(upbeat music) - [Eric Voiceover] Quebec is a unique and vibrant place that's chockfull of outdoor adventure and cultural charm.

On the southern end of the province, along the Ottawa River, the Outaouais region is full of countless adventures to be had.

Here, you'll find an incredible network of lakes, rivers, and quaint villages, along with one of the best whitewater runs on the planet.

Further north, bordering the St.

Lawrence River, the Charlevoix region of Quebec boasts some of the most dramatic landscapes to be found east of the Rockies.

It is a wild and wonderful place that features a variety of world-class back country trails, breathtaking mountain trails, thundering whitewater, and early season snowstorms.

This week on Epic Trails, we're exploring Charlevoix and Outaouais.

I'm Eric Hanson.

When I see a trail, I see more than a path from point A to point B.

(inspiring piano music) A good trail is the ultimate opportunity to explore, to discover new landscapes, and to challenge myself.

When I don't have a pack on my back, I'm thinking about my next big adventure, because my mission is simple.

My mission is to discover the world's most epic trails.

- [Voiceover 1] Funding for "Epic Trails" is provided by (upbeat dance music) (birds chirping) (upbeat rock music) - Woo!

- [Voiceover 1] In4adventure.com.

Inspiring, educating, and encouraging outdoor adventure and by these additional sponsors (soft joyful music) - [Voiceover 2] Since 1954, Fraternal Composite service has crafted annual collages of photographic portraits for Greek chapters and professional organizations.

Mattes and frames create dimensional layering.

Pictures are covered in shatterproof glass.

Photographing nationwide.

Fraternalcomposite.com.

(gentle uplifting music) Although Charlevoix shares the small, charming towns, and relaxed country life that's found throughout the province of Quebec, I've heard the region boasts some of the most dramatic countryside in eastern North America.

With the fall colors popping and a cool, wintery chill in the air, I'm kicking things off with a back country adventure.

- I'm setting off for an overnight.

Gonna be climbing to the top of Mont Des Morios, and it's one of the popular summits to do around here.

I'm dressed all bundled up.

It's been super cold, the temperature has been plummeting over the last few days, and there's actually supposed to be maybe even snow in the forecast, and this is really the first bit of adventure I've been able to get out and do here in the Charlevoix region, and so I'm definitely looking forward to getting up to the summit, pushing up at the top and seeing what we can see.

(gentle uplifting music) Definitely looks slippery.

Damn, think I'm lost.

Not really sure which way to go.

Rope, thank you for the assistance.

It is officially started snowing on us.

I am very hopeful that it is just a passing cell.

I'm hoping that it'll just move on through and that we'll still get a great sunset, but I'm definitely concerned that we might be getting an early snowstorm here in Charlevoix.

We'll see.

So, just looking for a place to put a tent or two.

(slow atmospheric music) It's been a bit of an adventure today.

As you can tell, it's snowing pretty heavily.

I guess fall is setting in here in Canada.

Cheers, guys.

It's been fun.

(gentle uplifting music) Well, last night was pretty rough with the weather.

The winds were violent, and it was cold.

But you know what?

Getting to wake up on top of a mountain like this and see the sunrise over a fresh dusting of snow, this is a damn good payoff.

- [Eric Voiceover] Last night's snow was just a glimpse of the things to come in the wintery months ahead.

But with the snow gone before I even get down the mountain I'm surprised to hear there's some dog mushing to be done in the area.

So I meet up with Alex Lavagne, who has used a little creativity to make dog mushing a year round activity in the Charlevoix region.

- We moved here in Baie-Saint-Paul two years ago because much more activity, much more tourists, so much more work for them, and since they are working dogs, if you can make them work all year long they are all happy.

There's some rest moments, but the more they work, the more they find the real essence of their identity, which is work, and also hug.

- (laughs) And love.

Hey there, pretty lady.

I just met up with Alex, and he runs a dog mushing company.

Basically he has a kennel full of lots of huskies and beautiful dogs, and today we are going out, it's not winter yet, but it's coming.

We're gonna head out and actually get on the trail and roll around on these, as we're being pulled by these mushing dogs.

So it's gonna be a fun time.

I have never done this before.

That's a long way from anything I've ever done.

So I just got introduced to a bunch of the dogs, and to Alex, and we're gonna be heading out shortly and actually getting the dogs leashed up and on their harnesses, and we're gonna have a fun day of learning how to mush.

(dogs barking) - [Alex] Gino!

- [Eric] Where's my dog?

- Come on, Gino.

A-ha, Gino.

Oh Gino, oh Gino, oh Gino.

Yeah, Gino.

Come on, come on.

Gino, Gino.

- [Eric] So you want me to give you like three seconds once you go?

- [Alex] Nope.

- [Eric] Just go right with you?

- [Alex] Just go right with me.

- [Eric] Okay.

- [Alex] Now let's go!

(dogs yipping) (barking) Hoopla!

Hoopla!

- [Eric] All right, Gino!

Here we go, baby!

