Susanne My last day (July 3) at Mont Tremblant had begun. A filling breakfast at the Fairmont Tremblant got me ready for another activity-filled day. I had heard that it is possible to get a free bicycle rental at the Fairmont upon joining the Fairmont’s President Club. Membership in this recognition program is free and 10 minutes later I walked away with some trail maps and a free rental bike (made by BMW no less!) for the next few hours.
The entire Mont Tremblant area is criss-crossed by numerous biking trails that take you through the picturesque landscape on a mixture of fairly flat and hillier terrain. I cycled down the hill from the hotel and onto the bicycle trail system. Five minutes into my ride I stopped to watch a mother and baby deer as they grazed beside the roadway and slowly disappeared into the underbrush. The Mont Tremblant area is a great place for nature lovers.
After a nice 15 minute ride beside the Chemin Duplessis I turned right and cycled into the Riviere du Diable valley. Riding was great on this winding trail that has occasional inclines and descents. The path is completely embedded in the forest, with occasional glimpses of the river. I enjoyed every minute of this serene ride through the woods. A short while later I crossed the bridge over the river to look at a trail map that outlined all the paved and off-road trails in the area. The entire region offers great opportunities for road and mountain biking.
Stopping occasionally to take photos I made my way to the old village of Mont Tremblant which is located on Lac Mercier where I rode a portion of the linear park of “Le P’tit Train du Nord”. This former railway trail is 230 kilometers long and runs through beautiful landscapes beside rivers and lakes. I occasionally glanced over at the lake which was dotted with cottages and stopped at a wetland to admire the water lilies and a red-winged blackbird that was protecting its nest.
Then I cycled past the historic Eglise Lac-Mercier in Mont Tremblant Village before turning around and heading back to Lake Tremblant where I stopped to take pictures at the Belvédère des Chutes to look at the waterfalls. Then I made a stop at the private beach of Station Mont Tremblant at the eastern end of Lake Tremblant.
Guests of the Mont Tremblant resort were swimming and sunning themselves; kayaks, canoes and other watercrafts were available for rent; and a snack bar was open to provide refreshments. After a rather steep ride back up the hill I returned my bike and retreated to my room for a much needed shower. Shortly after noon I rejoined my journalist colleagues at the Mexican restaurant Puesta del Sol where we enjoyed our last lunch on the sunny patio.
Our airport shuttle was going to pick us up in about an hour, and I decided to embark on one more excursion: I took the gondola to the top of Mont Tremblant from where I enjoyed a fabulous panorama of the whole region. I took pleasure in the full splendour of the green forested hills and pristine blue lakes from a lookout platform at the top of Mont Tremblant.
At 2:40 pm our airport shuttle came and by about 4 pm we departed via Porter Airlines to Toronto. Two and a half days at Tremblant had just whizzed by and I was able to see enough of the area to realize that this is a beautiful region to come back to, whether it’s for a summer vacation, an autumn getaway to enjoy the changing colours, or a ski vacation in one of Eastern North America’s best ski resorts.
