Baie-Comeau to the Daniel-Johnson Dam

Quebec | 216km

This ride makes for a fantastic day trip that will have a smile on your face from start to finish.

Begin your day at Baie-Comeau on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. Head north on Highway 389 through the Manicouagan-Uapishka Biosphere Reserve. This is a special place for motorcyclists, with plenty of hills and curves on smooth asphalt winding through the forest – and virtually no traffic in sight. But the real thrills of this route are man-made.

You’ll get your first taste of the engineering magic that makes this a worthwhile trek at kilometre 22. The Jean‑Lesage hydropower generating station (also known as the Manic‑2 Dam) is one of the world’s largest hollow-joint gravity dams. Take a free tour to see its 400-tonne rotor turning right above you.

Then carry on to the end of this ride, where you’ll find the Manic-5 generating station and Daniel-Johnson Dam. This is the largest multiple arch-and-buttress dam in the world, with 13 massive arches and 14 buttresses. Take a two-hour free tour to learn all about this impressive concrete giant.

Out of this world
The crater used as a reservoir to feed the dams was created by a meteorite strike 214 million years ago and is visible from space.

Click here to view this route in the Harley-Davidson Ride Planner and start planning your next adventure.

First published in 2024.

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