Yeah!

Let's boogie!

Good job, Gino!

Good job, Gino!

Run like the wind, Gino!

Yahoo!

(both whooping) Run, Gino!

So Alex and I just ran with the dogs for about 10 kilometers as they were pulling the scooters.

They basically just did 10 kilometers like it was nothing.

It was such a wild experience.

I loved it.

Just running behind the dogs, it's like you're working as, well you are working as a team.

And just flowing with the dogs, sometimes they wanna go in the front, sometimes they wanna go in the back.

It was really cool.

I felt like I got to bond a bit with Gino.

So they're working dogs, they're not pets.

That was, just seeing them in their environments, seeing the dogs go do their thing.

I loved it.

Yeah I think Gino was thirsty because she kept trying to grab some water off the road.

It was crazy, she'd be running and coming across a puddle, and just scooping it up as we were running.

That was such a cool experience, just being on there.

There's no motors or anything, it's just silence, just dogs panting, and just flying out there.

- [Alex] We're aware.

We're prepared, not cold.

- [Eric] Yeah, no it was perfect environment.

- [Alex] The dogs are not even tired.

- Yeah, I think they're ready for the winter season.

- [Alex] Yeah.

(gentle uplifting music) - [Eric Voiceover] After a wild and fluffy day with my new best friend Gino, I'm looking forward to exploring more of the rugged and beautiful landscape that Charlevoix is known for, so I'm meeting up with Laurence Bessone, a local backpacker who knows the trails here as well as anyone.

- [Laurence] So we're currently on the Acropole des Draveurs trail in the Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivie National in the Charlevoix region.

And as you may have noticed, this is a pretty steep trail.

- [Eric] Yeah, it's going up.

- [Laurence] But the view at the top will be a great reward for all the effort.

- [Eric] So it'll be worth it?

- [Laurence] Oh yes, definitely.

- [Eric] Perfect.

- [Laurence] Wait for it.

(gentle uplifting music) (birds chirping) - [Eric Voiceover] Although there are a number of trails in the park to choose from, the Acropole des Draveurs trail that we're on is the most physically challenging because it involves hiking up more than 2500 vertical feet.

In fact, this park is known for having some of the highest rock walls east of the Rockies.

- Just started getting into the snow.

It's been very cold.

Temperature's been dropping.

Look at here, beautiful winter wonderland ahead of us.

- We're here!

- We're here?

- Yeah!

- [Eric] Wow.

This is a hell of a viewpoint.

- [Laurence] Yeah, it was worth it?

- [Eric] Yeah, this is amazing up here.

That is pretty vertical.

- [Laurence] So yeah, that's where we were just before.

- [Eric] We have come up a long way.

- [Laurence] Yeah.

- This is crazy.

I don't think, I know that I, coming into this, didn't know how vertical Quebec might be, but there's actually a lot of big upended rock here.

This is spectacular.

Yeah, thanks for bringing me here!

This is so cool.

- [Laurence] Yeah, thank you for coming!

For joining me.

- [Eric] Yeah.

- [Eric Voiceover] I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to encounter these kinds of dramatic landscapes in Quebec, but surprises are one of the most beautiful things about travel.

As I stand on top of the Acropole des Draveurs trail, I'm humbled and inspired by the beauty and thankful for the opportunity to discover the magic of Quebec's Charlevoix region.

Only a few hours from Montreal and minutes from Canada's capital city of Ottawa, the Outaouais region of Quebec is an outdoor playground connected by a wide variety of charming small towns.

It's the kind of place you can visit without a singular purpose, because there's so much to do and explore in the area, and that includes the unbelievable bakeries which I found to be a perfect place to hang out while waiting for the rain to pass and the cool fall temperatures to rise.

Now, with a belly full of coffee and more than a few sugar pies, it's time to start exploring.

- So in the Kenauk Nature area, it's 65,000 acres of land that is set aside as conservation land.

There's also an opportunity to spend the night in these private chalets on the lake where I got to be in a place called Rough Cabin, which was anything but rough.

It was actually quite flush.

And came to this mountaintop where there's this really cool old lookout cabin.

Yeah, this is just a really cool place to finally get up above everything.

Everything's so dense with the forest in general.

It's hard to get some of these views.

That is a cool experience.

It's cold up there.

It's really windy.

And you're pretty exposed, and everything is just kind of shaking a little bit, but it's a really unique vantage point.

So cool up there.

- [Eric Voiceover] Chilled from the climb to the lookout, and with the weather deteriorating, I decided to cut my hike short and explore the inside of a barrel sauna instead.

A little random, sure.

But when someone offers you the opportunity to enjoy a private sauna that floats on a lake.

You don't pass it up.

Of course, there is one requirement, though.

If you're gonna sauna by a lake, no matter how chilly it is outside, you've gotta go for a dip.

(splashing) - Woo!

(uplifting piano music) - [Eric Voiceover] Water is a way of life in Quebec, and canoeing in particular has played an enormous role in the Outaouais region.

