Uncovering the Quebec City Area - Great Trails to be Found in Lac-Beauport

I’ve always thought that Sentiers du Moulin would be a great place for some mountain bike photography. The trails are sweet with lots of creative features and, unlike most wooded areas around Quebec City which have been over-logged, this forest isn’t too messy.

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After appealing for funds and lucking out with a few chance encounters, I had a small crew ready to go: Nicolas Sauvé on the bike, Étienne Dionne and Dylan Forbes on photography duties, and myself as the official ladder carrier. The plan was simple: spend all day going up and down the main hill and shoot along the way!


Stop 1 – The Old Yellow Birch

The first stop was on Viking, a new trail that incorporates several technical trail features. We chose this location because it has a bit of everything and we really liked how the stunt was built over a rock nestled against a big old yellow birch.



Stop 2 – The Snake

Still on Viking, we couldn’t pass up the photo op this snaking ladder was offering. Having the background change from thick with spruce to deciduous was another attraction.



Stop 3 – Root Wad

The next shoot was on LB-Cycle, a trail considered to be a “pro-line” by local standards. Since there's lots happening here from a visual perspective, the idea was to experiment with flashes and light up the rider as well as the root wad at the top of the rock.



Spot 4 – Saint Granit

Next to LB-Cycle is LBC2, another “pro-line” trail. We didn’t plan on stopping here, but we all liked how gnarly this particular section looked.



Spot 5 – The Mother Slab

LBC2 starts with a huge slab that seems like it was put there as a gift for mountain bikers. If this spot looks familiar, it’s because it’s been well photographed in the past. We wanted to change things up, so we set about trying to find a new angle to shoot from.


Here are the classic views in case you’ve never seen them.


After the hike up Viking, LB-Cycle and LBC2, we decided to make our way down to a new projected trail currently named King Kong.


Spot 6 – Upper King Kong

The trail was definitely not ready for two-wheel traffic but we were given the green light to test ride a short section where a small launcher has been built over a mossy rock. Nic sessioned it a few times and we were off to our next location.



Spot 7 – Dense with Ferns

Étienne wanted to take a few shots in the lush vegetation at the top of Viking so we headed back up. By that time, our light umbrella had died an early and unfortunate death so we resorted to using a smaller softbox.


After a few tries (and a full costume change for some additional colour), we headed down LB-Cycle looking for one last feature.


Spot 8 – Spinal Rocks

Our search was successful and we were rewarded with some gnar! For this shot, Étienne climbed on top of a tall tree stump overlooking this well-built rocky section.

And that was it: the last shot of the day. Overall, we were all pretty happy with our day’s work and hope you like the results. Maybe we even got you stoked to come shred these trails…

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Region info

With Mont-Sainte-Anne, Vallée Bras-du-Nord, and Sentiers du Moulins all less than an hour from the city center, the Quebec City Area has something for everyone, from classic XC trails to challenging enduro descents and World Cup worthy DH tracks.

Quebec City Area mountain biking trails

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