IT’S WET AND WILD AT MONT SAINT-SAUVEURText & Photography by Bridget-Ann Azeez
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Mont Saint-Sauveur, Quebec: What could be more refreshing or scenic then a family water park located on a mountain? For me nothing else is comparable especially when the weatherman promises a scorcher.
In the tourist community of Saint-Sauveur, Quebec I discovered an amazing park choc full of fun thanks to the friendly folks at Hotel Mont Gabriel where we stayed. At any other time of the year the slopes of Mont Saint-Sauveur are blanketed with snow and tons of skiers. However, when summer hits the snow melts, the slides go up and people trade in their skis for a bathing suit and a towel. |
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The temperature was 28 degrees, sun and cloud and a chance of rain, but wet or dry it was going to be fun. At the park entrance there are several staff members who direct visitors to the lockers and the change room.
Soon I would join the stream of people at the Manicouagan, a.ka. “The Manic” and that’s just what it is. Each person sits in floating tube like a giant donut that spins like crazy in circles, and then the fun begins. As soon as I round the corner at about one quarter of the way around cascades of water bombarded me and I toppled out of my tube, no matter how hard I tried to hang on! It’s a safe ride, there are lifeguards standing by and the water is shallow enough to stand in (hence the height restrictions.) Heading straight for the man-made beach after my first ride was a good idea. The lounge chairs are extra inviting especially if you need to catch your breath and dry off in the sun.
This ride is no easy feat considering each pool of water has a vertical drop of 63 meters. The difficult part is maneuvering your way into the stream of water so that you can progress down the mountain. There were several loops of rope that could be used in order to get you out of each pool but I was struggling, if it wasn’t for the others coming behind me to knock me down the incline I would have been stranded. I made it down backwards and hitting the water with such force that I flipped! Now that was embarrassing! But still after the 20-minute descent it was worth another attempt just to feel the exhilaration all over again. Next came the Colorado River. This ride is 540 meters in length and five meters in width with a vertical drop of 60 meters. I strapped on my helmet and headed with a partner to the loading zone with our raft. You need to hang on to those handles as this one is a bumpy ride. I was literally going up stream without a paddle and water kept flowing into the raft. Word of advice - if you don’t like getting splashed in the face, volunteer to sit at the rear. This ride is definitely the closest some people will get to the real thing – it was if I had just found myself going through the rapids in the Colorado River! Surrounded by nature with lush green hillside it had a great view from some of the rides. It is no wonder it’s a popular spot for teenagers looking for a relaxing way to cool off and have some fun. Altogether there are 16 rides and water activity areas.
Now I can’t wait to visit again for the Niagara, the newest ride 277 meters long that let you blast through eight tunnels and waterfalls in 60 seconds with water flowing at 13,000 liters per minute!
From Quebec : Autoroute 40 West
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The sign for the Grand Remous River seemed fun, and then I looked up and saw the steep trail of the ride. The Grand Remous River starts so high up the mountainside you have to take a ski lift just to get there. Once again I followed the crowd and got my helmet and a donut and got in line for the ride of my life.
Some of the river rides are super thrillers, but I wasn’t content until I’d tried the Grand Cascade River, the Twisters and the Tandem River. I would suggest that you leave the Lazy River for the end because you can just sit and pass the time as you slowly drift idly by for 425meters in about 15 minutes. There are tamer spots such as the Activity Pool, Mini-splash slides, Children’s Island for the younger ones. Although the water park has such a large variety of attractions they are set within walking distance.