the middle of the snowy forest.

The excursion includes almost all the gear you need for extreme cold: a helmet with a visor, a balaclava, a heavy winter coat, insulated pants, boots, and gloves. One important note: a neck gaiter or neck warmer is not provided, so you need to bring your own. You cannot wear a beanie under the helmet. The visor can be lowered to shield your face from the wind, which is essential in bitterly cold weather. We kept ours down for almost the entire ride.

We booked this activity through our partner Manawa, which offers several snowmobile excursions across Quebec, including in the Saguenay region. If this experience sounds like your kind of adventure, you can book the same activity there.

See you soon in another article,

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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