An October Day I Keep Thinking About - Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada

Kristina Radovanovic

9 hours ago

13 min read

I didn't think I'd be writing this blog so soon, it's been a while though!

Lately, actually since long time ago :D, I feel a low energy for the writing probably due to many workloads or the fact we moved to another place or pregnancy, but I kept going back to these few days when we escaped from everyday routine.

It was during a long weekend in October 2025, our destination was Mont Tremblant, Quebec.

We have a list of our favorite places and certain holiday destinations, like Niagara flower farms during pick days; Canada Day - Quebec City, summer is reserved for camping and hiking... But since the last year was challenging, we suddenly decided to make an exception for the Thanksgiving Day, get ready and make a last-minute reservation in Mont Tremblant. My work schedule came up a bit later and ended up as a freedom for a long weekend, which always sounds magical and inspiring to me :D

I believe everyone knows about how Canada can be magic during the fall months, especially between mid-September - end of October due to well-known maple leaf which is Canada's trademark.

Mont Tremblant is around 630km far away from our home, which means we are going to spend certainly 7 hours on the road. What this keeps magical all the time is: planning, packaging and having a fun meanwhile we reach there.

Our way to go is packaging stuff a day before, including our luggage, food is ready in the fridge (just to transfer to the bag), making sandwiches as well in order to avoid hassle in the morning and leave everything clean when we come back.

After waking up at 6AM and having a breakfast, we are good to put all food to the bag and safely leave the town without any crowd on the road.

Slowly drinking a coffee and looking around the different towns, we also try to take a look on the map and choose where to take a proper break to eat.

Since we would always prefer to drive to the roads by avoiding highways and choose the road through a different village and beside the lakes, that was exactly what I wanted for our break. The weather was a bit tricky and rainy, but we used the gap between the rain and stopped by the lake on our way.

Passing by Ottawa always remind us of the very nice memories we had at the capital city of Canada, which was the first long trip we had together.

At least, this time, we found the place where we took a coffee, had a few bites of the fruit we prep at home and focused on reaching on time to our destination to check in and have a proper dinner.

Arriving to Mont Tremblant is magical, and whoever visited this place, know what I am saying! The temperature has to be a bit lower due to higher altitude, but the air is so fresh and different then in the city.

Although Mississauga is not polluted as we used to experience in our downtown back home (Serbia), difference between Mississauga and Mont Tremblant is a mountain breeze feel and the coniferous wood smell, which reminds me of our beautiful mountain Kopaonik (Serbia).

Besides, driving along the narrow, one-way and winding road from the main turnoff to the hotel was already amazing and decorated with colorful maple leaves fall magic. Our hotel Le Lodge de la Montagne was in the center of the town and when you arrive by car, it's nestled between a few hotels and surrounded by maple trees, so it's magical how the driveway is naturally decorated at this time of year all by itself.

Check in was very fast and simple, Milos parked the car in the garage of the hotel, while I was wondering through the lobby and allowed my mind to switch to "vacation mode" without thinking what we could do in the morning :D

The room was just amazing, the small fireplace below the TV was extra (we didn't see it on the photos), our view from the terrace was toward the lift which get people to the top of the town, and we could always hear the excitement and cheerfulness. Since we took the same room with Milos's brother and his girlfriend, the room felt spacious with 2 bedrooms, separate bathroom from the rooms and one nice kitchen and living room.

This is something very satisfying when you make a last-minute reservation without too much thinking and spending time to make everything perfect, it seems to come by itself. Everything looked rewarding and blessed at this moment.

After a long trip, we definitely looked forward to the good dinner.

We took a shower, refreshed and got ready for a walk through the town. The atmosphere not only in the hotel, but also outside felt so cheerful and live. That's exactly a magic of the long weekends in Canada, which I really like to feel. :D

Although in this time of the year evenings can be very cold, it seems all restaurants gardens were still opened, and people were sitting outside as well. Our attention was caught by the nearby crepe smell, which was hard to avoid but there was a huge line, and we just couldn't wait too long for a dinner. However, after a long walk we chose something less crowded and behind the main street, the restaurant terrace was opposite of the main street, so it was a perfect spot to chill out.

Since it was an Italian restaurant, we decided to order pizza and salad, and it was a perfect choice.

All full, we walked a little further down the street and decided that we would choose the pancake place for breakfast the next day because they also had savory options.

Reaching to the end of the main street, we noticed a cafeteria which was about to close soon. I initiated to jump in quickly for a cup of coffee and we definitely did it, we took a coffee latte for the evening, which was so refreshing for the walk back to the hotel. And it is so rewarding when you can sit at the end of the day and feel grateful and satisfied for a day of you had.

We ended our day in the living room by listening to Serbian music and recalling some nice memories from the past. The fireplace gave me a sparkle of the idea, so I took the laptop and wrote a few passages of the current blog I was about to post (might be about our trip in Serbia).

