Route du Mitan, Île d'Orléans, Québec, CA

astronajar Locations 01 April 2017 Hits: 705

Latitude 46.94, Longitude -70.92

If you are looking for a small terrain suitable for observation near Quebec City, still within civilization, look no further, go to the Route du Mitan, a small dirt road that crosses the island of Orléans from side to side.

This little road has nothing special, except that as it is in the middle of the island, it covers us with a little light pollution from the municipalities of Quebec City, Ste Anne-de-Beaupré and Lévis. It's not a place to camp either, because remember that here in the province of Quebec almost all lands are private, which is a real nuisance because if you want to spend the night you have to look for an official camping site or rent a room in a nearby hotel.

L'Ile d'Orleans
The Ile d'Orléans is a medium sized island within the Capitale Nationale region in the province of Québec. It is a pleasant place dedicated to agriculture where you will find strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and apple plantations in summer. There are also several vineyards that, although you may not believe it, produce their own wine; which has nothing to do with the vines that we know because given the weather and soil conditions the grapes are more sour. In autumn here they produce the famous pumpkins that they decorate for the Halloween. There are restaurants and a few "microbreweries", that is, bars that produce their own beer.

This island also has several places to stay as well as the famous Gites, which are cozy houses and land dedicated to camping. Just be careful, because even if it is a campsite sometimes it can cost the same or more than staying in a hotel because they provide you with all the services.

Directions

The Ile d'Orléans is located about 15 minutes by car from Québec City to the west, in the direction of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. As for this, there is not much to lose: it is a big, visible and well-known place.

Regarding the observation place, it is slightly more complicated. Upon entering the island, I recommend that you turn to your left, in the direction of the municipality of St. Pierre. From there it is approximately 12km to reach the point where you have to turn right, only here pay attention because as it is a very small and dirt road there are no good indication sign. In fact, the point of reference where you have to turn is the microbrewery of "l'Île d'Orleans". Attached is a reference photo.

Astronomically speaking
For someone very demanding in dark skies (like me) this place could leave you disappointed. In fact this observation point is, as the locals would say, "seulement pour se dépanner", that is, it is a practical point not so far from the city with the amount of darkness needed to make an observation and take some pictures. And on the positive side, the light pollution is not much given its location and that it is surrounded by towns that could affect visibility. In short, if you live in Quebec City and want to make a quick observation without going too far, this is the place.