Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes is the Parc National des Grands Jardin’s most popular trail – and with good reason. It’s a hike that is neither too easy nor too difficult and will provide you with a great bang for your buck, as the work-to-reward ratio of this trail is hard to beat. The views from the summit a simply stunning, where you’ll enjoy 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains and glacier-carved valleys. Below we present our Winter Hiking Guide for the Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes trail, which we hope will help you get the most out of your hiking adventure in Parc National des Grands Jardins. We will cover all two trail variations, one easier and one more difficult than the primary trail.
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You might also be interested in these pages:
Best Winter Hiking Trails in Charlevoix region
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6 Quebec Hiking Trails that Are Stunning in Winter
Orientation – Where is the Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes Trail?
The Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes trail is located in Parc National des Grands-Jardins, a provincial park within the beautiful Charlevoix of Québec, roughly a 30-minute drive from the town of Baie-Saint-Paul (or 1h30 from Québec City).
The park is one of the central areas of the Charlevoix World Biosphere Reserve, a status granted by UNESCO in 1988 just seven years after the park was created. The area comprises agricultural areas, river ecosystems, estuarine tidal marshes and flats, coniferous and mixed forests, stunted vegetation (krummholz) and mountain tundra ecosystems
Daily access fees and Annual passes
Quebec National Parks are managed by the SÉPAQ, a government agency that manages all provincial parks and wildlife preserves in Québec.
There is a limit to the number of visitors that can enter any Québec SÉPAQ National Park on any given day. It is therefore strongly recommended that you purchase your daily right of access online before a visit or that you acquire an annual pass.
The daily pass ($9.85 (2024)) can be purchased here up to 30 days before a visit.
The annual pass can be purchased here either for unlimited access to a single national park ($49.25 (2024)) or for unlimited access to all SÉPAQ national parks ($88.50 (2024)). Even if you have an annual pass, we still recommend arriving early in the morning or mid-to-late afternoon to avoid showing up to a filled parking lot.
When to Go?
To experience a proper winter hike and beautiful white landscapes, it’s best to plan your visit between mid-December and mid-March. That being said, there are year-to-year differences regarding the early and late winter snow conditions. If you would like to visit early or late in the winter season, it’s best to check the park conditions first. You can generally find them listed at the top of the national park page.
It’s also a great hike to do in the early morning. The light is perfect for photography and the trail isn’t too crowded.
Hiking and Safety Tips
It is highly recommended to wear crampons/traction cleats under your shoes or boots when hiking this trail. Some sections of the trail, particularly near the bare summit, can be somewhat challenging in icy conditions, so proper footwear is highly recommended. You can rent traction crampons/ice cleats to attach to your boots for 8$ at the visitor center near the trailhead or purchase some on Amazon for 20-25$.
The exception to that rule is in the event of large amounts of recent snowfall, in which case you might be better off using snowshoes than hiking with boots and cleats. The national park details the recent snowfall stats and the trail conditions (densely packed snow or fresh powdered snow). The visitor center also rents out snowshoes if need be.
Also, always bear in mind that no matter how cold it is at the base of the mountain, it’s going to be even colder at the summit (and windier), so remember to dress appropriately. It’s generally recommended to wear fewer layers to start with since you will warm up as you start to hike. But it’s a great idea to pack some extra warm gear for when you stop or reach the summit.
Winter Hiking Packing List
Crampons / Ice Cleats – These are a must-have to help you with those steep ascents/descents or navigate icy trail conditions.
External Battery – Cold weather significantly affects cell phone battery drainage. Best to be prepared with an external power source to recharge your phone if needed.
Hiking poles – These can be particularly useful in winter, especially when not wearing any crampons or ice cleats.
Hand warmers – if you are like us and often remove your gloves to take pictures, having little hotties around care be hand life savers in freezing weather.
All Trails subscription – 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.
Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes Trail Details and Map
Trail Details and Map
Most will complete this trail in around 3h-3h30. Dogs are not allowed on this trail. It’s a fairly popular trail, so we recommend coming either early in the morning or towards the late afternoon to enjoy more solitude at the summit.
