Mount Tremblant National Park, Quebec

Mount Tremblant National Park, Quebec

For the last couple of weeks, we've been staying in a beautiful 'cottage' in the Laurentian Mountains, in Quebec, courtesy of our dear friends, Diane and Stephen. Apart from being a heavenly abode, situated on a lovely lake and surrounded by nature, it has given us the opportunity to explore what this province has to offer. It is not for nothing that it is known as 'La Belle Province'! 

One day, last week, we visited Mont Tremblant National Park. With over 1500 square kilometres to explore, it's perfect for a variety of activities, all year round. The weather was just right for hiking, hitting a nice 18 degrees Celsius, with a pleasant breeze. 

From the entrance gate, we drove 5 km in to the Chutes aux Rats, where we had our picnic lunch, basking in the warmth of the sun. The waterfalls were stunning and lent a great ambience to our outdoor lunch. 

After this, we went to another section of the park - some 49 km away - and hiked along a trail up to the lookout at La Roche. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes of continuous climbing at around 1 in 6 ratio of slope to a height of 656 ft above the lake.

The trail followed a terrific fast-flowing stream for most of the way, which made the climb not only more palatable, but positively pleasurable!

Stopping to take a breather every now and then, the climb to the top was totally worth it, with stunning panoramic views of the glacial valley, with two huge lakes and the Mont Tremblant highlands. Absolutely amazing! 

The hike down only took us 45 minutes, but we got our exercise in...and then some!  When we looked back up to the lookout place, I exclaimed to Mark that, if I had seen how far up we were going to climb, I probably would have volunteered to stay at the base, and waved to him from there! 

You can just see the lookout post at the 11:00 clock position (near the top of the mountain in a direct line above my finger)

That being said, I would not have experienced the views or the sense of achievement.

Before returning home, we ventured further into the park and took a short 500 metre hike to see the amazing Chute Croches. The sheer speed of the water over the rapids was to be beheld!

We arrived back at the cottage just in time to catch a lovely sunset over the lake.

We are so full of gratitude to our awesome friends, Diane and Stephen, for making this time possible for us!