THE HAUTES-LAURENTIDES
Do you dream of living Quebec in the great outdoors? The team offers you a top 3 of local and regional parks.
WHITE FISH REGIONAL PARK
PRIVATIZE AN ISLAND!
This park, created in 2008 and classified as a biodiversity reserve the following year, is unique in that it is mainly composed of water.
It is indeed a 30 km long reservoir dotted with more than 80 islands. A true paradise for canoe-camping enthusiasts: water as far as the eye can see and small wild lands where you can pitch your tent for the night or stop for a meal. Le Poisson Blanc was actually born in 1929 from the construction of the Rapide-des-Cèdres Dam on the Lièvre River to facilitate logging and then generate electricity. In times of flooding, this reservoir retains water preventing flooding downstream as far as the Montreal region. Each year, visitors to the park return to their favorite island, but each time it is a little different. This phenomenon, which contributes to the magic of the park, is even more marked on the sandy banks which are revealed over the summer with the drop in water levels.
It is indeed a 30 km long reservoir dotted with more than 80 islands. A true paradise for canoe-camping enthusiasts: water as far as the eye can see and small wild lands where you can pitch your tent for the night or stop for a meal. Le Poisson Blanc was actually born in 1929 from the construction of the Rapide-des-Cèdres Dam on the Lièvre River to facilitate logging and then generate electricity. In times of flooding, this reservoir retains water preventing flooding downstream as far as the Montreal region. Each year, visitors to the park return to their favorite island, but each time it is a little different. This phenomenon, which contributes to the magic of the park, is even more marked on the sandy banks which are revealed over the summer with the drop in water levels.
ROBINSON’S LIFE
While some islands remain unspoiled and closed to visitors in order to protect their environment, most offer
rustic sites with picnic tables, a cleared site for tents and pit toilets. Boats, canoes and kayaks are available for hire on site for visitors who are not equipped. Booking a site gives exclusive access and includes the delivery of wood for the campfire. It is even possible to have your luggage transported by boat in waterproof barrels. Once on your island, you will then have the privilege of having no neighbor nearby. Peace, nature and excess. For those who prefer hiking, it is possible to walk one of the four trails of the Fort mountain. From 1 km to 3.2 km (45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes walk) they will all take you to unique views of the region and its myriad of lakes.Did you know?
Whitefish is also the name of the Atikamekw First Nations, a people who consumed this white fish (whitefish) in abundance.
rustic sites with picnic tables, a cleared site for tents and pit toilets. Boats, canoes and kayaks are available for hire on site for visitors who are not equipped. Booking a site gives exclusive access and includes the delivery of wood for the campfire. It is even possible to have your luggage transported by boat in waterproof barrels. Once on your island, you will then have the privilege of having no neighbor nearby. Peace, nature and excess. For those who prefer hiking, it is possible to walk one of the four trails of the Fort mountain. From 1 km to 3.2 km (45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes walk) they will all take you to unique views of the region and its myriad of lakes.Did you know?
Whitefish is also the name of the Atikamekw First Nations, a people who consumed this white fish (whitefish) in abundance.
REGIONAL PARK OF THE MOUNTAIN OF
THE DEVIL LE BEL ENSORCELEUR
This chain with four summits which rises to 783 meters is said to be haunted by the Windigo, a monster
of Algonquian mythology that would be possessed of the evil spirit. This is how it is nicknamed “Devil’s Mountain” while its official name is more prosaically Mount Sir-Wilfrid in honor of a former Canadian Prime Minister. But the legend also tells that the Windigo is a good devil who watches over the territory in order to protect it. He is sometimes threatening, but only towards those who destroy nature. It is in this spirit of conservation that the regional park was born in 2012, which has become an ecological reserve protected by enthusiasts of the place.
THE DEVIL LE BEL ENSORCELEUR
This chain with four summits which rises to 783 meters is said to be haunted by the Windigo, a monster
of Algonquian mythology that would be possessed of the evil spirit. This is how it is nicknamed “Devil’s Mountain” while its official name is more prosaically Mount Sir-Wilfrid in honor of a former Canadian Prime Minister. But the legend also tells that the Windigo is a good devil who watches over the territory in order to protect it. He is sometimes threatening, but only towards those who destroy nature. It is in this spirit of conservation that the regional park was born in 2012, which has become an ecological reserve protected by enthusiasts of the place.
TRAILS, SUMMITS, LAKES AND FALLS
Located at the center of a gentle division between the Lièvre River on one side and the immense Baskatong reservoir on the other, the Devil’s Mountain, 4 billion years old, is dotted with 80 km of hiking trails way to make hikers discover all its attractions. Recently, 10 km have also been opened to mountain bikes. The second highest peak in the Laurentian tourist region after Mont-Tremblant, Mont Sir-Wilfrid overlooks a landscape dotted with hundreds of lakes. Do not miss the impressive Windigo waterfall either. Very recent (in 2015), the village of the Builders welcomes you to its Léopold-Papineau pavilion.
Comfortable and warm, it is the place to meet and organize your walks. You can rent equipment, cook there or take a shower. In summer, the more adventurous will choose to sleep under the stars in rustic camping, but shelters are also open to visitors of more than one day.
Comfortable and warm, it is the place to meet and organize your walks. You can rent equipment, cook there or take a shower. In summer, the more adventurous will choose to sleep under the stars in rustic camping, but shelters are also open to visitors of more than one day.
KIAMIKA REGIONAL PARK
It is the youngest of the regional parks of the Laurentians, opened in June 2013, the Kiamika, whose Algonquin name means “abrupt shores or craggy rock”, is articulated around an immense body of water of 60 km2 where
the two large islands of the White Perdrix and the Petite Perdrix surrounded by around forty islets. In the heart of this unspoiled territory sheltering a biodiversity reserve and an old-growth forest, you quickly forget the worries of everyday life to immerse yourself in a new dimension. With its kilometers of sandy beaches, it is
the haunt of lovers of camping in peace (about sixty sites, most of them rustic) and lovers of unspoiled nature. Its biodiversity reserve covers an area of 46.2 km2 and has more than century-old trees in an old forest with diverse flora and fauna and where man has not yet made his mark. There are 70 species of protected birds in the park that can be observed in particular during
interpretation cruises. Although the park is an ideal destination for hiking, flatwater canoeing or kayaking, a fishing trip can also be added to your program. Located less than 200 km from Montreal, Kiamika is the destination for those curious about nature.