GNBR East Day 8 - Saint Michel des Saints to Riverside Camp

45.3 miles, 3815’ climbing 

August 30, 2026

Camped by Riviere Matawin

Moose sightings: 0

Mosquito sightings: 1,000,000

Our hotel turned out to be just what we needed. We were right across the street from the large supermarket, so last night we picked up supplies for the next two days as well as breakfast. We had coffee while packing up and heating breakfast in our kitchenette. There was a hose out back so we could clean our bikes using a squirt of the provided dish soap from our kitchenette.

We rode out of town on quiet streets. We turned a corner and crossed a bridge and found ourselves in a more upscale area with beautiful houses with large lawns and boat docks facing Lake Toreau. 

After a few miles we transitioned to a gravel road. After ~10 miles we stopped at the small visitor center at the Lac Bouteille entrance to the Reserve Faunique de Mastigauche, right beside the lake. This our 4th or 5th Reserve Faunique, and the desk lady told us that they are preserves with no private land within, intended for hunting or passage (we think this means recreation). We told her we wanted to see a moose, and she said it’s impossible but that a hunt starts next week. There’s a little lost in translation in these conversations as she spoke only French, but at the reserve yesterday we were told that hunting starts in 2 weeks and that moose were everywhere. So there’s still some mystery about how to see a moose. But she was friendly and patient with our French. We had a Pepsi and peeked at the lake. The desk lady wished us a good trip.

The road was wide with a layer of loose sand and a little gravel on top. The soft surface made us climb hills a bit slowly. After several miles we turned off onto a smaller forest road which had a firmer surface (mostly), and we pedaled thru beautiful forests with a fair amount of climbing. We’ve had a lot of wildflowers every day, and today was gorgeous. Some clearings from old wood cutting areas gave us good views. It felt a little mountainous at times though the elevation doesn’t really say “mountain” to us.

Eventually we descended on a soft road to a dam, crossed, and a rain storm hit. It rained hard for a while, and we put on both rain pants and jackets. The dirt has seemed sandy for this entire trip, and thankfully it doesn’t get slippery in the rain. Nor do we accumulate mud. We pedaled on as the rain continued. Finally we found a small, primitive campsite that was marked on our route. A truck and trailer are parked there, but no occupants. We took a space on the opposite side from them, set up camp, battled mosquitos, filtered water, and retreated to our tent soon after dinner for purposes of mosquito avoidance. We are right on the bank of a beautiful, wide, slow moving river.