Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier

Quebec National Park (SEPAQ) Of About 670 Square Kilometres Half An Hour From Quebec City; A Glacial Valley Cut Roughly 550 Metres Below The Laurentian Plateau, With The Jacques Cartier River Running Its Length · Stoneham, Quebec

Half an hour north of Quebec City the Laurentian plateau simply drops away, and the JACQUES-CARTIER VALLEY runs for miles between walls about five hundred and fifty metres high - a glacial trough so abrupt that standing on the rim you cannot see the bottom. The river runs its whole length, and the combination of a deep sheltered valley on a cold plateau produces a temperature inversion: in winter the valley floor is often colder than the rim above it, and the vegetation changes as you descend. It is about six hundred and seventy square kilometres, it holds a REINTRODUCED MOOSE POPULATION at high density, and because it is thirty minutes from a city of eight hundred thousand it is THE MOST ACCESSIBLE GENUINELY DRAMATIC LANDSCAPE IN EASTERN QUEBEC. Canoeing the river, walking the rim trails for the valley view, and watching for moose at dawn are what people come for.

Route 175, north of Quebec City, Capitale-Nationale, Stoneham, Quebec, Canada

OPEN YEAR-ROUND WITH A SEPAQ DAILY ACCESS FEE, recently around CAD 9-10 per adult with children free and an annual card available. THE SUMMER SEASON RUNS ROUGHLY LATE MAY TO MID-OCTOBER, when the campgrounds, canoe and kayak rentals, the discovery centre and the shuttle operate; CANOE AND RAFT RENTALS ARE THE MAIN ACTIVITY and are booked at the discovery centre. WINTER IS A FULL SEASON HERE, roughly December to March, with groomed cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and heated cabins - and the valley's TEMPERATURE INVERSION MEANS THE FLOOR CAN BE SEVERAL DEGREES COLDER THAN THE RIM, which catches people out. Camping, cabins and ready-to-camp units are reservable through SEPAQ and fill for summer weekends. Route 175 from Quebec City is a fast divided highway maintained all year.

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