If you are an outdoor enthusiast like us and love beautiful winter wonderland landscapes despite our cold Québec winters, you will be happy to know that we have some excellent hiking trails to recommend. Hiking is definitely not an activity that should be exclusively practiced in the summer or fall. In fact, we find it can be even more enjoyable in winter when well prepared. All you need is to dress appropriately given the colder conditions (i.e. layers) and, when needed, wear proper footwear (ice cleats or snowshoes, depending on the trail conditions). To help discover some of the most beautiful winter wonderlands Québec has to offer, we put together this guide on 10 amazing Quebec Winter Hiking trails. We believe them to be accessible trails to most hikers and they were chosen because of their great effort-to-reward ratio.
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You might also be interested in these pages:
Best Winter Hiking Trails in Grands-Jardins National Park
Best Winter Hiking Trails in Sutton (Eastern townships)
Best Winter Hiking Trails in Mont Mégantic National Park
Best Time for Winter Wonderland Scenery
To experience a proper winter hike and beautiful white landscapes, it’s usually 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. Also, note that trails often may close during the spring season snow-melt period (dates vary from year to year).
Why Hike in Winter?
– There are generally fewer people on the hiking trails, allowing for a more peaceful and enjoyable experience.
– Compacted snow generally makes the trail easier to walk on and removes the difficulties associated with walking over rocks, boulders and tree roots.
– The scenery is very different than in any other season but is no less beautiful.
Winter Hiking and Trail Safety Tips
In the absence of any significant recent snowfall, it is highly recommended to wear crampons/traction cleats under your shoes or boots when hiking most trails in this park, particularly any trail that has significant elevation gain. You can generally rent traction crampons/ice cleats to attach to your boots at most trail visitor centers. If you plan on needing cleats for more than 2 days, you’re probably better off buying your own (you can usually find great ones in the $25-35 range).
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.
If there was a lot of recent snowfall, you might want to hike with snowshoes instead of ice cleats to help navigate the soft snow. To help you decide what footwear to bring, most national park websites detail the current conditions of the trails, and most visitor centers rent 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 since you will warm up after a few minutes of hiking. But it’s a great idea to pack some extra warm gear for when you take a break or reach the summit.
Finally, note that several of the trails below are located within Québec National Parks, which all share the same access fee structure.
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.
1- Mont Mégantic Trail (Mont Mégantic National Park)
The Mont Mégantic Trail is one of the most popular trails of the national park that bears its name, Mont-Mégantic National Park. The park itself is located in southeastern Québec, roughly 2h30 east of Montreal, and the trail is located in the eastern portion of the park, known as the Observatory Sector. It’s known for its beautiful winter scenery, snow-covered pines, frozen forests, and the impressive astronomical observatory that awaits you at the summit.
Distance: 11.7 km
Route Type: Partial Loop
Elevation gain: 525 m
AllTrails rating: (4.6, 946 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 3h45-4h15
Access Fees: SEPAQ Daily rate
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
For more information on this trail, check out our Mont Mégantic Trail Winter Hiking Guide.
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 – Round Top and Lac Spruce Trail (PENS – Sutton)
The Round Top trail is popular for a reason – it gets A LOT of snow creating magical snow-covered forests and it leads to the highest peak of the massif, the Round Top, which culminates at 968 meters, where it offers panoramic views of the St. Lawrence plain, the Monteregiennes and Lake Champlain. The final sections can be very icy, particularly those that involve the steps, so proper winter footwear (winter crampons are preferable) is highly recommended. Along the way to the top, you can stop by two beautiful frozen lakes: the smaller Lac Vogel and the larger Lac Spruce.
The trail is part of the Parc d’Environnement Naturel de Sutton (P.E.N.S), which is located 118 km southeast of Montreal (roughly a 90-minute drive) in the Eastern Townships region of Québec.
Distance: 7.1 km
Route Type: Partial Out & back, Partial Loop
Elevation gain: 430 m (cumulative elevation gain: 440 m)
AllTrails rating: (4.6, 2626 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 2h30-3h
Access fee: 8$ (2024)
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
For more information on this trail, check out our Winter Hiking Guide for Sutton’ Round Top trail.
3 – Mont Lac des Cygnes Trail (Grands Jardins National Park – Charlevoix)
The Mont Lac des Cygnes trail is part of the stunning Parc National des Grands-Jardins National Park, located a 90-minute drive northeast of Quebec City (and approximately 30 minutes north of Baie-Saint-Paul). The trail takes you to a high summit with 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the glacier-carved valleys. You’ll go through various forested sections, with a pit stop by the beautiful frozen Lake George, before emerging onto a large bare summit.
Distance: 8.9 km
Route Type: Out & back
Elevation gain: 421 m (cumulative elevation gain: 434 m)
AllTrails rating: (4.8, 1704 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 2h45-3h15
Access Fees: SEPAQ daily rate
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
For more information on this trail, check out our Winter Hiking Guide for the Mont-du-Lac-des-Cygnes trail.
