Take your pick: adrenaline packed or slow and contemplative?
Published on Jul 12, 2021
When the time seems right to offer ourselves a symbiotic nature outing on our foot trails, many people look for the most popular venues. It’s quite the opposite when it comes to my friend Roberto who rambles his way across Québec’s smallest nooks and crannies over several decades as he tries to avoid crowds as much as possible. I owe Roberto this wonderful discovery: The Kingsbury sector of the Sentiers de l’Estrie.
By Yvan Martineau
The great poet and singer-song writer Félix Leclerc once said “Les œuvres se font des cachettes” meaning that works of art create their own hiding places. I remembered these words while I was walking along the red, yellow and orange trails forming the loops totalling about 15 kilometres of the 25 km set inside the Kingsbury zone. In this little-known sector of the Eastern Townships, the mountains give way to these rolling hills that lead us across a rather dense forest. We ramble up and down between 149 and 242 metres as we go from very easy to easy levels of difficulty, depending on the itinerary we choose. Isolated but never very far; Kingsbury is located 25 minutes from Sherbrooke or 30 minutes from Drummondville.
I’m particularly keen to explore the trails along the Rivière au Saumon, which is fed by Lake Brompton to the south, and those of the Parc national du Mont-Orford and the St-François River. Here, where the peaks narrow as we move on and gain a little altitude (kilometre markers 11.5 to 13); the result is an amazing canyon-like impression. The cliffs of La Rouche and the glacial valley of Gulf Brook are also very appealing. As the kilometres pass, a mixed vegetation covers the area with spruce, hemlock, yellow birch and various broad-leaved trees.
You can start your hike near the Kingsbury Dam (built in 1890!) or from the Kingsbury Marsh, a renowned birding site, heading south where the trail offers various natural lookouts to enjoy the panoramas and the Rivière au Saumon. You’ll be able to choose an alternative trail twice on your way, each one will take you back to the main route. Whatever you choose to do, I recommend that on the way back you soak up the old-fashioned lifestyle in the village. A slate mine brought prosperity to the village in the late 1800s. I have one last recommendation: wherever you’re coming from, slow down on these regional roads, take the time to appreciate the often sublime views you’ll discover on these less travelled sections of the Eastern Townships.
Between 1946 and 1947, Joseph-Armand Bombardier (Valcourt is nearby) bought a good portion of the village’s territory, about 5,000 to 6,000 acres of forestland along with the water rights of 8 lakes in the area. Then followed the purchase of the old sawmill where a factory was established to produce rubber parts for the snowmobiles he was designing. Placements Bombardier recently donated most of these lands to the Ministère de l’Environnement and Nature Conservancy of Canada to ensure their protection for perpetuity.
Make sure you purchase your access rights before heading out. You can do this by visiting the Sentiers de l’Estrie website. This non-profit organization’s main mission is to promote walking and hiking activities by making trails accessible. Many volunteers are involved in maintenance, repairs, sign posting, etc.
I would like to acknowledge the work of Jean-Pierre Marcoux, landscape architect and planner by trade, as well as being a sociologist, and now 75 years old. He accomplishes a tremendous amount of work as a volunteer for the Sentiers de l’Estrie in Kingsbury. The hiking community owes him a great deal.
Many landowners have agreed to grant a right of way through their property on the condition that dogs aren’t allowed. Please respect their wishes.
