Parc national de la Gaspésie © Roger St-Laurent

5 Snowshoe and Cross-Country Ski Trails in Gaspésie

Here are 5 sites offering a wide variety of snowshoe and cross-country ski trails to explore during your stay in Gaspésie.

Auberge de montagne des Chic-Chocs

Perched at an altitude of 615 metres in the Réserve faunique de Matane, Auberge de montagne des Chic-Chocs gives you access to an immense, nearly pristine natural environment. Here, you can go snowshoeing or Hok skiing (a hybrid of snowshoeing and skiing) on 12 trails of varying levels of difficulty, from easy (1 hour) to difficult (6 to 8 hours). This is a great place to explore magnificent landscapes covered in fresh and abundant snow! On the agenda: peaks with panoramic views, steep-sided valleys, animal tracks, and deep and powerful silence… All the equipment you will need is available on site.

Auberge de montagne Chic-Chocs. Photo: Jeff Bartlett

Parc national de la Gaspésie

In the heart of the Chic-Chocs, in a dream landscape that receives over 3 metres of snow every year (in the Mont-Albert sector), Parc national de la Gaspésie offers several trails for snowshoeing enthusiasts.

Nine begin at the Discovery and Visitors Centre and range in length from 1.7 km (45 minutes) to 18 km (7 to 8 hours). Two intermediate trails start from the Ruisseau-Isabelle parking lot; they are 9.8 km (4 hours) and 8.6 km (4 hours) long. Finally, in the Réserve faunique des Chic-Chocs, you will find an intermediate trail of 5.2 km (3 hours) and a difficult trail of 6.4 km (4 hours).

As for cross-country skiing, the park offers three mechanically groomed loop trails: De L'Orignal, a difficult trail of 4.2 km (1.5 hours), as well as two difficult trails, L’Abri-du-Portage, which is 9.3 km (3 hours) long, and Lac-aux-Américains, which is 16.9 km (5 hours) long.

Parc national de la Gaspésie. Photo: Roger St-Laurent

Forillon National Park

A team of local volunteers coordinated by Le Centre culturel Le Griffon, maintains the cross-country ski trails in Forillon National Park, even though the park is not officially open in the winter.

The La Vallée intermediate trail, which begins 1 km from Route 132 at L’Anse-au-Griffon (north), is 9.2 km long. Sheltered from the wind, you will follow the Anse-au-Griffon River on relatively flat terrain, pass the Répit Nord shelter and eventually reach the Le Portage trail, which you can follow on your return trip. The Le Portage trail, which begins 0.5 km from Route 132 near Penouille (on the south end) or 1 km from Route 132 at L’Anse-au-Griffon (on the north end) is 20 km long. To the south, the trail passes through a wooded area and then opens onto fields further north. The La Grande Cavée trail, which is difficult, is 3.8 km long. It begins 4 km from the Le Portage parking lot (South sector) or 5.2 km from the La Vallée parking lot (North sector). This relatively steep trail in the heart of the park will take you through impressive spruce and oak forests. Be careful: some curves in the trail are sharp and steep!

All three trails mentioned above are also suitable for snowshoers, as is the easy La Taïga trail, which starts from Penouille and is 3.5 km long. Note that, since the park is closed during the winter, no visitor services are provided, nor is there any food available for sale; however, a few buildings are open for you to warm up.

Forillon National Park. Photo: Roger St-Laurent

Percé UNESCO Global Geopark

Inland from Percé, the Percé UNESCO Global Geopark offers a network of snowshoe trails on Mount Sainte-Anne and Mount Blanc. As you snowshoe along the trails that criss-cross these two neighbouring peaks, you will enjoy magnificent views of the region, including one overlooking majestic Percé Rock!

The trailheads are located in the middle of the village of Percé, behind the Geopark’s visitor centre and Camping Baie de Percé. Very accessible beginner trails range from 0.4 km to 1.7 km in length. You can also explore two intermediate trails, Chemin du Mont-Blanc (2 km) and Chemin du Mont-Sainte-Anne (2.5 km), which offer differences in elevation of 370 metres and 340 metres, respectively.

Along Chemin du Mont-Blanc, you can admire the beauty of the Grande Crevasse, which is 60 metres deep. Access to the site is free.

Percé Percé. Photo: Roger St-Laurent

Station touristique Pin Rouge

The Station touristique Pin Rouge offers a network of 4 km of marked snowshoe trails along the Little Cascapédia River. Snowshoes are available for rental but access to the trails is free.

Explore a wide variety of snowshoe and cross-country ski trails during your getaway in Gaspésie!