4 – Mont du Dome Trail (ZEC des martres – Charlevoix)
The Mont du Dome trail, also often referred to as the Path of the Dome, is just a few kilometres north of the previous trail (Mont Lac des Cygnes Trail), though it is not part of the Grands-Jardins National Park and it presents different challenges than the latter. Whereas the final portion of the Mont Lac des Cygnes Trail is the most difficult one, here it is the initial ascent is that is very steep and the use of ice crampons or hiking poles is highly recommended. Once the ascent section of the loop is completed, the rest of the trail is fairly straightforward. The panoramic views from the summit are simply spectacular.
Distance: 8.4 km
Route Type: Partial Out & back, Partial Loop
Elevation gain: 320 m (cumulative elevation gain: 461 m)
AllTrails rating: (4.6, 934 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 3h-3h30.
Access fee: suggested contribution of 7$.
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
For more information on this trail, check out our Winter Hiking Guide for the Mont du Dome trail.
5 – Mont Saint-Joseph Trail (Mont Mégantic National Park)
For more information on this trail, check out our Mont Saint-Joseph Trail Winter Hiking Guide.
6 – Mont King et Mont Condor Trail (Val David)
The Laurentians are home to many of our favorite hiking areas in souther Quebec, and right in the heart of the region lies one of our favorite trails: the Mont King and Mont Condor Loop Trail. Located between Montreal and Mont-Tremblant, the trail is neither too difficult nor too easy and boasts an impressive number of panoramic viewpoints for a trail of its length.
Distance: 6.1 km
Route Type: Loop
Elevation gain: 135 m (cumulative elevation gain: 214 m)
AllTrails rating: (4.6, 1223 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 1h40 – 2h10
Access Fees: 10$ (2024)
Difficulty Level: Moderate
For more information on this trail, check out our Mont King and Mont Condor Hiking Guide.
7 – Mont Hollandais Trail (Sutton)
This trail is very different from those described to date. It follows a large square loop path, with a long section that follows a ridgeline between two summits (Hollandais summit and Orignal summit). There are several viewpoints along the ridgeline section providing beautiful vistas of the surrounding mountains. Note that it is not as busy as the other trails mentioned above, often resulting in less packed snow, meaning that snowshoes could be more helpful than ice crampons (though in our experience it was always still very manageable in our normal winter boots). Dogs are not permitted on this trail.
Distance: 7.2 km
Route Type: Loop
Elevation gain: 300 m (cumulative elevation gain: 485 m)
AllTrails rating: (4.5, 783 ratings (2024))
Duration: Most people complete the trail in about 2h30-3h
Access Fees: $8 (2024)
Difficulty level: Moderate
8 – Les Cimes Trail (Mont Mégantic)
9 – Les Coulées Trail (Jacques Cartier National Park – Québec City area)
The Les Coulées trail is our favourite from the Jacques Cartier National Park, a provincial park 45 minutes north of Québec City, one where you get most of your work done (i.e. the ascent) in the first quarter of the trail, after which you are either walking on a gently descending slope or a relatively flat path. In the second half of the trail you will find yourself enjoying beautiful riverside views of the valley floor, as the path first follows the Sautauriski River and then the Jacques-Cartier River.
Distance: 11.3 km
Route Type: Loop
Elevation gain: 225 m (cumulative elevation gain: 442m)
AllTrails rating: (4.4, 1042 ratings (2024))
Access fee: SEPAQ Daily rate
Duration: Most people complete this trail in 3h-3h30.
Difficulty level: Moderate
10 – Mont Chocolat Trail (Massif-du-Sud Regional Park – Chaudière-Appalaches)
This trail is located in the Massif-du-Sud Regional Park, a 1h20 drive southeast of Québec City. The first section of this trail (roughly the first 2km) is relatively straightforward as you will take a path that follows (and crosses on a few occasions via footbridges) a meandering river. The second leg of the trail turns away from the river and will essentially follow a V-shaped path on your way up to the summit of Mont Chocolat. From the Belvedere at the top, you can either retrace your steps back to return to the trailhead or continue forward to complete a loop that will take you back to a point on the trail a few hundred meters from where it branched off from the river.
Distance: 7.7 km
Route Type: Out & Back, Loop section on the summit
Elevation gain: 270 m (cumulative elevation gain: 314m)
Start point: Park Visitor Center
AllTrails rating: (4.5, 775 ratings (2024))
Access fee: 9$ (2024) – You can prepay online here.
Duration: Most people complete this trail in 2h30-3h
Difficulty level: Moderate
You might also be interested in these pages:
Best Winter Hiking Trails in Grands-Jardins National Park
Best Winter Hiking Trails in Sutton (Eastern townships)
Best Winter Hiking Trails in Mont Mégantic National Park
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
SafetyWing is a travel insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for travellers. Includes Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance. Primarily geared towards long-term travellers, digital nomads, and expats.
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 Guide on some of the Best Quebec winter hiking trails and that it will help you discover new hiking destinations across the province.
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