EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Another 61km along the coast from Les Escoumins, the town of FORESTVILLE is not as dire as it appears from the highway, with some pleasant residential areas along the two kilometres to the quay. The only real reason for stopping, though, is the seasonal ferry to Rimouski (tel 725-2725 or 1-800/973-2725; late April to early Oct: 2-4 daily; 55min; $13 single, $32 for cars), which only holds 30 cars so reservations are essential. While you are waiting, picnic next to the river; there's a pleasant beach where you can also camp or hang out.

The highway passes next through the reserve of BETSIAMITES , 44km to the north, where a week-long series of festivities culminates in the Montagnais Festival on August 15, which symbolically marks the departure of the hunters to the backwoods. You can get an appreciation of local culture at other times at the nearby Centre de Villégiature de Papinachois , which has a small collection of traditional buildings that don't look like much unless you have a guided tour (call in advance for English tours). You can stay overnight in a traditional tent for $20 or in the more comfortable inn (tel 567-8863 or 1-888/246-5834; $60-80), and traditional cuisine such as beaver and game are available in the restaurant. A variety of excursions along the rivers that penetrate the forest are available on request, starting around $60.

As you continue north, you'll notice a white obelisk on a peninsula near Ragueneau . Although it doesn't symbolize anything - it was the whim of a local artisan - it does mark a pretty lookout point half a kilometre off the highway, where you can picnic or clamber along the rocks. Across the bay, the Parc Nature de Pointe-aux-Outardes , at the end of rue Labrie, 14km off Hwy 138 (June-Sept daily 9am-6pm; $4; www.virtuel.net/prpao ), is really only worth the admission price when migratory birds flock here around May and mid-September. Still, easy trails take in a variety of ecosystems including salt marshes and sand dunes, and ninety-minute guided tours of the plant- and birdlife are included in midsummer. Camping is available for $12 for a two-person site, $18 for four people. If you want to visit the beach (where the water is apparently warm enough to swim after a few hot sunny days), there's access at the quai municipale on rue Labrie.