Located in Québec’s Lanaudière region, about 90 minutes from Montreal or 45 minutes from the Mont-Tremblant, Mont L’Envol is one of our favorite easy hiking trails near the resort village of Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm, itself a popular spot for weekend getaways among beautiful mountains and majestic lakes. Mont L’Envol is within the limits of the Mont-Tremblant National Park, so if you have the SEPAQ annual pass, hiking this trail won’t cost you a thing. We put together this Mont L’Envol Hiking Guide to help you plan your outdoor adventure here, which will include details on the trail difficulty, how long you can expect the hike to take, and the various viewpoints the trail offers. At the end of the guide, we will compare this hike with other popular trails in the area to help you decide if you are hesitating between a few different hiking options.
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You might also be interested in these pages:
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Mont L’Envol Location and Map
Mont L’Envol is located in the Lanaudière region, just east of the border with the Laurentian region (link to Google Maps). The trailhead is a few kilometres north of the resort village of Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm. The trail is also within the limits of Mont-Tremblant National Park (St-Donat sector).
How to Get to Mont L’Envol
The easiest way to reach the Mont L’envol trailhead is by car. Although you can reach Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm by bus from Montreal (via the Circuit 125 bus), you will have to figure out an alternative means to reach the trailhead from there.
From Montreal: about a 2h drive (145 km)
From the Mont-Tremblant area: about a 45-to-60 minute drive (60-70 km), depending on whether you are leaving from the town of Mont-Tremblant or the ski resort area.
From Ottawa: about a 2h30 drive (214 km)
From Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm: about 15 minutes (12 km)
From Trois-Rivières: about 2h30 drive (190 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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Mont L’Envol Hiking Trail Access, Fees, and Parking
Trailhead & car park location: Mont L’Envol car park and trailhead.
Trail access and fees: Because this trail is located within Mont-Tremblant National Park, SEPAQ standard fees apply.
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.
Trail opening Hours: 24 hours. You can consult the National Park’s homepage for alerts and notices regarding occasional road or trail closures.
Parking lot: There is a small car park by the trailhead with space for maybe 20 cars, but the very large main car park by the visitor center is less than a 5-minute walk away along a pedestrian path.
Facilities: Toilets are available in the park’s main visitor center.
Mont L’Envol Trail Details and Map
Distance: 4.5 km
Route Type: Out & back
Elevation gain: 205 m (cumulative elevation gain: 220 m)
Start point: Car Park
AllTrails rating: (4.5, 420 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 1h15-1h45
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 Mont L’Envol Trail Details
– Canine companions: Dogs are permitted on leashes.
– Summit: Mont L’Envol summit is located at an altitude of 621 m
– Trail environment: Forest (you will be under tree cover for most of the trail)
– Number of viewpoints: The trail boasts 2 main viewpoints from wooden belvederes.
– Trail Surface / Technical trail: easy, wide, and flat surface for the most part. Only a very short section near the summit where the trail surface narrows and becomes a little more rocky and uneven.
– Average trail slope grade: 9.7% (this is about an average ascent slope, but since it is only over 2 km and because the trail surface is fairly even, the ascent isn’t too challenging).
– Trail difficulty level assessment: 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)
Mont L’Envol Trail Description and Summary
Although the trail starts to ascend from the get-go, it does so following a gradual not-to-demanding slope. While those not used to hiking might need a breather once in a while, those with a decent amount of experience should climb this trail with ease.
Moreover, the trail surface is both wide and flat, making it easy to walk without having to worry about where you are stepping. It’s a nicely manicured trail, which makes it very family-friendly.
This is a short section as you near the summit where the trail narrows and becomes more rocky, but this section is very short-lived (about 2 minutes worth of hiking) so it’s definitely not something to worry about.
It’s honestly quite hard to decide which of the two viewpoints is more spectacular. The first viewpoint looks, whereas the second looks south, and both offer nearly 180-degree panoramic views of the beautiful surrounding mountainous and lake-filled landscape.
The first viewpoint:
The second viewpoint:
Note that although the embedded AllTrails map above indicates that the trail takes you to the summit after the two viewpoints, this was not the case during our visit. A sign indicated that this final section was closed during the summer and is only used as a snowshoe trail during winter.
Mont L’Envol Hiking & Trail Tips
– 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.
– 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.
The trail is also very beautiful come winter, but we haven’t tried it ourselves that time of year.
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.
Comparison with Other Nearby Trails
(updated in 2024)
| Mont Ouareau | Montagne Noire | Mont Kaaikop | Mont L’envol | Mont Sourire | |
| Difficulty | Moderate | Moderately Challenging | Moderately Challenging | Easy | Easy |
| Time required | 1h45-2h15 | 3h30-4h30 | 2h15-2h45 | 1h-1h30 | 30-45 min |
| Dogs | yes (leash) | yes (leash) | yes (leash) | yes (leash) | yes (leash) |
| Access Fees | 10$ | Free | 8.70$ + tax | $9.85 + tax* | Free |
| Busy/popular | +++ | ++ | ++ | + | ++++ |
| Viewpoints | 4a | 4b | 3c | 2 | 1 |
b The best viewpoint is atop a wooden tower on the mountain’s summit
c The summit has two viewpoints, but a slight detour halfway up the hike offers a third
* Free with the SEPAQ annual pass
Which trail has the best bang for your buck (the best rewards for little effort)?
We would have to go with the Mont L’envol trail. Although there is some elevation gain (220m), the slope is gradual and the trail surface is mostly flat. In the end, you are rewarded with two of the best viewpoints in our opinion.
Which trail is the most technically difficult?
We would have to go with the Mont Kaaikop trail. Large portions of the trail are very rocky with a variety of small-to-medium boulders, mixed in with lots of tree roots and several very muddy sections (even after several days of nice weather). Fortunately, the viewpoints are spectacular making all that effort worthwhile.
We gave the Montagne Noire trail the same overall difficulty rating but that’s mostly due to the length of the trail, which is more than double that of the Mont Kaaikop trail.
Which trail offers something different?
This one is easy – the Montagne Noire trail. Why? Primarily because near the summit you will come across a famous plane crash site – the Liberator Harry that crashed here in 1943 (the worst accident in Canadian military aviation history). There weren’t any trails on the mountain back then, nor did anyone witness the crash. It took more than two years for the wreckage to finally be located. There are lots of informative panels around the site where you can learn more about the history of the plane and its crew.
Where to Stay near the Mont L’Envol trail?
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). We particularly enjoy staying in the small town of Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm, which is strategically positioned between this trail and some of the other more popular trails in the region.
For great self-catering options, we can recommend one of the following Condo Lac Archambault units: 295, 326, 314, and 316. There is also this fantastic large modern wooden chalet with 3 bedrooms.
If you prefer a hotel, look no further than the Hotel Le Suisse, the town’s largest and best-rated hotel.
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
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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
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Mont L’Envol Hiking Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your hiking trip.
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