Route du Transcontinental — Gaspésie Backcountry Forestry Circuit

Peel off Highway 132 near Sainte-Anne-des-Monts and drive south into the Chic-Chocs on the forestry access roads managed by the MRC of Haute-Gaspésie. The route climbs quickly from sea level into boreal high country, crossing the Rivière Sainte-Anne multiple times on wooden forestry bridges — some of them one-lane and rated for loaded logging trucks, but don’t push your luck in high water. The Transcontinental forestry circuit eventually connects to the backcountry boundary of Gaspésie National Park, where you’ll hit your first real obstacle: boulder-strewn two-track on the ridge approaches with no pullouts and a long way down on one side.

This is genuine wilderness driving. Snow can persist on upper elevations until late May and return in October. A GPS track is essential — signage is minimal and designed for logging contractors, not overlanders. Stock trucks will scrape their skid plates on the worst sections; a proper lift and all-terrain tires are the move. No permit is required for the forestry roads outside the national park, but entering Parc national de la Gaspésie requires a Sépaq day pass. Fuel in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. You earn expansive views of the St. Lawrence and real Appalachian boreal wilderness.