Day 2. - Waking up on vacation is something we all need and always desire :D No need to make the breakfast or coffee this time (although I like even this if we book the Airbnb instead), no duties or messages/calls from work, we just dressed our favorite clothes, Milos took his camera and left the room together. It seems we woke up very early since the town was very quiet and we could see just a few people down the street, even restaurants just opened, it was about 8am. Compared to last evening, we wanted to avoid crowd for the breakfast as well :D

As promised, we headed to the place which served the crepes. The place seems very popular and simple, we felt like at home, even waiter was very friendly and joking with us about our challenge to choose what to eat. We like to choose a different meal so we can later steal from each other a bite and try something new :D

With full bellies, we took a cup of coffee, and our backpacks from the room, well ready to explore our surroundings.

As usual, we began our trip with the first random direction which led us to the small place where we stopped to buy some essentials like snacks and water for the day. However, on our way back to the parking, Milos and I spotted a Market place beside a church, which was very nicely decorated, and selling a lot of local hand made products. We left our supplies in the car and wanted to check what is offered over there. There were so many handmade clothes, gemstones jewelry, and one more station with essential oils, company called "Do Terra".

We found out that this company is very popular worldwide, they even order some natural plants from Serbia as well and across all the world. We had a chance to try lemon essential oil which was for internal use and seemed fun for us due to different taste. Not only this, but we also ordered a few more products from them to our home address. The ladies were very helpful, kind and knowledgeable about their company and products as well, it was very easy to learn about their products. Additionally, they recommended us a few more places to visit around mentioning a small town which we kept in mind for later. I was too excited and didn't take any photos, but Milos captured everything with his camera, which it's available on this video: Our Thanksgiving Weekend Road Trip to Quebec, Fall Colors and Small Towns

Leaving a marketplace, we headed further to the nearby hiking trail, which was a bit hard to notice because it wasn't assigned where the entrance might be, but we made it after struggling a bit, and the trail was exceptional. Since we always choose to make a loop, one direction of the path was uphill and the other was downhill. The forest was naturally and perfectly decorated with fallen maple leaves all over the place and I was collected all different colors of them. Once we got to the top of the hill, the view was amazing, Milos and Marko took a chance to make a drone video of this beauty. We took a bit of the break and continued downhill slowly.

This trail wasn't that long, so we decided to explore further and remembered of the town mentioned to us from the girls we met on the market. The name of the town is Saint-Sauveur.

Even the entrance to the town was inspiring, there were so many cars, people and the atmosphere was so live whenever we looked at. When we finally found the parking, we have begun with exploring. It looked like a town where is something happening all the year around. Presently, Halloween decoration was popular, and each house had its own charm. Although we were starving, it looked like it was a hard task to find a place to eat, because the crowd was everywhere. I spotted one place with pastries while we were trying to find a parking and we tried to go there, but it was closed that day (unfortunately, because it looked very promising for my taste :D). But we didn't give up, then we found another one place, and it looked empty from the outside, but... :D When we came in, there was a 20m long line, and it seemed this is the most popular place in the town, not only because of diverse of the food, but also because they have so many different kinds of the chocolates. We didn't get a chance to try any, it was already a bit later and all locals were closing soon due to holiday, and we desperately left this place and headed to the next street and finally got our lunch. :D

Since it was just around 2pm, our day tour wasn't done yet, we were looking for more. I was browsing through the map while we were in the car and spotted the local attraction called "La Corniche Trail".

Although it was a bit late to start with any hiking, we wanted to check this place anyways. Upon approaching to the national park, there was an entrance fee to pay, which wasn't that high considering an amazing place.

There was a plenty space for the parking at a different spot, and I wish we found this place earlier and decided to spend our all day here.

We parked the car a bit further from the start point, but it was a perk for us considering a beautiful trail beside the lake all the way. The trail is divided in 3 viewpoints, and it seems to take about 2h to reach to the higher point (which we couldn't make for this time unfortunately). We reached to the first point, which took us 45min and it was very easy. The view was already stunning, and the sun was still up, which gave us the opportunity to take a nice photo, take a few minutes rest and head back to the car.

However, we weren't that much sad, because Mont Tremblant will be our trip again soon in the future and we will plan our trip in advance to visit all places we missed for this time, including this amazing trail.

All hungry again, we couldn't wait to get back to the town and hopefully find the spot for the sweet crepes :D This time, although it was crowdy and cold, we waited for our chance :D

While in the line, Milos and I noticed a convenience store just beside us and decided to get ahead this time and buy some groceries for the sandwiches which we will make for our way back tomorrow (usually nothing works on Sundays due to holiday and we were struggling for the food all the time on our way back for the past few years). Besides that, we found some nice croissants from our childhood and bought them too. Well, it's a vacation, isn't it :D

Rushing to put everything in the room, we made it on time when was out turn to enter crepe store, and I wish you could feel that amazing smell and crowd inside. Mix of crepes, Nutella, vanilla ice cream and fruits was just a perfect match to finish this trip.

