To finish up the trip, you'll board the minibus for the three-hour drive back to Montreal and have a free afternoon there. Montreal has long been a great eating city—not just a city with a lot of restaurants, but one that likes to eat and eat well, a city of gourmands. Besides sampling the food, you can take your pick of important sites like the Basilique Notre-Dame, the Canadian Centre of Architecture, and the Musee d'art contemporain, the only contemporary-art museum in Canada.

A word on packing: Adventure Center recommends a few winter clothing essentials such as thermal overalls, boots, mittens, and a hat; they'll offer these for rent for $108 (Can$115). Some important purchases you should make before the trip: oil-based sunblock and polarized sunglasses or ski goggles.

Parliament Building at dusk, Quebec City (Chris Cheadle/Getty) [enlarge photo]

It will be cold! Quebec City gets an average of 13 feet of snowfall each year, with temperatures in the winter between –4 and 23 degrees Fahrenheit. The final itinerary will depend upon weather and trail conditions.

For more ideas on what to do, visit Canada's official tourism site. And for more one-of-a-kind experiences and trips to far-flung destinations, check the 40 Best Deals from our September issue, devoted to the best places you've never heard of.

Getting There The trip begins and ends in Montreal. A recent Kayak search produced these round-trip fares in late December: $609 from Chicago (US Airways), $630 from New York City (U.S. Airways), $639 from Boston (US Airways), $771 from Atlanta (US Airways), and $855 from Seattle (Continental).

More on Canada:

• My Montreal Is Better Than Yours

• Happy Anniversary, Quebec City

• Trip Coach: Canada by Train

• Quebec's Nordic-Style Spas