Located in the Laurentians region of Québec, the Lac Mercier trail is one of our favorite easy trails to do in the Mont-Tremblant region. Truthfully, it’s more of an easy walking trail than a proper hiking trail like most of the other trails we have written guides about, but the scenery is so beautiful it’s a joy to take a stroll regardless, particularly during autumn. So to help you discover this beautiful area, we put together this Lac Mercier Trail Hiking Guide Hiking Guide. The trail is part of the longer Le P’tit Train du Nord trail, a multipurpose recreational rail trail that runs for 200km between the towns of Saint-Jérome and Mont-Laurier. In our experience, the Lac Mercier portion of the trail is rarely very busy despite its beauty and runs along the lakeside on a wide gravel path.
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Lac Mercier Trail Location and Map
The Lac Mercier Trail is located in the Laurentians region of Québec, a few kilometres west of Mont-Tremblant.
How to Get to the Lac Mercier Trail
The easiest way to reach the Lac Mercier Trail is by car.
From Montreal: about 1h30 drive (140 km)
From the Mont-Tremblant area: about a 10-minute drive, regardless if you are leaving from the town of Mont-Tremblant (south of Lac Mercier) or the ski resort area (north of Lac Mercier).
From Ottawa: about a 2h drive (170 km)
If you need to book a rental vehicle for your hiking excursion, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Montreal.
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Lac Mercier Trail Access, Fees, and Parking
Trailhead & car park location: Both are found here.
Trail access & parking fees: None, both are Free to use.
Trail opening Hours: 24 hours
Parking lot: It’s not a large car park and it does fill up quickly on weekends as it’s used not only by users of the trail but by visitors of the area as well (there is a nearby beach as well as several restaurants and cafes near the trailhead). If this car park fills up, you might be able to find roadside parking throughout the Mont-Tremblant village.
Facilities: Toilets are available by the car park.
Other information: The trail is part of the longer Le P’tit Train du Nord trail, a multipurpose recreational rail trail that runs for over 200km between Saint-Jérome and Mont-Laurier in the Laurentians. Although many segments of the long trail are asphalted, the section along Lac Mercier is a gravel path and we rarely encounter cyclists along it – at least that’s the case during our favorite time to visit during Autumn.
Lac Mercier Trail Details and Map
As we stated above, the P’tit Train du Nord trail runs a very long distance, so you can easily extend this walk in any direction. But for the purposes of this guide, we will focus on our favorite section along Lac Mercier.
Distance: 7.4 km
Route Type: Out & Back
Elevation gain: 15 m (cumulative elevation gain: 50 m)
Start point: Car Park
AllTrails rating: (4.5, 190 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 1h30-1h45.
Access Fees: Free
Not an AllTrails member yet? We highly recommend signing up for either their free or paid membership plans. The free plan allows you to find new trails and plan routes but it can only be used while hiking if you have access to mobile data. The paid membership plan (AllTrails+) allows you to download trail maps for offline use and provides live progress updates and off-route notifications.
If you are still uncertain – you should know that the All Trails mobile application was voted the 2023 iPhone App of the Year by Apple.
Other Lac Mercier Trail Details
– Canine companions: Dogs are permitted on leashes.
– Trail environment: Forest – you will be under tree cover for most of the trail though there were will be several spots with openings onto the lake.
– Trail Surface / Technical Trail: The entire trail is along a smooth and wide grave path.
– Average trail slope grade: 1% (this slope is so mild you probably won’t even notice it).
– Trail difficulty level: Very Easy.
(based on our personal assessment, taking into account the trail length, slope grade and trail surface – 5-point difficulty scale: Very easy, Easy, Moderate, Moderately Challenging, Challenging)
Lac Mercier Trail Description and Summary
As you leave the car park, before embarking on the trail, you can first check out the area around the small town beach. If you come during autumn, the beach will likely be pretty empty, but the scenery around it is quite pleasant.
The first part of the trail will take you by a few lakeside homes, often with their own piers. Most of this section will be under tree cover. It’s particularly beautiful during the colorful autumn season.
Around the halfway mark of the trail, the path opens up and you’ll get more beautiful views of Lac Mercier and colorful hills on the other side.
Once you’ve started to turn along the northern shore of the lake, the path begins to stray farther from the lake and you’ll pass by more beautiful large homes with fantastic backyards. But overall the scenery is less spectacular beyond this point, so many chose to turn around here.
If you want to continue all the way to the end of the All Trails Lac Mercier trail, you will first have to cross a road (with very little to no traffic on it) to make your way to a small yet scenic pond.
After the pond, you are obviously free to continue onwards as the trail continues further north, but we’ve never featured further so we can’t really comment on the scenery or the trail from this point on.
