The Canadian Shield Bikepacking Route is a 900km adventure through the Laurentian Mountains of Western Quebec. With alternative distances of 250km, 400km, or 1150 km, there is definitely something for everyone.

The route will take riders off the grid, through some of the region's most epic trails and roads, including Gatineau Park, Mont Tremblant National Park, Montagne du Diable Regional Park, Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve, Ouareau Forest, Centre Vorlage and Mont Ste. Marie.With over 13500 metres of elevation gain across the 900km route, this is definitely a route that will challenge you both physically and mentally, while creating a lifetime of memories.

For those looking to keep things a little less spicy, control points throughout will indicate where you can go to avoid some of the more intense sections of trail.The Grand Depart for 2025 will begin at the conclusion of the 3rd annual Canadian Shield Bikepacking Summit, allowing participants to go on an epic bike adventure at the conclusion of the summit. With a departure time of 5:30pm, you'll start the adventure with a night ride and good company.

The ONLY question left to answer is:

‍What type of bikepacking adventure are you looking for?

‍Canadian Shield 400: The CS 400 is a 400km adventure through the Outaouais region of Quebec, over a mixture of gravel roads, unmaintained winter roads, doubletrack, singletrack and rail trail. Cruising through forests, provincial parks and ski resorts, this is the perfect route for bikepackers looking to challenge themselves with a route that dishes out a lot of trails and elevation gain. This route is perfect for those on a time constraint and unable to take on a longer adventure. Lastly, it's also the perfect early season adventure to get your bikepacking legs ready for some bigger and longer routes.

‍Canadian Shield Bikepacking Route: The CSBR is a thrilling 900km sojourn across and over the Laurentian Mountains in Western Quebec. With around 13,500 metres of elevation gain, you'll have all the great riding of the CS 400 but also get to traverse the Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve and its rugged roads, the Montagne du Diable Regional Park, which is filled with excellent single and doubletrack, as well as some truly spectacular lake district cottage country.

‍Canadian Shield XL: The CSXL is the longest Canadian Shield route, a nearly 1200km odyssey through a huge swath of Western Quebec. In addition to the CSBR, you will cross the Ouareau Forest Regional Park and traverse Mont Tremblant National Park, providing you ample opportunities to explore the vast region of lakes and some of the higher points of the Laurentian Mountains.

Vision

The Canadian Shield Bikepacking Routes were created to foster growth within the bikepacking community and take riders off the beaten path, so that they can explore the region by bicycle. The routes are designed to challenge riders with significant amounts of singletrack, doubletrack, unmaintained winter roads, regional parks, national parks, nature reserves, and more. Whether going on your own, or riding it with friends, this route is guaranteed to leave you some lasting memories.

We've got the answers to your questions

What is a Grand Depart?

A grand depart is an unsanctioned event where a group of bikepackers meet up to ride a route at a predetermined location and time. There is no registration required, support, insurance or prize for completing the route and the event is not a race or organized event. Each rider is expected to be completely self-sufficient throughout the ride, arranging their own lodgings, food stops, and water management. Safety is of the utmost importance and riders are encouraged to notify their family and friends of their route and other safety information. Large parts of this route are outside of cellular coverage zones. Riders are also responsible for paying any required park fees.

Riders may indicate their intention of to ride the Canadian Shield Bikepacking Route Grand Depart by filling out this form after reading all of the following information. Completing the registration is merely intended to provide a means of communication with the other riders so that they are up to date on the most current information available.

Riders that cannot make it to the Grand Depart are more than welcome to ride the route at any other time of their own choosing. Riders who have completed the route may submit a photo for inclusion on the "finishers gallery". The same applies to those who have set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT).

How is the route difficulty determined?

Rather than re-creating an entirely new system of grading the difficulty of a bikepacking route, we at Bikepack Adventures have decided to use the grading system created by Bikepacking Roots. The difficulty is broken down into 2 main components: Physical difficulty and Technical difficulty. This is given an overall average out of 10 in the key stats part of the route but is described more fully in the tabbed section under the heading “Difficulty”. For more details, read the article Rating the Difficulty of Bikepacking Routes in my blog.

What is a Fastest Known Time (FKT)?

