Hiking during Hunting Season in the Townships

Updated on Sept 9, 2025

Autumn has arrived and many people wish to take advantage of this time of year to go hiking. Careful though! Many trails in the Eastern Townships are closed during the big game hunting season. Will your favourite trail be open or not this autumn? Here’s a little guide to help you find all the information you’ll need.

Open All Year Round

Here’s a list of the most popular hiking trails in the Townships that remain open all year round; hunting is forbidden on these territories chasse.

  • Parc national du Mont-Orford
  • Parc national du Mont-Mégantic
  • Parc national de Frontenac
  • Parc national de la Yamaska
  • Parc régional du Mont-Ham
  • Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook
  • Mont Pinacle in Baldwin Mills
  • Parc d’environnement naturel de Sutton
  • Parc écoforestier de Johnville
  • Marais de la Rivière aux Cerises in Magog
  • Parc des Sommets Network in Bromont
  • Parc des montagnards and Parc écologique Jean-Paul Forand in Shefford
  • Sentiers du Morne et de la Maison du Granit (closed for maintenance work for the entire 2025 season)
  • Piopolis Trail Network, including Mount Scotch Cap
  • Parc du Mont-Bellevue in Sherbrooke

Closed during Hunting Season

Depending on the sector, the dates reserved for hunting will vary from one year to the next. Therefore, here are some dates indicating when the region’s most popular trail networks will be closed during the autumn of 2025.


©Daphné Caron

Les Sentiers de l’Estrie

The closing dates for this trail network vary depending on the sector. In the Stoke Mountains sector ARE CLOSED :

  • From Rang 8 (Montagne du 10) to Rang 11 (including Mount John Guillemette) from September 29 to October 10 and from November 1 to November 23, 2025
  • From Rang 11 (Bear Cave) to Rang 14 (Mount Chapman/Bald Peak) from October 4 to October 22, from November 1 to November 2, and from November 8 to November 23, 2025

The Kingsbury North and Richmond sector ARE CLOSED from:

  • From October 4 to November 23, 2025, inclusively The Marsh Loop remains open

The trails south of route 112 (mount Singer, Glen, Foster, Chagnon and Colline Trouser) ARE CLOSED from:

  • From October 4 to November 23, 2025

*Please note that access to Mount Echo, Étang au Castor campground and Nombril and Round Top from the S05 trail will remain open. The Trois-Frères (PV1, PV2 and PV3) in the Sutton sector will also remain open via S01. Marais Réal-D.-Charbonneau and chemin des Pélerins (S40, S41, S42) are also opened.

Circulating in the Brompton zone (route 220 to route 222) and the Kingsbury South zone (route 222 to km 9) is allowed, but at your own risk because hunting is permitted from October 4 and 22, November 1 and 2, and November 8 to 23, 2025.


©Pierre-Jean Moreau

The Sentiers frontaliers Trails

Trails including the ZEC Louise-Gosford, Mount Gosford sector ARE CLOSED from:

  • Saturday, October 4 to Sunday, October 26, 2025
  • Saturday, November 1 to Sunday, November 2, 2025
  • Saturday, November 8 to Sunday, November 23, 2025

Please note that the trails in the Mount Gosford sector ARE OPEN from:

  • From Monday, October 27 to Friday, October 31, 2025
  • From Monday, November 3 to Friday, October 7, 2025
  • Hiking resumes on Monday, November 24, 2025

Mount Hereford

The Hereford Community Forest hiking and biking trails ARE CLOSED from:

  • Saturday, October 4 to Friday, October 10, 2025 (inclusive)
  • Saturday, October 18 to Wednesday, October 22, 2025 (inclusive)
  • Saturday, November 8 to Sunday, November 23, 2025 (inclusive)

©Pierre-Jean Moreau

The Mont Bélanger Trails

The Mont Bélanger hiking trails, and the campground, are closed from September 19, 2025, and will remain closed until mid-May 2026. The trails are not maintained during the winter.

Hiking Without Leaving a Trace

Because enjoying nature also means protecting it, we follow the 7 principles of the Leave No Trace movement. In practice, that means planning our activities carefully, staying on designated trails to protect the soil, and packing out all our waste — even what others may have left behind, when possible. We leave plants, rocks, and wildlife just as we found them, so that everyone can enjoy them. Most importantly, we show respect: greeting fellow hikers, keeping noise levels low, and keeping dogs on a leash — so nature stays a welcoming place for all.
Discover the Principles

At all times, remember to wear bright-coloured clothing and to be very careful. Have a great hiking season!


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The Hiker’s Code
Head Outdoors and Enjoy our National Parks!
5 of the Most Beautiful Lookouts of the Eastern Townships
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