Seeing Chelsea and Gatineau Park by e-scooter with Géo-Explora

Disclosure: I tried this activity as a guest of Géo-Explora, which neither reviewed nor approved this post. All opinions are my own.

Even if you’ve been to Chelsea, Quebec, many times, you’ve probably never it from the seat of an electric scooter. But now you can, with a small company called Géo-Explora.

The firm has been running electric scooter adventures at Montebello and Mont Tremblant for several years now. It recently expanded with a new location in Chelsea near the entrance to Gatineau Park.

So what exactly is an e-scooter adventure?

Well, first, “e-scooter” is a bit of a misnomer for the Doohan iTank electric vehicles Géo-Explora uses. They’re actually more like silent, low-speed motorcycles—if motorcycles had two front wheels instead of one, making them less likely to tip over. (Because they’re electric, they’re also environmentally friendly.)

Second, the “adventure” is a two-hour quirky history lesson disguised as a moving team trivia game.

When I tried the Chelsea ride recently, company co-owner Rémi Gagnon split our group of six into two teams. He walked us through the logistics of operating the e-scooters, and outfitted us with helmets and vests. Both the vests and the e-scooters are a blinding shade of yellow, making riders extremely visible on the road.

Before allowing us to drive away, Gagnon took us to a parking lot to practise. Used to pumping the hand brakes on my conventional bike at home, I squeezed the equivalent on the e-scooter a bit too forcefully, bringing me to a rather abrupt halt. “It’s surprisingly responsive, for something that looks like a toy,” Gagnon observed drily.

Eventually, he deemed us ready to roll. Team leaders each had an iPad, which would alert them to pull over when it was time for directions or clues. And then we were off—right onto busy Old Chelsea Road, which was a bit unnerving.

As Gagnon had instructed, we drove in the staggered formation that motorcycle riders use, with the lead rider driving close to the middle line, the second rider near the shoulder, and so on. That way, it was easier to keep the team together. It was also a visual signal to drivers that we needed the whole lane.

To their credit, the motorists we encountered largely treated us with respect, even when they were stuck behind us as we whirred along at a maximum speed of about 45 km/h.

Every few kilometres, our team leader Shannon Leverette would pull over for a clue, and my teammate Ann Bacciaglia and I would skitter to a stop behind her. We learned details about everything from Chelsea’s rowdy pubs in the 1800s to the types of animals that live in Meech Lake. At each stop, we’d get a multiple-choice trivia question about a topic, and we’d have several chances to get it right. At the end of the two-hour adventure, when we zipped back into Chelsea, the team that got the most questions right (ahem, that was us) got lots of glory and some gift certificates for local businesses.

All in all, it was a fun way to explore the area at a civilized pace (slowly enough to appreciate the scenery but quickly enough to feel the wind on our faces). We rewarded ourselves for our bravery with lunch at the Chelsea Pub.

If you go

Géo-Explora is located at 248 Old Chelsea Road, Chelsea, Quebec—about 16 kilometres northwest of Parliament Hill. You’ll need a valid driver’s licence for a scooter, motorcycle or car to drive one of the scooters; you can also bring along a passenger (who doesn’t need a licence), as long as your combined weight is under 140 kilograms (308 pounds). Prices start at $89 plus GST per driver; passengers travel at a reduced price. For details, see the Géo-Explora website.

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As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.