Dreaming of skies awash with stars and mountain-fresh air? The Western Québec area, known as Voyage Through Nature, is home to vast forests, peaceful lakes, and towering mountains, all just a short distance from Montréal.
Here, contrasting landscapes offer endless outdoor activities. Via ferratas scale 650-foot cliffs, treetop walkways end in sky-high observation towers, and afternoon kayaking follows morning swims in glassy lakes. These are just a few of the ways to work up a sweat before winding down in your private chalet, windows open, pine-scented breeze drifting in, and loons calling across the water.
See expansive views
For tree-crowned panoramas, start at the Sentier des cimes Laurentides—a destination that’s especially stunning at sunset. This treetop pathway culminates in a 131-foot wooden observation tower rising above the Laurentian forest canopy. (In winter, a light show illuminates it at night.)
Sunset vistas from Sentier des cimes Laurentides
Courtesy of Sentier des cimes Laurentides
The ascent is gradual until you reach the peak with epic views of the rolling landscape, including Mont-Tremblant in the distance. At 2,871 feet above sea level, Mont-Tremblant is one of the highest peaks in the Laurentians. Here, you’ll feel suspended between earth and sky—forest stretching endlessly below, mountains on the horizon, and heavens above.
Want more altitude? Tremblant’s gondola offers sweeping mountain views from one of Eastern North America’s most celebrated resorts. Ride it up, then challenge yourself with the via ferrata in Parc national du Mont-Tremblant’s Diable sector—a guided 650-foot climb. From these dizzying heights, see into Parc national du Mont-Tremblant‘s 583 square miles of forest, where 400 lakes and four waterfalls await.
Go forest bathing and hiking
Parc national d’Aiguebelle in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec
Courtesy of ©GouvQc/Image Nomade Production
Once you’ve gained perspective, immerse yourself in what stretches below. Parc national du Mont-Tremblant’s hiking trails wind past the Chute-du-Diable, Chutes-Croches, Chute-aux-Rats, and Chute-aux-Mûres waterfalls. Each trail reveals hidden lakes, beaver dams, and clearings where deer appear at dusk.
Venture north to Abitibi-Témiscamingue, an area made up of two territories, and wilderness becomes almost mythic. This region holds 22,000 lakes and rivers—more than you could swim in a lifetime.
It’s also home to one of Québec’s best-kept secrets, Parc national d’Aiguebelle. It lies in the hilly forests of western Québec near the Ontario border, shaped by billions of years of geological drama—think sheer reddish cliffs, massive kettle formations, and pillow lava frozen in time.
The park’s signature feature is a 72-foot-high, 295-foot-long suspension walkway spanning a massive fault line. Other surprises include a spiral staircase, a floating walkway, a Japanese bridge, and a fire warden tower along more than 18 miles of trails.
Stay in a cottage and visit Parc Omega
A family with a baby deer in the Outaouais’ Parc Omega
Courtesy of Héliconia, M. Willder
About an hour from Montréal, you’ll find Québec’s answer to a safari park, Parc Omega. Drive the seven-mile route through 2,200 acres of the Outaouais forest for a chance to see elk, bison, bears, and wolves roaming in expansive natural habitats. Don’t want to leave? You can stay the night—and even sleep among Arctic wolves.
You’ll find cozy chalets featuring wood-burning fireplaces, screened porches, and docks extending into calm water. At the 95-year-old Fairmont Le Château Montebello in the Outaouais, the world’s largest log cabin, luxury meets rustic in a timber masterpiece overlooking the Ottawa River.
The real enchantment happens in the smallest moments. Windows stay open at night. Loon calls echo over the lake, a distinctly Canadian sound. Bonfires burn at night.
In some seasons, the morning swim will shock you awake, but by July, it’s warm enough for you to linger. Coffee tastes better on a dock, watching mist lift off the water.
At night, stars appear in impossible numbers. In divine silence, you search for shooting stars—one of the many transformative experiences you can have as you Voyage Through Nature in Québec.