A Lac Mercier Trail Ad-On: Lac Moore and Village Stroll
If you want to extend your time in this scenic area, once you have returned to the Lac Mercier car park and trailhead, you can continue your walk into the old Mont-Tremblant village, passing Lac Moore and through wooded multipurpose paths. This suggested trail isn’t on AllTrails, but it’s easy to follow from the beach area at the edge of Lac Mercier (where the previous trail ends; you can click the image below to open a Google Maps itinerary).
If you think you still might have some energy or want to continue the walk, you can make it all the way to Lac Tremblant. From this point, you’ll have to leave the multi-purpose path and follow the sidewalk along the Chemin du Village towards Lac Tremblant (sticking to the path will make you take a very very long detour). Walking from Lac Mercier to Lac Tremblant will take approximately 45 minutes each way.
Lac Mercier Trail Hiking & Trail Tips
– During the peak summer and fall months, the parking lots can fill up quickly, particularly on weekends. Try to arrive early in the morning or late afternoon to guarantee a spot.
– Mosquitoes and black flies can be a nuisance at certain times during the year. The exact dates vary from year to year, but they are generally most present from mid-May to mid-July. Regardless of when you come, it’s always a good idea to carry some bug spray with you, just in case.
– Stick to the designated path to protect the surrounding environment. Not to mention that there are a lot of private properties around the trail.
– Best time to visit: We tend to prefer hiking in this area from mid-August to early November. The weather will be pleasant and the likelihood of being harassed by bugs is significantly reduced. Moreover. Note that trails are quite busy during the weekends of the leaf-peeping season (typically from late September to mid-October), so it’s best to arrive early or to try to come on a weekday.
Hiking Packing List
All Trails subscription – This comes in really handy for areas with little or no cell reception, as the annual subscription allows you to download trail maps for offline use.
External Battery – If you are using your phone to track your progress along the trail or to help with navigation, you certainly don’t want your phone to die on you. That’s especially true in the unlikely event that you might get hurt or need assistance.
Hiking poles – These can be particularly useful in steep trails or muddy/boggy trail conditions.
Some of Our Other Nearby Favorite Hiking Trails
There are so many great hiking around the Mont-Tremblant area. One of our nearby favorites is the combined Montagne Verte and Nez-de-l’Indien trail. This trail boasts some of the best panoramic 360-degree viewpoints of the entire area. This trail is free and is located a few kilometres west of Mont-Tremblant near the village of Labelle.
Another one of our favorites (located within the National Park) is the La Coulée loop trail. The trail takes you to two fantastic viewpoints followed by a beautiful lakeside path.
For a more complete list of our favorite trails in the area check out our guide on the Best Hiking Trails near Mont-Tremblant.
Other Activities In and Around Mont-Tremblant
If you are looking for other fun activities to do in the Mont-Tremblant area there are several great options including boat cruises, white water rafting and visiting a tree-top observatory.
Where to Stay in the Mont-Tremblant Region?
Though many visit the area as a day trip, spending a weekend (or longer) here can be a rewarding experience and would allow you to visit more of the region (and try out several of the beautiful hiking trails in the area).
There are four different areas you can stay in when in the region:
-The Mont-Tremblant Resort Village: This is where you will find the most restaurants and accommodations, with direct access to the mountain ski resort (which is primarily used for hiking activities outside of ski season). One of our favorite hotels (in the mid-range budget) to stay in here is the Ermitage du Lac. Another good option is The Westin Tremblant.
-The Old Mont-Tremblant Village (which used to be the tourist center in the area before the development of the ski resort): This is actually our go-to area when we want to spend a weekend in the Mont-Tremblant area. The Village is tucked away between the scenic Mercier and Moore lakes, a short 5 km west of the ski resort. It’s also the starting point of one of our favorite easy scenic walks in the area, the Lac Mercier trail. We can highly recommend the Suites du Lac Moore Hotel, one of the better bangs for your buck in the area.
-The Town of Mont-Tremblant (formerly known as the town of St-Jovite): Located 12 km south of the Resort Village, this is a proper town and is less geared towards tourism. Though it does have a nice main street for shopping and restaurants, there are few accommodation options here and they tend to be less expensive than in the other two areas. The most central location and one of the better options here is the Comfort Inn and Suites Mont Tremblant.
–Mont-Tremblant National Park: The scenery within the park is quite beautiful, but the accommodation options are limited to campsites and small self-catering cabins.
Alternatively, if you are looking to stay outside of the main tourist areas but without having to camp or stay in a cabin, we can also highly recommend staying in the Chateau Beauvallon. Located between the resort village and the town of Mont-Tremblant, the hotel is situated on a vast private lakeside property where guests can relax and enjoy indoor, and outdoor pools & hot tubs.
Want to Discover More Hiking Trails In Southern Québec?
You might be interested in these pages:
Best Hiking Trails Near Mont-Tremblant
Best Hiking Trails Near Montreal
Best Hiking Trails in the Eastern Townships
Quebec Hiking Trails that Are Stunning in Winter
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
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e-Sim cards
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Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Lac Mercier Trail Hiking Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your hiking trip.
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