As this is not a race, riders may choose to ride alone, in pairs or in small groups. Riders attempting to set a Fastest Known Time (FKT) record, start at the same time as other riders at the Grand Depart, but must complete the ride individually, without any outside assistance that is not commercially available to all other participants. An FKT rider may not draft another rider at any time. A rider's time is the total elapsed time, including all stops, that it takes to complete the route. Any rider claiming an FKT time must provide a Strava or RideWithGPS file for their ride.

Be aware that all routes published, posted and linked to are unsupported and unsanctioned with no insurance provided. All riders are responsible for their own personal well-being when riding on any of the routes on the Bikepack Adventures website and do so at their own risk. The route developer takes no responsibility for personal injury, damage to personal property or any other circumstance that might happen to individual riders cycling these route. There is no guarantee of route conditions at any given time and the route developer takes no responsibility for disrupted route conditions. You are entirely responsible for your own safety and decisions that are made including accommodation and necessary detours. It is advised to study route maps and make note of your supply options as well as possible detours. If you are not comfortable riding a section of a route, take any necessary alternatives. Planning and due diligence is imperative as is riding within your means. People “racing” the route do so at their own risk.

An FKT may also be set in the form of an individual time trial, whereby the rider may attempt the route at any time during the season and beginning from any location they wish.

Should I wild or stealth camp?

Wild camping means to camp outside of traditional places like campgrounds. For most people, it is also a big step in their bikepacking journey and can be a difficult first step to take. At Bikepack Adventures, we believe that this is really something that needs to be worked up to. The first step is get out with a friend or group of friends and go camping in one of the many municipal, provincial or national parks that we have here in Canada. In Quebec, many of the National Parks have a Bienvenue Cyclistes! which offer discounted camping rates for those arriving on bikes. The next step would be to go with some friends and "wild" camp on some Crown land so you can practice camping without any amenities such as running water, toilets, and shelter. This will give you a chance to practice leave no trace principles, burying your waste and packing out your rubbish. Finally, try wild camping on your own to practice self-reliance. Keep in mind that many people go bikepacking with campsites and hotels pre-booked. Nothing says you have to wild camp just because you are out bikepacking.

Important Considerations

Some parts of this route are remote, with minimal services during long stretches and travel through forested areas, home to black bears, skunks, raccoons and other forest animals.
Carrying a tracking device is recommended but not required, cell service is “non-existent” in some areas of this route.
Flashing (blinking) lights, reflective gear and light coloured clothing to make riders more visible are highly recommended. Bikes should be outfitted with lights for riding in the dusk, night or dawn.
Services along the route are fair game; hotels, restaurants, pubs and stores are all available for use, as long as goods and services are not pre-arranged, e.g., no food or equipment drops/delivery unless it is to a Canada Post Outlet c/o General Delivery.
Camping options both primitive and at campgrounds, and other accommodation options can be found on the RWGPS map and supplemented with your own research.
Leave No Trace. This route goes through communities and wilderness areas, please respect all areas of the route and leave it as you found it. If you packed it in, pack it out. More information on “Leave No Trace”: https://www.leavenotrace.ca/principles
This ride and route rely on the goodwill of the many communities along the way. Please be kind and respectful of private property and generous with your support of local businesses.
A rider’s time is the total elapsed time, including all stops, that it takes to complete the route. FKT hopefuls must provide a Strava or RWGPS file of their ride. FKT riders may not draft.
For FKT hopefuls, if you need to leave the route for any reason, you must return to your last location and continue on from there.
For FKT hopefuls, this is a self-supported ride, and outside support is not allowed. If you need it or think you might need it…you better bring it.

Disclaimer

This ride is not an official event, nor is it sanctioned in any way, there is no entrance fee, and there is no prize for finishing.
All riders are solely responsible for their own safety and security along the route.
Riders must recognize that there are inherent risks in this undertaking including injury and death.
This route incorporates multi-use trails, off-road trails and on-road riding. All cyclists are responsible for their own safety, must use both trails and streets with caution and do so at their own risk.
The route should be evaluated by each individual cyclist based on their level of experience and comfort level in cycling on trails and roads.
Riders need to consider weather conditions, time of day, and any road obstacles when making their decisions to ride.
Always wear the proper safety gear when cycling, ride sensibly and abide by all laws.
This website and the associated Facebook page/Instagram account are only used as a meeting place and area for collaboration and information sharing. The Bikepack Adventures website and any and all others involved in the development of these routes do not assume any liability whatsoever for cyclists using this information and travelling upon these routes.