Though Mont Saint-Bruno is primarily known for its ski facility and ski school (which happens to be the largest ski school in Canada with over 500 instructors), the mountain is also home to the Mont Saint-Bruno National Park, which is one of our favorite National Parks near Montreal. The park is filled with a network of hiking and walking trails and several scenic lakes, many of which are adorned with floating wooden platforms to enjoy the scenery. So to help you discover this beautiful area, we put together this Mont Saint-Bruno National Park Hiking Guide.
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Mont Saint-Bruno National Park Location and Map
Mont Saint-Bruno National Park is located (link to Google Maps) within the western end of the Montérigie region of Québec, in between the towns of Saint-Bruno and Sainte-Julie, both of which are considered suburbs of Montreal.
How to Get to Mont Saint-Bruno National Park
The easiest way to reach the National Park is by car.
From Montreal: about a 35-40 min drive (35 km)
From Sherbrooke: about a 1h45 min drive (155 km)
Public transit options get you close, but it will take you significantly longer (about 2 hours) and you will have to walk the final 2 km to reach the park. *
*During the summer there is a bus service to the National Park departing from the Metro Longueuil bus terminus. Bus 298 exceptionally runs between July 1st and August 20th.
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.
We also highly recommend Airalo (eSIM card) for your connectivity needs when travelling abroad. Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide.
About Mont Saint-Bruno National Park
Mont Saint-Bruno National Park is one of 28 Quebec National Parks, the majority of which are administered by the Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (SÉPAQ) (Nunavik Parks administer the others). Although all provincial parks in Quebec have used the term “national park” since 2002, there is no connection to the federal national park system, administered by Parks Canada.
Mont Saint-Bruno National Park is the second closest to Montreal and includes part of one of the Monteregian Hills, Mont Saint-Bruno, which it shares with the Saint-Bruno Ski Resort. In 1976, the Government of Quebec acquired part of the mountain. It established a park in 1985 that, since 1999, is managed by the SEPAQ. One of the park’s notable features is the collection of five lakes that are found near the mountain summit. Despite its relatively small size, the mountain is known for its rich fauna and flora; over 250 deer inhabit the park (2024).
All Quebec National Parks charge the same access fees and you can buy an annual pass that allows unlimited access to all parks.
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.
Mont Saint-Bruno National Park opening hours and schedule
Unlike some of the other National Parks in the province, the Mont Saint-Bruno National Park isn’t open 24 hours/day and gates prevent access to the car parks outside of opening hours. Typically, the park opens every day at 8 am, but closes around sunset, meaning that the specific closing time varies throughout the year. For instance, in December the park closes at 4 pm, but it closes at 8:30 pm May through July. For exact and up-to-date closing times, we recommend checking the park’s schedule website page.
The park is however open every day of the year.
Mont Saint-Bruno National Park Hiking Trails
The national park has several short very easy walking trails and three longer trails that could be considered easy hiking trails. All trails depart from the park’s visitor center, which is adjacent to the large car parks.
All the trails follow wide and well-manicured paths. They are not rocky or filled with tree roots, making them easy to navigate for most people (in fact many use these trails for trail running), and one trail is a shared multi-purpose trail with cyclists. Some trails do have slight elevation gains and some repeated short ups and downs, but none have what would be considered difficult (or even moderate) ascents.
The Very Easy Trails
The three short trails are at the Saint-Gabriel (1.8 km loop), the Petit-Duc (1.5 km loop) and le Grand-Duc (3.5km loop). All three are accessible for strollers.
We have never walked the Saint-Gabriel loop, so we can’t really comment on it. We have, however, explored both the Petit-Duc and Grand-Duc trails. Both share the same first portion of the trail, with the Grand-Duc continuing further into the park before turning back towards the trailhead.
Along these trails, hikers pass between two scenic ponds before passing a picnic and playground area. Afterwards, the trails go through several different environments, such as shrubby wildlands, fledgling woodlands and open fields. Below are some trail details and a map of the Grand-Duc trail.
Distance: 3.2 km
Route Type: Loop
Elevation gain: 11 m (cumulative elevation gain: 22 m)
Start point: Visitor center
AllTrails rating: (4.3, 423 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 35-45 min
Access Fees: SEPAQ daily rate
Although these trails are nice, unless you are short on time, walking with very children or have mobility limitations, we recommend looking into one of the longer trails. They are more scenic and offer a better nature experience in our opinion.
