Gaspesie National Park Overview
By Sue Lebrecht
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| Gaspesie National Park, Quebec, Canada (courtesy, Jean_Francois Bergeron/Ministere du Tourisme du Quebec) |
Gaspesie National Park Parks and Outdoors Travel Tips
- Hiking trails climb through tundra landscapes where woodland caribou can be sighted, and up to peaks with breathtaking vistas.
- Gîte du Mont-Albert is open to all park visitors, not just hotel guests, for gourmet meals or Quebec microbrews on a sunny terrace.
- Bistro Le Piedmont, at the foot of Mont-Albert, offers a varied summer menu, boxed lunches to go, and a stunning view from its terrace.
- Coin laundries are available at the Discovery and Visitors Centre, the Mont-Albert campground, and Gîte du Mont-Albert.
- Boutique Nature, in the Discovery and Visitors Centre, offers a wide range of rental equipment, from hiking shoes and baby carriers to climbing skins and tents.
- The wind can be constant and sometimes even violent, and in winter the snow is abundant, often staying until late summer.
- Encompassing some of the most rugged mountains on the eastern seaboard, Gaspésie National Park supports Arctic-alpine plants and the only herd of woodland caribou south of the St. Lawrence River. In its deep valleys of thick boreal forest, it provides habitat for one of the largest moose populations in Quebec.
- Located inland on the Gaspé Peninsula, south of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, the park covers the Chic-Chocs and McGerrigle mountains, which feature 25 peaks over 3,000 feet. The Chic-Chocs are at the northern tip of the Appalachian mountain range and hold Quebec's second-highest peak, Mont Jacques-Cartier.
- Visitors can hike, backpack, mountain bike, backcountry ski, and snowshoe in the vast wilderness. A wide array of trails take anywhere from 30 minutes to ten days to complete (with the epic Great Chic-Chocs Crossing at the long end), leading to summits, tundra plateaus, and glacial cirques, all with breathtaking vistas. Long-distance trails feature huts that sleep up to eight, and backcountry skiing guides operate here in winter with baggage transfer service from one hut to the next.
- Other park activities include canoeing and kayaking on Lac-Cascapédia, where canoe and kayak rentals are available. Sadly for non–French speakers, summer interpretive programs aren't bilingual. There's a children's playground and several picnic areas to choose from, and the Discovery and Visitors Centre provides an overview of the park with exhibits and audiovisual displays. At the Centre, Boutique Nature rents a wide range of equipment, including hiking shoes, walking poles, raincoats, backpacks, baby carriers, backcountry ski gear, snowshoes, climbing skins, and tents.
- The four-star hotel Gîte du Mont-Albert has world-renowned cuisine, while four campgrounds offer a budget option. Rental cabins with kitchens and hot showers are available lakeside, riverside, and in the forest surrounding the hotel. Huttopia rents two-bedroom tents on wooden platforms that include common spaces and rudimentary kitchens.
Last Updated: 16 Feb 2011
Published: 31 Mar 2010
The details, dates, and prices mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of publication.
Published: 31 Mar 2010
The details, dates, and prices mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of publication.
Gaspesie National Park Highlights
- Hiking trails climb through tundra landscapes where woodland caribou can be sighted, and up to peaks with breathtaking vistas.
- Gîte du Mont-Albert is open to all park visitors, not just hotel guests, for gourmet meals or Quebec microbrews on a sunny terrace.
- Bistro Le Piedmont, at the foot of Mont-Albert, offers a varied summer menu, boxed lunches to go, and a stunning view from its terrace.
- Coin laundries are available at the Discovery and Visitors Centre, the Mont-Albert campground, and Gîte du Mont-Albert.
- Boutique Nature, in the Discovery and Visitors Centre, offers a wide range of rental equipment, from hiking shoes and baby carriers to climbing skins and tents.
- The wind can be constant and sometimes even violent, and in winter the snow is abundant, often staying until late summer.
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Gaspesie National Park Travel Q&A
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Parks Near Gaspesie National Park
- Forillon National Park,QC (89 mi.)
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