Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier

Great place! Puts the campgrounds in Ontario to shame. Beautiful hikes, nice visitor center, clean. And only a half hour or so away from Quebec City! What a gem. Will definitely be back. I camped there for three nights in October

Breathtaking views during the fall! We visited the park on the first weekend of October and had an amazing experience! Good facilities with washrooms and a small snack bar. We had no problems parking (we arrived around 10:30 AM).

Visited the park over the mid October weekend to observe some fall foliage and enjoy nature. The park gets quite busy so make sure to purchase your tickets online for ~$10 per adult. There are other purchase options. Admittedly, Parks Canada manages parks better than Sepaq. Roads are not maintained as well, narrow roads, signage not so clear etc. The people that work at the park make up for this, as they are friendly and helpful! Highly recommend the Les Cascades trail! Peaceful, relatively easy hike with some nice spots to enjoy fall foliage.

We booked a kayaking tour through the park which started/ended at the visitors center. The prices were very affordable and there were many options (single kayak, double kayak, inflatable canoe, canoe and raft). You do not need prior experience to book this tour but do go through Class I & II rapids (this basically means that there’s running water and it would be pretty hard to injure yourself). You do not get any technical advice for maneuvering your watercraft but they shuttle you to the drop in point upstream and point out some of the rapids. You will most likely be rafting with a lot of people, so you will rarely feel alone with no one to help you if you need help. The river also follows the road almost the whole time, so you are not in a remote area, although it still is very scenic. Our trip began with many frustrations as we got stuck on rocks a lot in the beginning. We were in the two person inflatable canoe which would just sit on the top the rocks and not budge (unlike a plastic kayak….) however the inflatable canoe sits higher and my mom who is scared of water felt more comfortable. We were also told water does not get into them and this proved to be true. I ended up having to get out and pull our raft off the rocks. The water is very shallow where most of the rapids are so this was easy to do but I’m sure you want to avoid this as much as possible to not hurt yourself. We also never tipped over nor did I see anyone else tip over. My mom initially wanted to portage all the rapids but after we went down the first rapid (because it is very near the drop in and as others have stated is very tricky) she was fine with the others. There is one rapid you have to portage if you are renting a vessel from the park. The portage is maybe 1/4 of a mile. Many people took breaks carrying their rafts/kayaks. With that all being said it was very scenic and the rapids are really fun once you get the hang of it! It is easier to maneuver a kayak by yourself…and always try to paddle in the “V” between rocks. My mom who is deathly scared of water had a fun time. There are little beaches where you can stop and eat snacks. They have dry bags that are first come at the visitors center.

Sentier L'Éperon trail, 3km into Jacques-Cartier park is a great hike! It is not too challenging and only took me about 1.5 hours (I hike fast with few breaks). I also decided to go counterclockwise (left) uphill when the trail started. This made the incline much steeper going up rather than going down. This move totally saved my knees! There are great viewpoints along the trail, as well as information and history from the park. I just got the beginning of the leaves changing colors for Fall too. It was mostly dry everywhere, only a few mud areas along the trail. Lots and lots of cool mushrooms too! Overall it was a great hike!

Beautiful national park, just 30-45 minutes north of Quebec City...it's hard to believe this big wilderness area is so close to a major Metropolitan area. So many things to do here - hiking, biking, water sports, and winter sports as well. Because of all this, it can get quite crowded on weekends. There is a very nice visitors center with free wifi. We were here on a Wed-Sun in mid-September, camping in L'escarpment campground. Water & electric hookup in A-loop for 3 nights, then primitive in B-loop. Wed and Thurs was very quiet, on Friday & Saturday the weekend crowd rolled in with the usual noise. In A-loop, there is a mix of campsites and "Ready to Camp" hut sites. All tucked in together, but with a trees and low brush between sites, there was reasonable privacy. The Ready To Camp sites were very nice, they seem to attract larger groups. Also, they were clustered on one side of A-loop. The campground sites are large, mostly level, with a gravel base, picnic table and firepit. Spaced far apart. The other loop is all nice, quieter, primitive sites. One bath/shower house, that looked quite modern and new for the entire campground, close to the A-loop. Heated shower rooms (much appreciated on a 52°F morning!) and free. Wash sinks outside. The dump station and potable water-fill spigot is located in a different campground, Alluvian. It's on the right as soon as you pull into the campground road. There are 2 dump stations and 1 water-fill.

I hiked at this spot and found it to be a refreshing escape from the city. The breathtaking views along the trail make it worth every step, and there are plenty of viewpoints to stop and take in the scenery. Whether you're a seasoned hiker or just looking for a pleasant outing, this hike is definitely worth it!