Distance: 8.9 km
Route Type: Out & back
Elevation gain: 421 m (cumulative elevation gain: 434 m)
Start point: Trailhead & Visitor Center (30-minute drive from Baie-Saint-Paul)
AllTrails rating: (4.8, 1326 ratings (2024))
Access fee: 9,55 $ (2024) – You can prepay online here.
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 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.
Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes Trail Summary and Description
The trailhead is at the southern end of the parking lot, opposite the visitor center. The first 1000m of the trail is fairly easygoing as the path is straight with a slight uphill incline. Shortly after veering left, you will cross a fork in the road. If you go right you will continue toward a shorter summit (La Chouenne trail – described later), whereas if you continue left you will continue on the path up to the Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes summit. After another 400-500m you will come across the first viewpoint of the valley below.
Shortly thereafter, as the trail veers right, you will get a splendid view of the summit you will later ascend.
Up next will be a series of switchbacks over 1500m that will lessen the steepness of the trail. Near the final switchback, you will come across the scenic Lac George. It’s a good place to enjoy a break – there is a hut and a few nearby picnic tables.
After the lake, it’s mostly straight uphill. The first 1000m or so will be with beautiful forest cover.
The final 200-300m will be on the mountain’s bare summit, with several sections of man-made wooden stairs. It is particularly on this section that the surface can get quite icy and the use of crampons or ice cleats could come in quite handy. If you turn around behind you’ll have a great view of the Mont du Dôme and Lac George.
Once you reach the summit (and even before then), you will enjoy beautiful 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains and the glacier-carved valleys. Once you’ve fully taken in the scenery, you return the same way you came up.
Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes Trail Alternatives
Easier version: La Chouenne Trail
If you would to get some of those beautiful mountain and valley views without having to climb as much, you are in luck! Just south of the Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes, there is a smaller summit, known as La Chouenne. The trail up to its summit is about half the distance and half the elevation of the Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes Trail – in fact, both trails share the same footpath for the first half of the walk up to La Chouenne.
Distance: 4.7 km
Route Type: Out & back
Elevation gain: 193 m (cumulative elevation gain: 201 m)
Start point: Trailhead & Visitor Center (30-minute drive from Baie-Saint-Paul)
AllTrails rating: (4.6, 627 ratings (2024))
Harder version: Le Pioui trail
Instead of a straight out-and-back trail, you can do a large loop trail that adds a second summit and a second lake as additional attractions. The loop trail will be about 2km in distance and nearly 200m in cumulative elevation gain. Most people will complete this trail in about 4h-4h30.
Distance: 11.1 km
Route Type: Loop
Elevation gain: 430 m (cumulative elevation gain: 608 m)
Start point: Trailhead & Visitor Center (30-minute drive from Baie-Saint-Paul)
AllTrails rating: (4.7, 1964 ratings (2024))
Another Great Trail Just Down the Road: Mont du Dôme
If you want to do another amazing hike in the same area, you are in luck! The car park for the Mont du Dome trail is just 2 km up the road from the Parc National des Grands Jardins visitor center. Despite its proximity, however, it’s technically part of a different park. You can find lots more information about this trail in our Winter Hiking Guide for the Mont du Dôme trail.
What else is there to do in the area?
If you are looking for more great hikes, there are several great trails in the area not too far from the national park, and a visit to the charming town of Baie-Saint-Paul is definitely a must when in the area.
Where to Stay in the Area?
If you would like to spend a night (or more) to have the chance to enjoy several trails in the area, there are a few great accommodation options in and around the town of Baie-Saint-Paul. We particularly enjoyed our stay in the Deluxe Queen Suite at the Gîte TerreCiel, situated in the heart of the old village, close to many restaurants and only a short 30-minute drive away from the hiking trails listed above.
Alternatively, the national park has several cabins that can be rented and are located a short walk from the visitor center. However, these tend to get booked several months in advance, particularly for weekend stays.
You might also be interested in these pages:
Best Winter Hiking Trails in Charlevoix region
Best Winter Hiking Trails in Sutton (Eastern townships)
Best Winter Hiking Trails in Mont Mégantic National Park
6 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
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.
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 Winter Hiking Guide for the Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes trail and that it will prove useful for planning your hiking adventures in the Parc National des Grands Jardins.
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