Hiking Guide: Parc National de la Jacques-Cartier
- Giselle Benson
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Discover the majestic glacial valley wilderness of Parc National de la Jacques-Cartier. With more than 100 kilometres of hiking trails, this provincial park offers superb, scenic sojourns amid deciduous and coniferous forests. I visited Parc de la Jacques-Cartier on numerous occasions this summer and have compiled a list of my favourite hikes to enjoy the beauty of this natural splendour.
After you've stretched your legs with a good hike or two I definitely recommend swimming and paddle-boarding in the Jacques-Cartier river. I brought my own SUP although the park offers a variety of paddle-craft rentals. If you BYO SUP I recommend paddling upstream from l’Ekwatek (25km junction of the parkway). I also recommend swimming at the 30km junction.
BEST HIKING TRAILS IN PARC DE LA JACQUES-CARTIER
Located 300km from Montréal and only 50km from Québec City, this parkland splendour is something to add to your bucket list. I've made the out-and-back drive for a day trip from Montreal (leaving around 2:30am) and while I was certainly tuckered out after the drive home, I can joyfully confirm it was well worth it. The park is truly breathtaking.
Le Scotora Trail
Length: 16km
Trail Type: Out-and-Back
Difficulty: Moderate
Duration: ~5-5.5 hours
Elevation gain: 405m
This beautiful, gradually ascending, 16km out-and-back trail starts off with a walk through the understory of deciduous vegetation alongside a small river before opening up into an evergreen trail with beaver dams and lakes. The summit of the trail offers panoramic views of the Jacques-Cartier river and surrounding mountain ridges. At the 5km mark along the trail you have the option to veer off to left and venture towards the Lac Cook trail. This'll add an extra 3.0km onto your hike with a 1.5km out-and-back trail. I decided to add this onto my hike on my way down from the summit. It was peaceful. When I got to the lake there weren't any structural viewing platforms although there was a single beached rowing boat which I decided to sit in and soak up the surroundings. If you feel like stretching your legs and you enjoy being close to the water it could be a nice add-on.
The entrance to this hike is at the end of the park at the kilometre 30 junction. This is my favourite region of the park. There are beautiful picnic tables on a bridge overlooking the exquisite vistas of the Rivière de la Jacques-Cartier Valley. I had breakfast here before the hike and a picnic lunch afterwards. I also went swimming in the Jacques-Cartier river. The water was gorgeously refreshing. I wore —and would highly recommend— aqua booties as the rocks can be quite slippery as you navigate your way into deeper waters.
Les Loups Trail
Length: 11km
Trail Type: Out-and-Back
Difficulty: Moderate
Duration: ~3-4 hours
Elevation gain: 447m
The wolves trail is an 11km out-and-back trail through a mixture of deciduous and coniferous forests. For a shorter, 5km, walk you can hike to the first belvedere and turn around or complete the full trail and hike to the second lookout. This can be a popular hiking trail at the park, so if you enjoy hiking in the silent company of Mother Nature, I'd recommend arriving early. I started this trail around 6:30am and crossed paths with a few wandering souls shortly before arriving at the carpark during my descent.
L'Éperon Trail
Length: 5.2km
Trail Type: Loop
Difficulty: Easy
Duration: 1-1.5 hours
Elevation gain: 210m
L’Éperon is a short trail walk that meanders alongside a river offering wonderful valley views of the park. This is a great place to stretch your legs after the drive into the park (located at kilometre 3 along the provincial parkway). I would recommend pairing this trail with le scotera or les loups trails to provide contrasting perspectives of the park.
Le Draveur Nord
Length: 24.8 km
Trail Type: Out-and-Back
Difficulty: Moderate
Duration: 8 hours
While I DID NOT complete the full trail, I strolled for perhaps the first kilometre or two while the trail hugged the river (starting at the 30km junction on the parkway). When the trail ventured into the forest I turned back. There are lots of beautiful river-front picnic spots on the trail as well as on the bridge before the start of the trail). I'd recommend walking the first few kilometres, as previously mentioned, after le Scotera trail or in conjunction with one of the other trails mentioned in this guide.
Have you visited parc national de la Jacques-Cartier? What were your favourite hikes? You're invited to leave a comment down below and share your experience. I'd love to know what your favourite time of year is to visit this park.
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