Outdoor activities
Hiking & Trekking
Attractionsin Québec!
Whether you're an avid adventurer or someone who just loves walking, a sports enthusiast or a curious visitor, take a walk amid Québec's most breathtaking scenery, only accessible on foot. Québec is literally covered with trails for everyone, from the casual walker to the seasoned hiker. You'll find over 6,000 km (3,725 mi.) of trails accessible to hikers, with close to 40% located in the Gaspé Peninsula, the Laurentides and the Eastern Townships. Stroll alongside a sinuous river, wander into an imposing pine forest, and enter the enchantment of Québec's natural wonders at your own pace!
Choose your own path
Regional parks, national parks, wildlife reserves as well as many private networks offer a wide variety of trails and a wealth of landscapes. A choice of accommodations (cottages, shelters and rustic campgrounds) is usually found along the longer hiking trails. Most of the larger ski resorts will also let you hike up their slopes.Looking for a challenge?
Follow these paths to great adventure:
- Parc national de la Gaspésie With its 25 summits over 1 000 metres, you'd think you were in a sea of mountains! Hikers enjoy the diverse flora, stunning scenery and the possibility of a chance meeting with caribou, moose or white-tailed deer.
- International Appalachian Trail (IAT). Originating in the Unites States, this trail runs along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains to the Gaspé Peninsula. You can ascend several summits, among them Mont Jacques-Cartier, Mont Albert and Mont Logan. Part of this scenic route hugs the Gaspé Peninsula, providing you with superb vistas on the St. Lawrence River, and ends at Forillon National Park of Canada The Québec portion of the Appalachian Trail encompasses over 650 km of paths with 35 000 markers (it is possible to obtain a detailed map). Hikers have access to 24 shelters (with room for 8 in each), astutely located in the heart of the mountains, or 24 campground sites dotting the entire path.
- Sentiers de l'Estrie 150 km of trails criss-cross the Eastern Townships, through verdant valleys and the Appalachian mountain range (among them Mont Orford, Mont Glen and Mont Sutton). A map is necessary to navigate through certain areas.
- National Trail Once completed, this trail will link the Atlantic and the Pacific thanks to a 10 000 km uninterrupted path dedicated to hiking. Spanning the forests of eight regions of Québec, from the Outaouais to the Bas-Saint-Laurent, some 600 km of the planned 1 100 km of trails in Québec are presently accessible to hikers and cross Gatineau Park, Parc national du Mont-Tremblant as well as Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier.
- Sentier de La Traversée de Charlevoix. With 130 km of marked trails crossing mountains, this beautiful and entrancing walking path is part of the National Trail. No wonder it is a designated international biosphere reserve. As you cross various ecosystems, you'll be surrounded by mountains reaching 850 metres.
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