Because while Montreal’s leaden sky and hot asphalt are poetic, this summer we’re craving fine sand and the green of Quebec’s spruce forests to recharge—we’re craving the wild, the natural, and the protected.
To feel the yellow sand beneath our feet and gaze up at the blue sky, we’re heading to the beautiful Mont-Tremblant National Park. In the winter, we go there to ski—and in the summer, we go there to soak up Quebec’s natural beauty.
We’ll also go there to swim at Lac Provost Beach, and to hike, kayak, and climb the park’s iconic Via Ferrata. And if we head back to Montreal with a golden tan, that’s just a bonus.
Mont-Tremblant National Park
We love Mont-Tremblant for itsStar Observatory(and let’s not forgetthe Perseids…), and of course for itsski resort, but in the summer, we can enjoy another side of this part of Quebec: Mont-Tremblant National Park.
It was the first national park to be established in Quebec, in 1895, shortly after a railroad line was built in the region—ahub fortrans-Canadian and trans-American trade with Europe. It ranks as the third in Canada (and sixth in North America) to have been protected for its natural beauty and precious ecosystem as early as possible (along with Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Sequoia), and today, you can still explore this preserved wilderness.
Mont-Tremblant National Park covers 1,510 km², has more than 400 lakes and streams, and six major rivers—it’s a beautiful place to go canoeing. The park has a rich and varied ecosystem, with 40 species of mammals, including wolves. Nature here is preserved and untamed.
Lac Provost Beach
Lac Provost Beach—also simply known as “Mont-Tremblant National Park Beach”—is on the shore of Lac-des-Dix-Milles, a section of the larger Lac Provost. You can drive there directly (without having to hike to get there), and it’s just two short hours from downtown Montreal—1 hour and 45 minutes if traffic isn’t too heavy.
You can go kayaking, canoeing, swimming, or just lie back with your toes spread out in the sand. Swimming, however, is unsupervised.
The area around the beach, Pimbina-Saint-Donat, is also worth exploring on foot (hiking) or by bike, and the nature there is protected and breathtaking—and finally, we can breathe!
Practical Information
Where? Lac Provost Beach, in Mont-Tremblant National Park, Lac-des-Dix-Milles
When? All summer long
How much? Dailyadmission for adults is $10.30 / daily admission for children is free
