Route des Montagnes

This getaway begins with a hike on Mont du Lac des Cygnes. The trail takes four hours, to go and come back (8.6 km). At an altitude of 980 m, the mountain’s summit offers one of the best panoramic views in Charlevoix! Degree of difficulty: difficult.

You’ll need to make a choice in the afternoon, because Parc national des Grands-Jardins offers many discovery activities. Conference, rabaskaw, hiking, astronomy, minibus tour, educational game, rally, initiation to fishing... What will it be?

With you well secured to the rock face of Mont du Lac des Cygnes, the morning promises to be rich in emotion with via ferrata. Two safe itineraries, equipped with beams, bridges and other suspended walkways, reveal the region’s stunning landscapes.

Get away from it all on this 5-km hike. An expert guide helps us discover various facets of the boreal forest, traces of the last glaciation and the importance of lichen for caribou. Here, it feels like a completely different world!

Today, we’re going salmon fishing. The Association de conservation de la Vallée du Gouffre offers equipment rentals and beginners’ courses. Fishers pay only the access fee. Here, the size of the salmon makes for good tales! Don’t let them get away!

For hiking enthusiasts, this trail runs along the Gouffre River. It is shared with salmon fishermen and accessible on foot or by bicycle. Friendly dogs on a leash are allowed. Intermediate level of 12.6 km (7.8 mi.).

They look like ostriches, but they’re emus! There are over 400 of them at this farm, designated an economuseum and featuring an emu oil processing centre. Discover how the world’s second-largest bird is bred and what products are derived from it!

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. And there are lots of them at the Ferme Basque de Charlevoix. Visit the farm to discover how ducks are bred and to buy products at the boutique.

Spend the afternoon at the Domaine Le Pic-Bois outfitter with the black bears. Accompanied by a guide and from the top of a lookout, you can observe and photograph the bears at a distance of less than 20 metres. They’re not big... but well-groomed!

Everyone in their swimsuit! At the Lac Nairne outdoor recreation complex, you can cool off a bit and go kayaking. Rustic campsites are also available for recreational vehicles, tent trailers and trailers.

This is like paradise for ATV enthusiasts. A package with a guide allows you to discover the massif of the Laurentians. Perfectly groomed trails let you explore landscapes that will remain forever etched in your mind. Helmet and caution are required.

Steep rock faces and mountains surround us during our tour boat excursion in Parc national Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie. In late afternoon or at dusk, the river in this deep valley is so calm, the experience is nothing short of magnificent!

This morning, we lace up our walking shoes for a hike on the Acropole-des-Draveurs trail, one of Québec’s most beautiful and highest (1,048 m) trails. During the climb up, the landscapes change from maple forests to alpine tundra.

This park also offers many discovery activities. Rabaskaw outings at dusk and the activity showcasing the life of log drivers in days gone by are captivating. If not, there’s much more to do, and something for everyone... Bat watching perhaps?

Kayak or bike? The Draveur Visitors Centre proposes a 16-km bike route or a kayak excursion on the Rivière Malbaie. Bikes and kayaks can be rented at the equipment rental centre, located 150 metres behind the Draveur Visitors Centre.

Our journey ends with a descent of the Rivière Malbaie in an inflatable canoe, combining thrills with safety. Your descent of the river, with the surrounding mountains towering up to 800 m, will leave you breathless!