If you could hug a trail network…
If a trail system could reach out and give you a big hug, it would be Cap Tourmente Wildlife Reserve, 15 minutes north of Mont Sainte-Anne.
I was looking for a nice hike but nothing to taxing and that had some activity and a little less off the beaten path. I find there’s a time when I enjoy the solitutde and other times when I like passing other hikers, hearing conversations and seeing smiling faces.
The focus of this hike was to see the Waterfalls via Les Chute. A bit of a rough outline of what to expect:
$2 per person fee to enter and you will be greated by someone as you drive towards the parking lots. Staff is bilingual from my experience.
You can park at P1 and this will lead you towards to P2\P3. I drove straight to P2 as there was plenty of parking available.
The trails start from P2 and to the left of the white church.
The signage is AMAZING!! Good gosh, I wish more trail systems would be this clear.
I followed the signs to Les Chute and it’s a nice gradual climb to the falls, with a nice wide trail with lots of benches and spots to rest and remove a layer. From there you will see 3 waterfalls and you are able to take lots of photos and admire natures beauty.
On the way back I decided to check out La Falaise lookout as it was really only 500 meters from the turnoff before heading back down. If you are more adventureous you can take a longer hike on La Cime into the forest. Again it’s very well marked and worth it I’m sure. Its around 2.3km from La Falaise. Another day for sure!
On the way back I enjoyed another forest trail, La Cedriere and worked my way back to the parking lot. This trail would be a lot of fun to MTB (not permitted I believe ) and run. A beaufiful trail with tons of birds chirping, beautiful sights all nestled in the woods for about 3km.
And don’t forget the boardwalk. This will provide you beautiful views of the St.Lawrence.
For $2 this is a steal of an adventure and you’ll walk away feeling like you explored a beautiful network of wildlife and nature.
