Roads and Flavours of Portneuf
Less than an hour’s drive from Quebec City, the Portneuf region abounds in scenic backroads and creative culinary entrepreneurs. Oberson and Tastet have come together to develop a route that brings together some of areas most memorable cycling and gastronomic experiences. Exploring this area along the beautiful Saint Lawrence River promises to stoke your appetite and reward your senses.
Route Overview
This hybrid road/gravel moveable feast starts in Deschambault and makes a big loop through Grondines, Saint-Casimir, Saint-Marc-des-Carrières, and Portneuf. About 30% of the roads are gravel, but with a slower riding surface, timewise it’s probably 40% gravel. And some of the paved backroads—with cracks big enough for flourishing grasses—can be rougher than the gravel ones. The route is peaceful: riding it on a late Thursday morning, I encountered few vehicles and no aggressive dogs.
The terrain is mostly flat or gently rolling, climbing only 340 metres over 73.4 kilometres. It’s conducive to riding through the bucolic landscapes at a meditative pace (and to digesting after the gourmet experiences). This itinerary takes you past old farmhouses, vast corn and soybean fields, lush pastures, and fallow fields of flowering weeds and includes long interludes through shady woods. It’s full of wide-open spaces, with small delights along the way: chickens wandering in the yard, thriving vegetable gardens, friendly horses grazing by the roadside, firewood stacks waiting for winter, blazing blue chicory, and trilling insects and birdsong.
Here is the Strava route.
Deschambault
Starting out
Free parking is available at the Parc Municipal de Deschambault. You can begin the ride there and enjoy the surrounding historical architecture and majestic views over the Saint Lawrence River. Rest rooms are available behind the cemetery on Rue de la Salle in the Édifice P. Benoit.
Stops
La Dinette du Cap is a charming little spot set in a historic house in Deschambault-Grondines. Chef Étienne McKinnon (formerly of Sardines) serves up simple yet always flavourful cuisine that highlights local products. Whether it’s for breakfast, a gourmet sandwich, or a pizza, this place delights at any time of day. With its cozy décor and inviting patio, it’s the perfect stop along the road to Portneuf when you’re looking for a quick yet delicious gourmet break.
It’s truly a sweet stop to make along the way. The outdoor space is shaded by a large maple and a mountain ash, surrounded by flowers and tomato plants. While you eat, you might even catch a glimpse of hummingbirds stopping by for a visit.
For nearly 15 years, this Deschambault spot has been delighting sweet-toothed visitors. At once a chocolate shop, pastry counter, and ice cream parlour, it’s the perfect stop to recharge on sugar before getting back on your bike. Fine chocolates, handcrafted ice creams, and seasonal pastries are all made with care, always using high-quality ingredients. They even have chocolate bars stamped with the image of a bicycle!
109 rue de l’Église, Deschambault
Hours
Daily: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Boulangerie Le Soleil Levain
Located in Deschambault, Le Soleil Levain is a charming artisanal bakery that works exclusively with Quebec flours, without added sugar or fat. Even before stepping inside, the smell of freshly baked bread awakens every appetite. It’s the kind of place where you stop for a quick coffee or take your time enjoying a bite on the terrace before getting back on the road. Alongside classic baguettes and sourdough loaves, you’ll find specialty breads—walnut and hazelnut, onion and poppy seed, cheese and chive—as well as sweet treats like the chocolate–orange loaf. The pastries (almond cakes, apple turnovers, croissants, pains au chocolat, etc.) are simply irresistible. From 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., a selection of ready-to-eat options rounds out the offerings.
234 Chemin du Roy, Deschambault
July and August
Wednesday to Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday to Sunday: 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
September through June
Wednesday to Sunday: 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
To Grondines
The Chemin du Roy leads out of town. This road, with its breathtaking vistas of the Saint Lawrence River and wide shoulder, is part of the Route verte network of recommended cycling roadways. After about five kilometres, the itinerary heads inland. The Route Arcand is a short first taste of gravel before getting back on the Route Dussault again. Heading west, the 2e Rang treats cyclists to attractive farm country and open, pastoral scenery. Route Lefebvre is a narrow gravel track that runs through some fields and then, after crossing train tracks, becomes a narrow, dark tunnel through a thick forest. It pops out onto 2e Rang, where you’ll soon reach the Fromagerie de Grondines.
Stop
Fromagerie des Grondines
La Fromagerie des Grondines crafts flavourful cheeses made exclusively from raw, organic whole milk. The milk comes from their own herd of Brown Swiss cows, raised with care, gentleness, and respect. In summer, the milk takes on the aroma of fresh pastures, while in winter it gains richness from dry hay. The fromagerie also uses sheep and goat milk from Ferme Mafix, located just 3 kilometres away. Here, flavours are authentic and bold, and cheesemaking is a well-mastered art. This is also a great stop for a refreshing break, with local cold drinks such as kombucha and original flavours, such as sea buckthorn or spruce needle. You’ll even find artisanal chocolate that’s perfect for a quick energy boost. It’s a gourmet pit stop where you can stock up on delicious treats to take with you. Picnic tables under a large shelter make it easy to take a break while enjoying the pastoral scenery.
