Gaspésie National Park is a remote hiker’s paradise in Quebéc’s eastern region of Gaspésie. Although the region is primarily known for its scenic coastal landscapes, this national park is located in the heart of the region’s mountainous region, with 25 peaks towering over a thousand metres (3,280 ft.). The park is known for its dense forests, rugged mountains, and fantastic hiking opportunities (including having the International Appalachian Trail run through the park). Below we will present our list of the Best Hiking Trails in Gaspesie National Park, with a focus on those trails that maximize the effort-to-reward ratio.
Our list of the best hiking trails will include some that are considered easy, some moderate and some difficult. We will also focus on hiking trails near the center of the park and its Discovery Center, which are easier to reach for most. These are all located in or near the central Mont Albert Sector of the park, as opposed to the Lac-Cascapédia sector (western) and Mont-Jacques Cartier sector (eastern). Some of the better-known trails from the other sectors will be mentioned toward the end of the page.
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Gaspesie National Park Orientation
Location: The Park is located in central Gaspésie (roughly an 8-hour drive from Montreal, or 5.5 hours from Québec City). It is therefore somewhat remote and doesn’t get nearly as much traffic as national parks closer to urban population centers.
Entry fees (2023): 9.55$ /day or 86$ for a yearly pass (includes access to all 24 Québec National Parks).
We will be providing the trail distances as provided both by the park website and Alltrails.com. Note that the distances tend to differ slightly between both sites, likely because of differences in what is considered the official starting point of the trails. Distances will be provided in km (divide by 1.6 for miles), and elevation will be provided in meters (multiply by 3.3 for elevation in feet).
Starting points will be defined in relation to the center of the Mont-Albert Sector, the park Discovery Center, which is next to the park’s main hotel, the Gites du Mont-Albert.
Easy trails
Lac-aux-Américains
We have rarely come across such a rewarding view following so little effort. From the parking lot, a short and very gentle ascent will take you to the stunning glacial cirque of the Lac aux Américains.
Distance: 2.9 km (all trails), 2.6 km (park website)
Route Type: Out & Back
Elevation gain: 109 m
Start point: Route 160 parking lot (7 km from the Discovery Center)
All trails rating: 4.6 (241 ratings, 2023)
La Chute-Sainte-Anne
This is a nice and easy family hike to do in the park, with easy access from the Discovery Center and a beautiful waterfall as a midway reward (you can also start and end your hike at the falls themselves by using the small parking lot near them).
Distance: 2.4 km (all trails), 2.5 km (park website, named the “La Lucarne” trail)
Route Type: Loop
Elevation gain: 80m
Start point: Discovery Center or Chute Saint-Anne Parking (a very small lot by the falls)
All trails rating: 4.4 (84 ratings, 2023)
Alternative route: If starting from the Discovery Center, you can turn your hike into a shorter out & back hike by turning around once you’ve reached the falls, about 0.8 km from the Center (this is what the park website considers the “La Chute-Sainte-Anne” trail. You can also skip the hike altogether by parking near the falls.
Moderate trails
La Chute-du-Diable (& Lac-du-Diable)
This trail is both an extension of the Chute-Sainte-Anne trail highlighted above (instead of returning via a loop trail you continue onward) and the first portion of the Mont Olivine trail (highlighted in the next section). The park’s website considers that the trail return point is at the Chute-du-Diable Falls, whereas Alltrails.com considers that the trail return point is at the Lake du Diable, further uphill. Although the view of the lake is just stunning, the trail becomes much harder and rockier after you pass the Chute-du-Diable waterfall — so depending on your fitness and energy level, you have a decision to make at the waterfall. For pictures of the lake, see the Mont Olivine trail below. If you can continue onward, we definitely recommend making it to the lake.
Distance: 9.5 km (all trails – lake ), 7 km (park website- falls)
Route Type: Out & Back
Elevation gain: 120m (if you stop at the falls); 305m if you make it to the lake
Start point: Discovery Center
All trails rating: 4.5 (98 ratings, 2023)
Mont Ernest-Laforce
This is one of the more popular trails in the park due to its accessibility, moderate difficulty, and rewarding 360° views from the summit.
Distance: 4.3 km (all trails), 4.6 km (park website)
Route Type: Loop
Elevation gain: 155m
Start point: Route 163 parking lot (7 km from the Discovery Center)
All trails rating: 4.6 (589 ratings, 2023)
Alternative route: You could do the loop in reverse, but in our experience, the counter-clockwise direction is optimal and more rewarding.
La Saillie
La Saillie trail consists of the first portion of the more famous Mount Albert trail described later. The return point is a belvedere offering beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.
Distance: 4.2 km (park website)
Route Type: Out & Back
Elevation gain: 200m
Start point: Discovery Center
All trails rating: N/A
The Out portion of the trail ends at the belvedere de La Saillie.
Difficult trails
Mont-Olivine
Probably our favourite trail in the park, because it combines the Chute-Sainte-Anne Waterfalls, Chute-du-Diable Waterfalls, and Lake du Diable (an add-on to the Alltrails map below), in addition to 360° views above the crest of Mont Olivine. The pictures below will highlight the lake and summit views.
Distance: 10.3 km (all trails), 11.4 km (park website)
Route Type: Out & Back
Elevation gain: 460 m
Start point: Discovery Center
All trails rating: 4.6 (155 ratings, 2023)
Alternative route: The Alltrails.com map doesn’t include the detour to the Chute-du-Diable Lake, but we highly recommend you add the extra 1.5km (Out & Back) to the lake (it doesn’t add elevation gain and the views are just spectacular).
Mont-Albert
Probably the park’s most famous and most popular difficult trail. In truth, however, we never got to complete this trail due to bad weather. We essentially decided to turn back not long after reaching the final belvedere of the La Saillie trail (highlighted above).
Distance: 14.3 km (all trails), 12.6 km (park website)
Route Type: Out & Back
Elevation gain: 850m
Start point: Discovery Center
All trails rating: 4.7 (212 ratings, 2023)
Additional info: Note that to protect the native Caribou, the trail is only open every year from mid-June to early October every year.
Other trails
Other popular hiking trails in the park include Mont Richardson, Mont Joseph-Fortin, Mont Jacques-Cartier (McGerrigle sector), and the Pic du Brûlé, which all fall in the difficult trail category. Mont Jacques-Cartier is particularly appealing to many as its the highest peak in the park (though note that the season to hike this trail is short, because it crosses tundra which is home to the caribou, and it’s essential that they aren’t disturbed during their key reproductive periods).
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Best Hiking Trails in Gaspesie National Park and that it will prove useful for planning your trip and hiking activities in the Gaspésie region of Québec.
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Preparing a trip to the Gaspe Peninsula (Gaspésie)?
We highly recommend these guidebooks:
- Gaspé the Romantique ‘Revisited’: A Road Trip Guide to the History, Legends and Attractions
- Lonely Planet Best Road Trips Ontario & Quebec
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