On a first visit, nothing prepares you for the spectacle ahead as you leave Route 138 between Godbout and Baie-Trinité and follow the dozen or so kilometres of narrow, winding Chemin de la Pointe-des-Monts to the site, finally reaching the Saint-Laurent shoreline on Chemin du Vieux Phare.
Pointe-des-Monts, now uninhabited, was once a settlement in the municipality of Baie-Trinité, 10 kilometres from the village in the Manicouagan area of the Côte-Nord. The site is home to a lighthouse designated as a historic monument. For mariners, it also marks the beginning of the golfe du Saint-Laurent to the east and the end of the Saint-Laurent estuary, which begins at the tip of île d’Orléans.
The lodging and camping business grew out of passion, love at first sight and a touch of madness. The story began with Jean-Louis Frenette. A 1965 graduate in history and biogeography, he taught for many years in the TACH programme (Game and Fisheries Management Techniques), which he helped establish in 1972 and which was offered exclusively at Cégep de Baie-Comeau.
From his first visit to Pointe-des-Monts in 1969, he fell completely in love with the site and thereafter spent every long summer holiday there. After acquiring a large former colonization lot, he patiently developed his small tourism business, constructing or purchasing its buildings one by one until it grew into the 24-building, 500-hectare property it is today.
Jean-Louis Frenette, founder. (Photo: Radio-Canada)
Jean-Louis Frenette held the concession for the Pointe-des-Monts lighthouse keeper’s house for 17 years. In 2004, he secured the right to retain the business name “Le Gîte du Phare de Pointe-des-Monts.” Under that name, he operated, for a time, a restaurant (Le Gîte de la Chapelle), accommodation (Le Gîte du Phare de Pointe-des-Monts), an Indigenous heritage site (Le sentier de Charlotte et le Campement Ashini) and 17 holiday cottages scattered along 1.5 kilometres of private shoreline.
These rental cottages are available in various configurations for two to six people. Each has a small, simple, rustic interior with a double bed, table and chairs, running water (non-potable), electricity, and a toilet and shower. The kitchenette includes a mini-fridge, two electric burners, dishes, utensils, pots, a toaster, a dish towel, a sponge, dish soap and toilet paper. All have a balcony with a view and access to the river in a peaceful, wild setting.
Please note that visitors must bring their own bedding (sheets, pillows, blankets, towels), drinking water and food. There is no meal service, no Wi-Fi, and phone coverage varies depending on location and service provider.
For wild camping enthusiasts, several unserviced sites are available for pitching a tent or parking an RV or trailer.
The crowning glory of the site comes entirely free of charge: in fine weather, nightfall brings a canopy of stars stretching in every direction. People from large cities generally cannot enjoy such a spectacle. Awe is guaranteed, and beneath a moonless sky it is even more extraordinary. Then there are the whales, which can regularly be seen by day through much of the summer and even into autumn, playing and feeding directly in front of the cottages.
The business has since shortened its name to “Le Gîte de Pointe-des-Monts,” and Jean-Louis Frenette now shares its management with his family to ensure that the dream he created endures. His grandson, Raphaël Laberge, and his team handle guest reception and day-to-day maintenance. The reception pavilion, beside the old Indigenous chapel, also serves as an art centre and gift shop offering authentic works to visitors.
And do not miss the lighthouse and its museum a little farther along the same road. Built in 1830 and designated a historic monument since 1965, the lighthouse is a true testament to a cultural landscape in harmony with nature. The exceptional site features a multimedia exhibition on its history, the daily lives of lighthouse keepers, shipwrecks and life around Pointe-des-Monts.
Gîte de Pointe-des-Monts
pointe-des-monts.ca
1937, Chemin du Vieux Phare
Baie-Trinité, QC G0H1A0
866-369-4083