The Easy but Longer Trails
1) Le Seigneurial Trail
Le Seigneurial Trail is the park’s second most popular trail, one where you’ll spend about half of your time looping around the park’s largest lake, Lac Seigneurial. Despite the lake’s size, it only boasts one observation viewpoint (a floating wooden belvedere) along the lakeside. It is a very beautiful spot, however, in all seasons.
Another fun aspect of this trail is that is the only one that passes directly by the historic Vieux-Moulin Tea Room. Here you’ll find specialty coffees and teas, Viennese pastries, smoothies, and fine chocolates within the charm and comfort of this 300-year-old mill.
If this trail has one drawback, is that it is a shared multipurpose trail that cyclists can use. In our experience, however, we rarely feel overwhelmed by the passing bikes (the trail is fairly large and wide) and hikers have always outnumbered cyclists on this trail.
Distance: 7.2 km
Route Type: Loop
Elevation gain: 50 m (cumulative elevation gain: 103 m)
Start point: Visitor center
AllTrails rating: (4.5, 1794 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 1h30-2h
Access Fees: SEPAQ daily rate
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.
2) Le Montérégien Trail
Le Montérégien trail partially loops around Lac Seigneural before spending most of the rest of the time under forest cover. If you are looking for more isolation this is the trail for you as it is not as frequented by visitors as the other trails. This is also your best bet to see some of the local wildlife.
Distance: 8.7 km
Route Type: Loop
Elevation gain: 80 m (cumulative elevation gain: 140 m)
Start point: Visitor center
AllTrails rating: (4.4, 817 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 1h45-2h15 min
Access Fees: SEPAQ daily rate
3) Les Lacs Trail
Les Lac’s trail, as its name suggests, allows you to visit all of the five park lakes (Lac Seigneural, Lac du Moulin, Lac des Atocas, Lac à la Tortue, and Lac des Bouleaux). In addition to the floating wooden deck on the western shore of Lac Seigneurial, it also has two fantastic viewpoints along the shores of Lac des Bouleaux and two more along the shores of Lac du Moulin.
Distance: 8.7 km
Route Type: Loop
Elevation gain: 90 m (cumulative elevation gain: 126 m)
Start point: Visitor center
AllTrails rating: (4.5, 2792 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 1h45-2h15 min
Access Fees: SEPAQ daily rate
Other important trail and park information
Canine companions: Dogs (on a leash) are only allowed on the Seigneurial, Petit-Duc, and Grand-Duc trails.
Winter: Only the Seigneurial, Petit-Duc, and Grand-Duc trails remain open for walkers and hikers. The other trails are reserved for cross-country skiing or fat bikes. Additional trails (that are closed the rest of the year) are also available for snowshoeing.
Toilets: Public Toilets are available in four different spots throughout the park: 1) at the Visitor Center, 2) at the picnic area near the Saint-Gabriel trail, 3) at the picnic area along the Petit-Duc trail, 4) and by the canoe rental cabin along the Les Lacs trail.
Which trail to choose at Mont-Saint-Bruno National Park
The answer to this question depends on several factors, such as your current physical condition, if you are coming with a dog, how much time you have and if you have been here before.
If time and physical condition aren’t an issue, then our favorite trail is definitely the Les Lacs trail. It’s roughly the same length as the Montérégien and Seigneurial trails and shares much of the same scenery, but it has better lakeside access and viewpoints. Its main drawback is its popularity, but if you come early you’ll have most of the trail to yourselves.
If you would like to walk around for longer, we enjoy combining the Les Lacs trail with the Grand-Duc trail. Since they both (like all trails in the park) share the same trailhead, you can easily start one trail as you finish the other. Doing both should take most people just under 3 hours to complete at a leisurely pace. With more time, you can squeeze in a short detour to the Vieux-Moulin Tea House, which will roughly be around the halfway point of the combined trails.
Mont Saint-Bruno National Park 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.
Other Activities In Mont Saint-Bruno National Park
You can rent various watercraft (including paddleboards and canoes) at the Lac des Bouleaux rental cabin, by the second lake you will cross along the Les Lacs trails (prices are indicated here).
Want to Discover More Hiking Trails In Southern Québec?
You might be interested in these pages:
Best Hiking Trails Near Montreal
Best Hiking Trails in the Eastern Townships
Quebec Hiking Trails that Are Stunning in Winter
Best Hiking Trails Near Mont Tremblant
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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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 Mont-Saint-Bruno National Park Hiking Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your hiking trip.
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