I prefer a bit more stimulation in my quad riding than what I experienced on the well-groomed trails Les Adeptes had created, but luckily for the mellower rider, the club built a vast quantity of them. The first part of the ride was not that exciting, as we rode through a dense forest of dusty logging roads. A bandanna would be of much use during the dry season (summer) in this area. As soon as I thought I couldn't take more riding on wide, powdery roads, we turned off onto a saccharine technical section that kept us busy for the rest of the day. This isn't a place for hard-core technical riding. I rode only a small section of the massive trail system, but there are some more-difficult trails requiring a higher level of skill.
We stopped for lunch at Club Odanak (www3.sympatico.ca/clubodanak/). It is in the middle of nowhere and caters to many ATV fanatics. The waitstaff didn't seem bothered that a bunch of dusty riders walked into their elegantly decorated dining room and sat at their white cloth-covered tables.
The eight-hour journey finished in La Tuque. Tired and hungry, we headed toward the first pub we could find. That evening, I stayed at an amazing bed-and-breakfast called La Maison Claire-Fontaine (www.gitescanada.com/lamaisonclairefontaine). The owners were beyond friendly, and the hot tub was much appreciated after the long ride.
La Tuque is one of the most-welcoming places for ATV riders I've ever visited. The local government has made it easy for riders to get to the many hotels; the town has an ATV-only road running right through it that gives riders access to some hotels, restaurants and gas stations. The ATV trail is even asphalted in housing areas so as not to disturb residents with any kicked-up dirt.
You will not find trucks or dirt bikes while out and about; the trails are for ATV riding only. The first reason for this is safety. Different vehicles of different sizes (some too wide for the trails) moving at different speeds could generate major problems for a quad. Allowing the other vehicles would not necessarily bring the ATV clubs enough additional memberships (read: additional money) to enable them to afford to make the required trail modifications and resultant repairs. The federation has the responsibility to protect the area. To earn respect from other groups, such as wildlife associations, it has to put its foot down when it comes to its trails and keeps them regulated.
When I asked Carole Jolin, the editor-in-chief of Sentier Quad Magazine, to explain how the FQCQ's trail system is set up, she responded: "It began in the 1980s when small groups of ATV owners were encouraged by their local dealer to get together in order to build a trail in and around their town. It is important to understand that all this work was accomplished by volunteers. These people were courageous and really had a passion for their sport. They determined where they could make their trail and then built it. They sold access rights for their trail to other ATV owners.
"Later on, in '84 or '85, many ATV clubs decided to regroup into a common association. This was the beginning of the ATV federation. The federation's responsibility is to represent the ensemble of all the ATV clubs in order to negotiate at government levels, obtain financial support (other than membership income), provide technical support to the clubs, et cetera."
Every year the federation produces a new provincial trail map with the latest changes. It is a good way to determine where to go riding. For more-detailed information, you can also get a trail map from each ATV club. There is some signage installed along the trails, very similar to ones used on the road system, which gives the ATV rider additional information.
The FQCQ also maintains winter trails using snowbroomers (same as the snowmobile clubs). The geographic location of the winter trails may vary from that of summer trails; you can find them on the FQCQ map.