Ice canoeing on the St Lawrence at Quebec City
Ice canoeing mixes paddling with pushing a canoe across floating ice, and in Quebec City you can try it with a guide. This guide explains where the sport comes from and how the 3-hour tour runs. It also covers what to bring and who should skip it.
A river crossing turned into a sport
For a long time the canoe was the winter link between Quebec City and Lévis on the far bank of the St Lawrence. When the river filled with floating ice, crews paddled the open water and pushed their boats over the floes.
Today it lives on mainly as a sport, and an annual ice canoe race on the river is part of the Quebec Winter Carnival. The tour on this site gives visitors a gentler taste of the same work with a guide and the right gear.
How the 3-hour tour runs
The ice canoe tour, from ~$207, meets at 1131 Boulevard Champlain, about 15 minutes from the centre of Quebec City. It lasts about 3 hours, and groups stay small with a maximum of 12 people.
It starts on land with training in technique and safety. Then the group sets off to paddle the open water and climb out to push the canoe over floating ice in crampons, a move the operator calls scooting.
With 12 people at most, the guides can watch each paddler and correct a stroke or a step on the ice. Ask your questions during the training on land, because once the canoe is moving the guides are busy reading the river.
The route changes with the weather and the tides, because the river ice shifts from one day to the next. No two crossings follow quite the same line, which suits people who like a little uncertainty.
Hot chocolate on the ice, a sauna on shore
Halfway through, the group stops on the ice for hot chocolate and pastries. The break doubles as a chance to catch your breath and look back at the city before the second half of the crossing.
Back on land, a Nordic sauna with a view of the river waits at the end. Changing rooms are on hand, and the price includes digital photos and videos of your outing, so your own phone can stay dry in a bag.
Bring the towel and dry clothes from the list below, because the sauna only helps if you have something warm to change into. A damp base layer on the ride back to your hotel undoes the effect quickly.
Paddle the St Lawrence with a small crew
A 3-hour outing from ~$207 for up to 12 people aged 12 and over. The operator supplies crampons and neoprene boots plus life jackets. Hot chocolate and pastries on the ice, a sauna afterwards, free cancellation up to 4 days before.
What the operator supplies
You do not need any technical gear of your own. The operator hands out the pieces that keep you dry and steady on wet ice, and it fits them before the group goes near the water.
- neoprene socks and boots
- crampons
- leg protectors
- life jackets
- fitted mittens
Everything else comes from your own bag. The operator's list is specific, and following it makes the difference between a good outing and a damp, shivering one.
What to bring, and why less is more
The work is hard, so you warm up fast even in deep cold. The operator asks for a light winter jacket that is not too warm, because a heavy parka leaves you sweating halfway across the river.
The rest of the operator's list is short and practical, and nothing on it is hard to find in an outdoor shop in the city. Leave jeans at the hotel, since the operator rules them out.
- 2 pairs of warm socks
- 2 pairs of tights
- two technical long-sleeved layers
- a light winter jacket
- a sports beanie or a buff
- a change of clothes
- your own towel for the sauna
Our guide to dressing for minus 25 covers the other outings too. For most of them the advice runs the opposite way, and more layers serve you better.
Who it suits, and who should skip it
The tour takes ages 12 and up and asks for moderate fitness. Pushing a canoe over uneven ice is a full-body effort, and the paddling between floes keeps your arms busy for long stretches.
The listing rules it out for people with heart problems and for wheelchair users. Families with younger children will find gentler options in our guide to Quebec winter outings with kids.
On GetYourGuide the tour holds 5.0 from 80+ reviews, a perfect score from a fair number of people. The price is the main drawback, since it costs more than the snowmobile and several times the ice hotel entry.
Cancellation rules and the weather
The outing needs at least 2 participants, and the river has the final say. If the weather is poor or too few people sign up, the operator offers a new date or a full refund.
Cancellation works differently from the other tours on this site. You can cancel free only up to 4 days before, not 24 hours, so book once your travel dates are fixed.
No hotel pick-up is offered, so plan your own way to Boulevard Champlain. The ice on the river usually holds from about January to March, and our guide to timing a visit shows how that lines up with the ice hotel.
The three-day winter plan puts the canoe in a morning beside a walk through Old Quebec. If you want something with an engine instead, the snowmobile ride on Île d'Orléans costs less and asks for less effort.