But we just thought it was the end. Our way back exceeded our expectations.

We woke up early in the morning and planned to visit a famous Sentier des Cimes Laurentides, which offers a trail around 3km long (perfect for the morning), and the panoramic view of the Laurentians mountains.

Before checking out, I was stubborn to get a coffee in the center of the town and headed alone for a walk. It was nearby the hotel, and I couldn't regret for this decision. The cafeteria was already open offering the fresh pastries, and waiters were very helpful filling my mug with American coffee in full :D

Satisfied, I headed back to the hotel and took a few photos on my way, since the town was empty, it seems all people were sleeping; the air was so fresh, and it made me so inspiring and grateful for this 15min long walk.

Upon reaching to our next destination, we were surprised to see the notice that all the tickets were sold out for a day and there was no one to even ask about the additional information due to holiday hours. We gave up on this at the moment, took a small walk around intead to explore surrounding, and pinned this place for the next time too.

In order to avoid the highways, we tried to find all the routes through the local villages and remote places to enjoy the views, which we definitely got. The curved roads, amazing nature, and on the biggest surprise, we spotted so many deers on our way <3 This especially fulfilled my heart! They looked so carefree and just enjoyed this day in their way.

We took a few photos and slowly passed those areas without interrupting them.

While we definitely had to speed up a bit our way to the home due to preparing everything for our next morning and work, we had to join a crowded freeway, but not all the way home. I took the time and browsed a bit around in order to catch a golden hour photos, and finally found a place around Milton area, which was amazingly surrounded with a beautiful landscapes and seasonal vegetables, even a few pathways lined up with a trees making this experience even more magical.

Wondering through the random roads, we came across a small family market which was nicely decorated and stocked with a seasonal fruits and vegetables. Since we didn't buy that much food for the next week, this was a perfect way to buy fresh vegetables for a week prep meal.

We bought green beans, strawberries, plums and butter squash. The payment was easy to make, there was a small cash box and instructions for a E transfer payment, which we used. And look at the surrounding, it's just stunning!

Our next stop was on the landscape to capture a sunset and end our day this way ^_^

We came home with full hearts and experiences from this quick and successful trip. I couldn't wait morning to make the food. It reminded me of my village, when you just go to the garden with a basket and take the fresh vegetables for a lunch prep.

Btw, I am not sure if other people like a mess in the kitchen during the meal prep and peeling/washing the vegetables, I love it anyways. What is a better feeling than full kitchen of the food and ability to make your own food ^-^

Recipe 1:

Green beans are something we used to cook very often back home for lunch, and we always had fresh ones from the garden.

The recipe is very simple, and it can be made with or without meat. This time, I used chicken.

Ingredients:

Green beans
1 onion
2 carrots
Meat (I chose chicken breast this time)
Celery
Seasoning (I used only salt and pepper)

Instructions:

Fry the chicken until golden brown, then add the onion and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Add the chopped carrots and celery, followed by the chopped green beans.

Pour in enough water to cover everything in the pot. Season with salt and pepper and let it cook for about 1 hour.

If necessary, you can use chicken broth instead of water.

Recipe 2:

This is something we recently started making. Initially, I made this recipe as a dip to serve with breadsticks. However, we really liked the taste, and with the addition of cream, it has become an excellent alternative to soup or puree, depending on the thickness. The best part is that it’s super flavorful and healthy!

Ingredients:

1 Butter squash
1 Sweet potato
2 Red or white potato (or both)
1 Carrot
1 Paprika
1 Larger or 4-5 Cherry Tomatoes at the end of baking
1 cup cooking cream (add more or less according to your preference)
Seasoning (I used salt, pepper and olive oil for the vegetables before baking, and cooking cream)

Instructions:

All you need to do is bake the vegetables and blend them together.

Recipe 3:

Last, but certainly not least, is the bread.

At our home, bread is always homemade. Sometimes I make sourdough, but when I don’t have much time, like this time, I use yeast instead.

I always make it the simplest way, using only five ingredients.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (any type you like - I used unbleached all-purpose flour and whole-grain flour)
1 teaspoon yeast (If you plan to bake the bread later, I suggest using ½ teaspoon instead.)
1 tablespoon salt
Water, as needed
Sesame seeds, as needed

Instructions:

Mix the flours if you are using more than one type and make a small hole in the middle for the yeast. Pour in 1 cup of warm water and let the yeast activate for about 10 -15 minutes.

Sprinkle the salt around the edges of the flour, then mix everything together.

Leave the dough to rise for about 1 hour, then fold it once again.

Preheat the oven to 220°C and place the empty pan in the oven as well, especially if you are using the same type of pan as I am - ceramic.

Once the oven is preheated, add a little butter to the pan and place the dough in the middle. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the bread reaches a beautiful golden-brown color.