The joys of fall
By David C, August 14 2024
Although summer seems to be hanging on to our great delight, autumn has well and truly arrived in the Portneuf region! The mountains are bright red and orange, the fields golden, and the shoreline brightly coloured, beckoning us to marvel at their natural beauty. Autumn has a lot to offer: hiking, U-picking, grape harvesting, foodie tours, and even a magical valley. Here are a few things to do in Portneuf in October.
Tartes en fête
The Trépanier family’s famous pies and sucre à la crème are back for the 2024 edition of Tartes en fête! This true tradition along Cap-Santé’s Vieux-Chemin offers food lovers the chance to get their hands on delicious homemade pies from mid-September to mid-October at the Jeannette Trépanier Art Gallery, 120 Vieux-Chemin, Cap-Santé.
Pick your own apples, pumpkins and more
Apples and pumpkins are the queens of autumn! On a magnificent site near the St. Lawrence River in Deschambault-Grondines, Verger du Roy offers apple picking on certain weekends. Try out their apple juice and their cider vinegars too!
For fans of pumpkins and squash of all kinds, a number of producers invite you to their farms. Every weekend in October, Ferme Béland et fille in Neuville opens its fields for pumpkin picking. In Saint-Basile, it’s all happening at Ferme Grenier Long. Be sure not to miss their pumpkin festival in October (follow their Facebook page for details to be announced soon). At Cap-Santé’s Arc-en-ciel du Paradis, the harvest season continues. In addition to picking your own pumpkins, you can pick carrots, corn, squash and beetroot (follow their Facebook page to find out what’s on offer between now and the end of the season).
Grape harvest at Domaine des 3 Moulins
It’s harvest time at Domaine des 3 Moulins, the one and only vineyard in Portneuf! On weekends, visitors can drop in on this magnificent site overlooking the St. Lawrence to taste their wines and discover the vineyard. The harvest continues on Thanksgiving weekend. Contact the winery directly for more information.
Autumn hiking
Make the most of the fall colours through hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails awaiting you all over the region! From Vallée Bras-du-Nord to Réserve naturelle du Marais-Léon-Provancher to Parc naturel régional de Portneuf, hikers of all levels will find something to their liking! Check out our suggestions for unbeatable hikes here.
A day trip to the Secret Valley
Candy, potions and incantations: this is the autumn theme at the Secret Valley, a fun site in Saint-Raymond offering treasure hunts in a magical forest. From September 14th to October 27th, the young and not so young alike are invited to solve the riddles of the friendly monsters visiting the valley.
Foodie tours
A trip to Portneuf also means a trip through a world of local delights. Along the way, a host of producers, processors and shops are there to welcome you all year round. Microbreweries, cheese dairies, bakeries, farm stands: your taste buds will be tantalized! Check out Portneuf, Culture de saveurs to create your own foodie tour!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: we’ll have more autumn activities for you in the coming weeks! 😉 Until then, we wish you an unbeatable fall in the region of Portneuf, and remember to share your #regionportneuf moments!
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Bonus
For hiking, cycling, microbreweries and U-picking, plan your 3 days in Portneuf here.
Golfers, learn more about Portneuf’s golf courses here.