The best motorcycle loop in La Petite-Nation, 155 km from Montebello to Duhamel

La Petite-Nation works on a bike for one simple reason: the villages are spaced just right. Twenty minutes of riding, a stop, twenty minutes of riding. You don't spend the day on the highway, and you don't spend it hunting for lunch.

Our loop is about 155 km. It heads north on Route 321 to Duhamel, comes back down on the 315 and the 317, and returns along the Ottawa River on the 148. Numbered routes the whole way. Count on roughly three hours of riding and a full day with stops.

We start in Montebello because it's a few minutes off Highway 50: about 1 hr 50 min from Montréal, about 1 hr 10 min from Ottawa. Ottawa riders can also join at Thurso, about 50 minutes from home, and ride the loop the other way round.

Distances and times are calculated, then rounded. They're approximate and they don't include photo stops.

9 a.m. · Montebello, fill up

Gas up at Station Crevier at the west entrance to the village. Gas and a convenience store.

Ride: ~25 min (22 km), west on Route 148 to Papineauville, then north on Route 321.

9:25 a.m. · Saint-André-Avellin, coffee

Time here: 30 min

In Saint-André-Avellin, coffee is at Kîsisam, a café-shop where the pastry chef bakes Indigenous culture into what she makes, or at Boulangerie Au pain d'antan in the middle of the village. Check hours, especially on weekdays.

Ride: ~20 min (19 km), north on the 321.

10:15 a.m. · Chénéville

Time here: 20 min

Second chance for gas at the Ultramar on rue Principale. Boulangerie Nouvelle-France is on the same street, in the grey wooden house with the porch: grab a chocolatine for the road. We're regulars there.

Ride: ~25 min (19 km), still north on the 321.

11 a.m. · Duhamel, lunch

Time here: 1 hr 15 min

The top of the loop is Duhamel. The Coopérative de solidarité de Duhamel reopened the village gas station in June 2026: gas, convenience store and local products, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. It's your third chance to fill up, and the furthest north.

For lunch, Carbo Barbecue smokes its meat over maple wood in one of the oldest houses in the village: brisket, pulled pork, ribs. Or there's Rendez-vous du Chevreuil, a small chalet-style spot in the village, closed Monday and Tuesday.

Ride: ~40 min (31 km), south on the 321 to Chénéville, then west on Route 315.

12:55 p.m. · Montpellier

Time here: 20 min

At Marché Faubert, grab water, a snack and, if there's room in the saddlebags, a homemade pie. It's our grocery store, for the record. If something feels off with the bike, Mécanique Avantage is in the village: general repairs, tires and brakes, part of the Tech-Net network. We get our cars fixed there. For a motorcycle, call first to ask whether they can take a look.

Ride: ~15 min (10 km), Route 315 then chemin de Montpellier.

1:30 p.m. · Ripon

Time here: 20 min

In Ripon, Daniel's Ultramar does gas, diesel, repairs, tires and a convenience store in one stop. That's fill-up number four. For coffee, Café des orties is in the Manoir de Ripon, the old presbytery.

Ride: ~30 min (28 km), south on Route 317 to Thurso.

2:20 p.m. · Thurso

Time here: 40 min

Crèmerie Les Délices d'Alice on rue Victoria does ice cream, sorbet and gelato. Then a photo with the Guy Lafleur bronze, eight feet tall, in front of the town hall of his hometown. And if the bike needs attention, Motosport Petite-Nation in Thurso sells and services motorcycles, with parts.

Ride: ~30 min (25 km), east on Route 148 to Montebello.

If you need a break on the way, the Route verte rest stop is on the 148 in Lochaber, with a dry toilet, and Sundial Park in Papineauville is a good place to stretch your legs.

3:30 p.m. · Back in Montebello

A beer at Le Bankeur microbrewery for the passenger. The rider gets a coffee.

Fill up in Chénéville on the way north even if you've still got some. Further up, the Duhamel co-op is the only station in our directory, and it closes at 7 p.m.

What to know

• The loop: about 155 km, about 3 hours of riding. Routes 148, 321, 315, 317, then the 148 again.
• Gas: Montebello (Station Crevier), Chénéville (Ultramar), Duhamel (the co-op, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and Ripon (Ultramar). These are the stations we've checked along the route.
• Road conditions: check Québec 511 before you leave for roadwork and closures. We can't promise anything about the pavement; it changes from season to season.
• Hours: village restaurants and cafés change their hours with the seasons. Call before you count on lunch.
• Times are approximate: calculated and rounded, photo stops not included.
• Easier version: for a trike or a shorter ride, see our three-wheeler loop.

MontebelloPapineauvilleSaint-André-AvellinChénévilleDuhamelMontpellierRiponThursoLochaberPlaisance

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