Such a beautiful park. We visited here from New Hampshire during a long weekend trip to Quebec City. It was worth the short ride from the city. We only had time for one hike before we had to head back so we chose Les Loupes which was a fantastic hike with great views at the summit. We packed sandwiches and ate lunch at the summit. The hike was listed as “challenging” and though it was fairly strenuous, I would not consider it overly difficult for someone in decent physical shape. We visited the visitor center at the park which was quite nice. The gift shop was fairly well stocked though I was disappointed that there were no pins available as I collect pins from national parks. My only complaint for the visitor center is that the restrooms really should be larger as there was a line for the bathroom when we were leaving and only two stalls in the men’s room. The porta-potties were few and far between once you get into the park. More restrooms would be nice considering the amount of visitors this park seems to attract. I also recommend getting to the park early. We got there between 8-9am and had no trouble parking but when we were leaving close to 2pm, the hiking trail lots were mostly full and the visitor center parking lot was packed.

This is a huge park to camp or hike at. There are many hiking trails, picnic spots and beautiful views of the river and mountains. We had to drive in a road off the main roadway a ways before we reached the shack, and another mile or so until we arrived at the main parking area and lodge. There are many long or short hikes and I'm glad I read the reviews before I went because we definitely needed the mosquito / bug repellant. Although the repellant didn't keep the flies away, it at least helped us from getting bitten. We hiked on a trail somewhere further in the park from the main parking lot and there were two lookouts. We made it to the first lookout, which was a fantastic view of the mountain in front of us and river below, but as we hiked in the woods further up the mountain and into the late afternoon, the swarms of flies multiplied greatly until my kids couldn't stand having the swarm of pesky flies hitting our arms and buzzing in and out of our noses and ears. They said the flies usually come out the day after it rains, so we were unfortunate that day. Although there are many flying insects, I am glad my friend suggested this huge park, and I'll definitely visit this park again.

Amazingly beautiful. The staff were so helpful and gave us great tips for our hike! We stayed on a fairly easy trail and even my 7 year old managed just fine.

Awesome park! We made the trip up from Quebec City and were so impressed. It is well worth the short trip from the city. The visitor center is about 10 km in from the entrance. But they built the center with an absolutely phenomenal view out the back, where you can sit and picnic and enjoy. The employees in the center are very helpful, and speak English well. On the day we were there, they also had an information booth set up outside in front of the center. I'm not really sure what the difference between the two are, but I utilized both during my visit for questions. They recommended Les Cascades trail for the family, since I have little ones. My five and seven year old had no problem with the 1.5 km trail. But, if you want to go all out, there are trails for seasoned hiking veterans as well. We drove another 20 km into the park after our hike to see what we could see. There are some incredible views, with waterfalls coming off the top of some of these mini-mountains, barely visible off into the distance around 28 km in. It was such an awesome sight. My pictures just could not do the experience justice. P.S. Take the bug spray! The mosquitoes, flies, and gnats are unrelenting!

Challenging hikes but worth the view. Lookout spots have room for plenty of people to observe and take pictures. One even has benches so you can enjoy your meal. But be careful what you pack as there are A LOT of bugs. So bring bug spray and of course, lots of water. It can be muddy in some areas so it may not be the best idea to wear your new shoes. But wear comfortable ones because depending on what trail you chose, it can be a long hike.

This is a stunningly beautiful park. It's enormous and there are many activities for all ages and skill levels. Camping? Check. Canoeing (guided or solo)? Check. Tubing? Check. Bike rentals? Check. Bike Tours? Check. Hiking? You better believe it!! Since I was unprepared for a water adventure, shame on me, I stuck with the trails that followed the river and soaked up the sun and the breeze. The trails vary vastly in skill level, so pay attention to what you know about your own abilities and select an option that work for you. The trail I opted for had a few little bunny trails that lead to some easier going spots on the river where I was able to soak my toes and zen out. There is a nominal cost associated with admission. The visitors center is about 10 kilometers into the park. There is a small cafe and gift shop there, naturally, but really this is where you sign up and pay for whatever adventures you opt for. This really is a must visit when in/around Quebec! Also, the bugs are no joke. I took that with a grain of salt when I read other reviews, and I regret that. Even with a couple Off towelettes to swipe at my exposed areas, they were freaking demonic and incessant in their relentless pursuit of my flesh. That part was awful and I don't know what to tell you about that. Mom's were quite literally swaddling their babes in netting.

My friend and I came here to go hiking. There's a 8.75 CAD fee per person (not per car, wow!), so beware. We were given a map, and then we went to the visitor center, which had a small shop and rangers to ask questions to. It's a nice space to chill as there are tables and Wifi there too. We then headed to the Les Loups trail, which had plenty of parking and a porta potty which was surprisingly clean. The hike itself wasn't super enjoyable because although most of it was in the shade, there were just way too many bugs constantly flying around. The view at the top was just alright too, as we saw the river and mountains int he distance. Too many bugs! Clear signage was helpful for the trails that branched off, and the hike was somewhat challenging which is always good. I would love to come back when there aren't so many bugs flying around (and biting people), but otherwise it's a beautiful park!

Incredible setting, beautiful views, but EXCEPTIONALLY buggy!!!!! Make sure to bring the bug spray!!!!

Great hiking! Highly recommend kayaking the rapids in a tandem kayak. Good facilities. We camped in the southernmost entrance only 30 minutes north of Quebec.