It was a fundamental means of transportation for the land's Indigenous population, and a key vehicle for trade.

Nowadays, canoeing opens up an unbelievable number of opportunities for adventure along the countless rivers and lakes.

And so if you don't go canoeing in Quebec, did you really even go there?

On this cold and windy fall day, my canoeing mission is to reach a small island with a back country yurt.

I can't lie.

Today's conditions were a bit challenging for someone with my limited experience, and paddling a canoe solo is making it that much tougher.

The progress is slow, but fortunately all the little islands provide cover from the waves and the wind.

At last, worn out and a little beat down, I find my home for the night.

- Today's been kind of a long, and a bit rough, of a day.

Super windy, rainy all day.

Managing the canoe out in the water was really actually quite challenging.

I don't have a ton of experience at it, so it's all pretty new.

So I felt like I was just squirreling around in the wind, and as the currents are pushing you around.

It was hard.

Got in later than I expected to the yurt.

It's pretty much dark now.

I was able to pull ashore just right before the sun was going down, and with all the clouds and the rain, it's just really dark out.

So, we're thankful for this space, thankful for this little wood stove, and for the heat that this is putting off.

Eager for cooking a little food up over this.

And getting some sleep here.

- Well I'm drinking in the last bit of warmth today because I'm gonna be freezing cold all day.

I just met up with some friends of mine who are actually in the area here, I'm at Momentum Rafting, and we're gonna be spending the day on the Ottawa River, which is one of the world class rivers, big whitewater, it's gonna be exciting and spicy.

Might flip a boat, gonna go through some big, big rapids, and I'm super excited about it, but it's late fall, and today is ice cold.

So it's gonna be a challenge for sure.

Looking forward to it.

- So Rafting Momentum is based on the Pontiac Region, the Outaouais region in Quebec province in the little village of Bryson.

The Momentum Rafting is all about rafting on the Ottawa River.

We offer the full day of rafting with two meals and camping also, it's all included in the package.

- Definitely ready for this.

I am very excited to go rafting.

I've done a fair bit of rafting in the Grand Canyon, but outside of that, not a ton of experience.

This should be fun.

The main concern for me today is how cold it is.

It's gonna be my personal goal to make sure that Sierra goes in the water as much as possible.

An old dear friend of mine who happens to be in the area that I'm linking up with to go rafting with, so should be fun.

(upbeat rock music) (cheering) (cheering) Got a good old wall of water straight to the face, you know, classic whitewater stuff.

It's the best being in the front of the boat.

You get to see everything.

You also take the brunt of the water and the cold.

Feeling pretty good.

- One of the cool things about the Ottawa River is there's so many place where we can surf.

As we saw today, the boat went very high from the end of the boat, and this is all highlights, and for that life to live those moments, we surf there, sometimes we can get surfs that last for 30 seconds.

And they're all easy to enter, and easy to go back, so the Ottawa River is very special about those surfing places.

- It's one of those times, sometimes you gotta clock into work, you know?

No, it was cold.

It's actually really exhilarating.

Once you get underwater, you feel that you're being moved along.

So, it's a cool experience.

But this water is cold.

Not like summer.

- The Ottawa River, what is so enjoyable about it also is that you get the two channels, but the river is changing all year and there's so many waves and rapids and all those got different calibers, depending on the water level, and since on the Ottawa River, you always have water, so we like the water level, and we love also the high levels, so there's always a great option on the Ottawa River.

(upbeat rock music) - You've been on this river for how long - 10 years.

- [Eric] 10 years?

And you don't have any stories?

- Not that are appropriate for television.

(laughing) - [Eric Voiceover] If you can't tell from the smile that's plastered on my face, the Ottawa River is as wild as promised.

And not only does it mark the end of my trip in the Outaouais region, but it ends my month of adventures here in Quebec.

Truth be told, I can't think of a better sendoff.

The color, the culture, and the adventure, it's been one hell of a ride.

- Well guys, that's it.

That's the end of the show.

We finished our rafting just now, as you can tell, it's damn dark out, and it's been a full on day.

We've been pushing it to the 11th hour here.

I fly home tomorrow.

It's been an amazing shoot, but yeah.

This was an experience.

Some awesome whitewater here on the Ottawa, it's world class.

This was really low water, and I think I might have to come back when the water's higher, and some of those wave trains are surging even more.

Thanks so much, see you later, I'm done.

(uplifting music) - [Voiceover 1] Funding for "Epic Trails" is provided by (upbeat dance music) (birds chirping) (upbeat rock music) - Woo!

- [Voiceover 1] In4adventure.com.

Inspiring, educating, and encouraging outdoor adventure and by these additional sponsors (soft joyful music) - [Voiceover 2] Since 1954, Fraternal Composite service has crafted annual collages of photographic portraits for Greek chapters and professional organizations.

Mattes and frames create dimensional layering.

Pictures are covered in shatterproof glass.

Photographing nationwide.

Fraternalcomposite.com.