Tackle the slops at Sugarloaf Provincial Park? Hold my wine.
Ok, here’s the deal: I hadn’t been skiing since middle school. Without fully giving away my age, middle school was many many moons ago and even back then I wasn’t in the running for the Olympics, if you get my drift. So when I was approached by Destination Restigouche to feature a day skiing at Sugarloaf Provincial Park, the correct response would probably have been a very polite “pass”. However, for reasons I’ll never understand, self-doubt isn’t a personality trait that I was born with (both a blessing and a curse) and after decades of not strapping skis to my feet, I packed the SUV and headed for Sugarloaf Provincial Park.
Given my unathletic nature and general clumsiness, the experience could have been a recipe for disaster. Instead, it was the complete opposite. It was absolutely freakin’ awesome. I credit much of my success to the Sugarloaf ski instructors. Part of the adventure included a ski lesson and I highly recommend going that route. The instructor was knowledgeable and great at teaching me the basics. For context, I started the day barely able to plow down the kiddie hill and ended it zooming down the Neilson (without face planting, thank you very much). If you’ve never been downhill skiing, or it’s been a while, taking a lesson or two could make all the difference. It was honestly such a great time that I plan to buy a seasonal pass next winter and take the kids.
While at the park, I had lunch at the T-Bar restaurant located inside the main lodge. It has a rustic feel and beautiful view of the slopes. They also have full bar service, so naturally I treated myself to a Baileys coffee.
In the winter, the pond located in front of the main lodge is transformed into the cutest skating rink. I brought my son skating later that afternoon and it was the most picturesque Canadian scene ever: a rustic lodge, surrounded by woodland and ski slopes, and an icy pond with kids playing hockey nestled in its wake.
In the evening, we headed to the 1026 Bar & Grill for food and drinks. The restaurant recently added new appetizers to their menu such as deep friend brie bites and a smoked salmon board and they were incredibly tasty. We also had steaks which were cooked perfectly (I’m weird about ordering steaks from a restaurant but they nailed it). The 1026 Bar & Grill has a substantial cocktail menu and we tried their cosmopolitan and Moscow mule.
We had the opportunity to spend the night at the Quality Hotel which was a much welcome “staycation” for us. The room was cozy, the bed was comfortable, and the view of the Restigouche River the next morning was breathtaking. Another perk about staying at the Quality Hotel in Campbellton: it’s attached to the 1026 Bar & Grill – which means you can have as many cocktails you want without worrying about hailing a cab. Perfect!
To see more of what our region has to offer, check out the Destination Restigouche website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
Want to see more? Check out the vlog below!
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