Grands-Jardins National Park

A Park Of Open Taiga Forest With Caribou Lichen, Lakes, Mont Du Lac Des Cygnes And The Pins Rouges Trail, With Campsites, Huts And Views Over The Malbaie Valley. Part Of The Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve, With A More Northern Feel Than The Nearby St. Lawrence Shore · Saint-Urbain, Quebec

Grands-Jardins National Park is a Sepaq park in the Charlevoix highlands of Quebec, about 100 km north-east of Quebec City and entered from Route 381 north of Baie-Saint-Paul, near Saint-Urbain (confirm). It lies inside the Charlevoix biosphere reserve and is known for its open taiga, a landscape of widely spaced black spruce on a carpet of pale caribou lichen that is normally found far to the north. Lakes, bogs and granite hills fill the plateau, and Mont du Lac des Cygnes gives a wide view over the Malbaie valley and the Hautes-Gorges to the east. The lichen woods look best in low light. The park is a destination for hikers, paddlers, campers and cross-country skiers, with huts and backcountry sites beyond the visitor centre. Summers are cool and nights can be cold even in July, so pack warm layers. A day-use fee is charged (confirm the rate), and camping and huts are booked through Sepaq.

Parc national des Grands-Jardins, a boreal and taiga park in the Charlevoix region about 100 km north-east of Quebec City, entered from Route 381 near Saint-Urbain; coordinates approximate, Saint-Urbain, Quebec, Canada

The park is open in the main season from about late May to mid October, with full services in July and August, and again in winter for skiing, snowshoeing and hut stays when the snow is deep enough (confirm dates). The visitor centre and reception keep daytime hours, usually from early morning to late afternoon, and shorter hours outside summer. Roads and parking areas are cleared in winter only to certain points, and backcountry access depends on weather and snow. Reservations for camping, huts and some activities are made through Sepaq, and the office can confirm which trails are open.

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