Driving the Trans-Quebec Highway
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Tips on Driving the Trans-Quebec Highway
Quebec Route 389, aka the Trans-Quebec Highway, at 356 miles (570 km) is the longest secondary road in Quebec. It connects Quebec City via Route 138 with Labrador and the Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH). When combined with the TLH, it is one of the great road trips in North America, on a par with the Dempster Highway across the Yukon and Northwest Territories in western Canada and the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska. It is mostly paved, but has two gravel sections totaling 97 miles (156km). Some of the other drivers we spoke with thought it to be a difficult road, but we found it to be far easier and more enjoyable than either the Dalton or Dempster highways.
The first part of the highway was built to support the four dams built along the Manicouagan River: Manic 1, Manic 2, Manic 3 and Manic 5. (Manic 3 was constructed taller than originally planned, so Manic 4 was never built). Manic is an abbreviation of Manicouagan, and not a reference to being overly excited or deranged. The rest of the highway was built to support the mining interests in northeastern Quebec.
If you were to drive it non-stop at the speed limit, it would be possible to traverse the entire highway in under 9 hours, even taking into account the typical delays due to construction. If you have the time, however, we recommend that you take at least two days. We actually took three days, which gave us the chance to enjoy the great scenery, walk on a few hikes and take the tour at the Manic 5 dam.
Preparations
Cell phone coverage is pretty much nonexistent along Route 389, and gas stations and repair facilities are few and far between, so prepare accordingly. The gravel sections are hard on tires, and not surprisingly, the most common problems are flats, so make sure you carry a full size spare and tire changing tools - and know how to use them. If you do break down, there is enough traffic that you won’t have to wait long before someone stops to help, but it will likely be several hours before a tow truck can be summoned. Potable water is hard to find along the route, so take a supply of it as well.
Road Conditions
In general, the paved sections of the road were on a par with most secondary highways in Quebec - mostly good with occasional potholes. The unpaved sections were packed gravel and in reasonably good condition. Speed limits are 70-90 km/h (40-55 mph) for the paved sections, while the gravel sections are posted at 70 km/h. Expect lots of steep hills and many slower, windy sections with sharp curves, all of which are well-marked.
FYI, when we drive long sections of gravel roads, Blanche, like most campers, ends up with a coat of dust on everything inside. The dust just seems to work its way inside no matter how well we try to seal everything up. It’s particularly annoying to have a layer of dust on our bed and pillows, so we cover everything with a tarp beforehand. We took this precaution on this trip, but as it turned out, the gravel was wet enough that it wasn’t needed. On a drier day, the dust would probably have been a problem, and if you are driving a camper, you may want to consider doing this.
The road crews were quite active patching the potholes and re-paving large sections when we drove it. Most of the delays due to the ongoing repairs were only a few minutes, but some were as long as 20 minutes.
Gas Stations
The distances between fuel stations should not be a problem. Here are the fuel stations and the distances between them along Route 389:
Baie-Comeau km 0
Manic 5 at km 210 (130 miles/210km from Baie-Comeau)
Relais-Gabriel at km 316 (66 miles/106km from Manic 5)
Fermont at km 564 (155 miles/248km from Relais-Gabriel)
Note that if you are continuing on across the Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH), the fuel stations are slightly further apart, and you will need a fuel range of 250 miles/402km.
Electric Vehicle Chargers
There are EV chargers at Baie-Comeau, Manic 5 and Labrador City, which is about 17 miles beyond Fermont. Your EV will need a usable range of at least 240 miles to make the trip.
Note that if you are continuing across the TLH, you will need a slightly longer usable range of 250 miles/402km.
Camping
There are a few commercial campgrounds listed in the following section. If you have a self-contained camper (or don’t mind poo-ing in the woods), there are pullouts every couple of kilometers along the road. Unless a parking area has signage specifically prohibiting it, overnight parking is allowed at any of these parking areas. Very few have trash receptacles, so expect to carry your trash with you.
Emergency Phones
There are emergency phones available at the following points along the highway: 52km, 95km, 165km, 272km, 365km, 418km, 464km, 495km, and 511km. All are well marked.
Services and Attractions
Km 21 Manic 2
Only two dams are open to the public for tours, Manic 2 and Manic 5. Daily tours of Manic 2, in French, are offered several times each day. There is no charge, but reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance and a photo ID is necessary.
Km 94 Manic 3
Gas station, motel, restaurant, convenience store and camping.
Km 210 Manic 5
Gas station, motel, restaurant and convenience store. Gas was $2.15CAD/liter or $6.10USD/gal in June, 2024. Room rates at the Motel de L’Energie ranged from $155 for a single with private bath to $185 for a double with private bath. Youth hostel type lodging at $85 used to be offered as well, but was not available when we were there in June of 2024.
Km 213 Manic 5 dam
The largest dam of its type in the world, the Manic 5 is pretty impressive. Free tours are available in French and English several times a day, but reservations are required 24 hours in advance and a picture ID is necessary. Also, there is a visitors center at the dam that is quite well done and interesting.
Just past the dam is a nice overnight pullout with room for several vehicles.
Km 280 Manicouagan Reservoir
For the next several kilometers, you will get views of the huge Manicouagan Reservoir on your left.
Km 315 Relais-Gabriel
Gas station, motel, restaurant and convenience store. Motel has 7 double rooms with shared bath for $225 plus tax. Unserviced campsites (dry camping) are also available.
Km 391 Gagnon
This is a former mining town that was dismantled and abandoned in 1985. All that remains are some foundations and empty streets. Just past the town is a small pullout with signs describing the history of the town. Be careful here - we got stuck in the soft sand.
Between Gagnon and Fermont, you will cross an active rail line several times. Most have no crossing lights or gates, so be sure to check for trains before crossing. We had an interminable delay at one crossing while waiting for a very long, very slow ore train to pass. Lots of mining in this area.
Km 407 Cross the 52nd parallel
Km 540-550 Mount Wright
You will see Mount Wright from several angles along the road. It is slowly being reduced as it is being strip-mined for its iron ore.
Mount Wright in the background
Km 564 Fermont
All services. Fermont is a small mining town with a population of 2,217. It is known for its huge self- contained building, known as the ‘Wall’, that houses hundreds of apartments as well as stores, a post office, bars, restaurants, a hotel and a swimming pool. The building also serves as a windbreak, sheltering dozens of other apartments and businesses from the fierce northerly winds of winter.
Km 570 Labrador-Quebec Border
This marks the end of Route 389 and the start of the TLH. Congratulations - you made it!
Next stop… Labrador. Gas up and let’s hit the road…