274 2e Rang Est, Grondines
Hours
Daily: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Shop Road and Gravel Bike Clothing
To Saint-Casimir
A brief detour back toward the river allows picking up 2e Rang Ouest and then the longest stretch of gravel and the deepest woods in the first half of the ride. After that, you ride a long section of the Véloroute Portneuvoise on Route Guilbault. The road is flat and smooth with a wide shoulder. This remote section with few dwellings and big fields is pleasant riding. That said, the sign for Les Grands Bois microbrewery on the way into Saint-Casimir is a welcome sight. Soon the town’s stately silver steeples and old metal bridge come into view. The narrow Rue Tesser takes you along the Sainte-Anne River to Les Grands Bois microbrewery.
Stop
Microbrasserie - Les Grands Bois
A stop at Microbrasserie Les Grands Bois is an absolute must along your route. Housed in a former 1946 movie theatre, this Saint-Casimir gem is the perfect place to enjoy a crisp, artisanal beer brewed with care and creativity. It’s the ideal break to recharge your energy while chatting in the riverside park. And as if that weren’t enough, the second floor hosts a one-of-a-kind performance hall, where music and the performing arts bring the walls to life.
415 Rue Tessier Est, Saint-Casimir
Hours
Sunday to Wednesday: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Thursday to Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
To Portneuf
On the way out of town on the Chemin de l’Île des Grandbois, the Parc de la statue is worth a stop. It juts out into the confluence of the Noire and the Saint-Anne rivers for a view back toward town over the broad waters’ currents and rapids. After passing through some farmland, the route crosses over the Saint-Anne again where it runs through a grey-walled canyon.
The next section of riding is a change of scenery as you enter the town Saint-Marc-des-Carrières. Here, the safest option is to stick to the recommended roads, which include signage and bike lanes. Shortly after this jaunt through somewhat urban environs, the route plunges into the dark, leafy gravel roads Chemin Dionne and Chemin Gravel. Certain sections of the later are rocky and narrow with a mountain biking feel. The hill after crossing the bridge over the La Chevrotière River is the punchiest of the ride. Back on pavement, you’ll ride north and then east. Hardly as aptly named as Chemin Gravel, Rue Principale (meaning Main Road) runs through remote farm country and offers views of green mountains to the north. The pavement deteriorates into gravel and the surroundings turn into woods. Before reaching Rang Coteau des Roches, you ride a long stretch of gravel with a fun, swift series of gradual downhills.
Stop
L'Alvéole Bistro Champêtre
L’Alvéole is a small, no-reservation counter run by Miel&Co, an apiary that practices synergistic beekeeping. The menu showcases seasonal products, harvests from Miel&Co’s hives, and ingredients from other local producers for simple, fresh, flavourful cuisine. You can also take the time to visit the beekeeping site! While enjoying your meal, you can watch bees coming in and out of hives set in a fallow field. You might even come across Chantal, the friendly hen who scratches as she roams freely across the grounds. The site also features educational panels about bees, along with the story of Miel&Co and its owners, who first met on the TV show L’amour est dans le pré.
For your meal, you can sit under a hexagonal, honeycomb-shaped shelter in the lush field of golden rods. It’s an original way to dine in nature, with your bike right by your side and safely in view.
457 Rang du Coteau-des-Roches, Portneuf
Hours
Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Back to Deschambault
The ride back into Deschambault is smooth and fast. The Rang du Coteau des Roches parallels Autoroute Félix Leclerc, offering fleeting views of a wide stretch of the Saint Lawrence flanked by high white cliffs. The Route Proulx, a downhill coast on a wide shoulder, takes you back down to the Chemin du Roy and Deschambault.
Stops
Casse Croûte du Roy
At Casse-Croûte du Roy, poutine and burgers take on a royal twist thanks to local Portneuf products. The menu changes with the team’s inspirations, featuring seasonal specialties like seafood poutine and wapiti burgers. Of course, Quebec snack bar classics are also on the menu—and they’re truly excellent. An unmissable gourmet stop along the historic Chemin du Roy!
180 Rue Mathieu, Deschambault
Hours
Daily: 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Deschambault Public Market
To end the ride on a high note, the Deschambault Public Market is the perfect stop. Beneath the tall trees in the heart of the village, some thirty regional producers and artisans showcase fresh vegetables, cheeses, charcuterie, sweet treats, and much more. It’s the ideal opportunity to fill your bags with local discoveries and bring a taste of Portneuf home in your panniers.
104 Rue de l’Église, Deschambault
Hours
Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. until October 4, 2025.
