Updated on Oct 30, 2023

This Winter, Go Play Outside in our National Parks!

Head out into the heart of these enormous playgrounds that constitute our region’s national parks and discover a panoply of winter activities! Fresh air and rosy cheeks guaranteed!

NB Don't Forget to buy your daily access before leaving home and respect the sanitary measures put in place.


©Mathieu Dupuis

So Much Variety at Parc National du Mont-Orford

The best destination for all cross-country skiing and snowshoeing adepts, the Parc du Mont-Orford, offers trails for all levels to practise both sports. Thirteen cross-country ski trails with 50 km of classic-style skiing and 26 km of skate-style skiing are offered. As for snowshoeing, trails from 2.5 km to 16 km will allow you to access the most spectacular points of view.

Also, about ten kilometres are accessible to fatbikes. You can rent these bikes with their oversized tires at Le Cerisier, the discovery and service centre of the park.

In collaboration with the Mont-Orford ski centre, the park also offers you the possibility to practise Alpine ski touring in their designated zones and trails throughout the territory. Note that the starting point is located at the ski centre.

For people with a reduced mobility, the park has acquired a Ski-Vel! This piece of equipment can easily be adapted to wheelchairs and allows visitors to enjoy a 3.5 km winter walking trail.


©Daphné Caron

Fun for the Entire Family at Parc National de la Yamaska

At the Parc national de la Yamaska, put on your snowshoes and discover the park’s snow-filled forests. Four easy marked trails covering 20 km await! You don’t own snowshoes? You can rent them at the discovery and service centre.Would you like to try riding a fatbike? There are trails marked especially for this activity and rentals are offered on site. You can also catch fishs on the Reservoir Choinière and have fun with the family in the sliding corridors

Keep your eyes wide open, the park offers an amazing fauna and you’ll be able to spot several animal species during your outing.


©Mathieu Dupuis

Magical landscapes at the Parc National du Mont-Mégantic

Renowned for its exceptional snowfalls, the Parc national du Mont-Mégantic offers 30 km of trails for snowshoeing that will take you through an enchanting environment. Depending on how in shape you are, you can go up Mont-Saint-Joseph or Mont-Mégantic. Once you’ve reached the summit, you’ll be amazed by the vastness of the landscape.

With the Astronomy Evening at the ASTROLab you can participate in a short snowshoe torchlight outing and discover why the park constitutes the heart of the first International Dark Sky Reserve.

Cross-country skiing adepts can explore 26 km of trails going from intermediate to expert levels and a Nordic ski trail, reserved for experts, is also accessible. Throughout your route, you’ll find several shelters where you can pause and warm up a bit.

True winter amateurs can also try winter camping thanks to their thirteen platforms set up in the sector below the observatory.


©Marc Loiselle

Peace and Quiet in Parc National de Frontenac

Take advantage of the quiet calm of the Parc national de Frontenac, located near the Grand Lac Saint-François and explore its peaceful environment on snowshoes. The park offers three, easy and intermediate-level, marked trails over a total of 10 km in the south sector and about twenty kilometres in the Saint-Daniel sector on the main road which is not cleared during the winter months.

So, whether it’s to physically challenge yourself or to experience an unforgettable family outing, to marvel at magnificent landscapes or to simply and quietly escape inside nature, the Eastern Townships national parks are definitely your not-to-be-missed winter destination!

Do you wish to make the fun last longer and extend your stay over several days, check our article Perfect Cabins for a Nature Getaway. Warning! We do not recommend interregional travel.

You should read

Seven Places to Ride a Fatbike in the Townships
Cross-country Skiing: 6 Remarkable Venues
Snowshoeing in the Eastern Townships: 12 Not-to-Be-Missed Trails
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