How to Visit the Laurentians in the Summer (Laurentides, Quebec)

Do you love road trips, outdoor adventures and beautiful places? The Laurentians region of Quebec (also known as Laurentides in French) is the perfect destination for all of the above. Justin and I loved travelling to the Laurentians in the summer to experience national parks, outdoor activities and things you can only see and do in Laurentides, Quebec.

In this travel guide for the Laurentians, we’ll show you exactly how we spent three full days there. We spent one night at Oka National Park, two nights at Mont Tremblant National Park, and ventured out to an amazing treetop walk before continuing our road trip to Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Outaouais regions of Quebec.

The Laurentians in the Summer: Getting There

The Laurentians region of Quebec is an amazing road trip destination for those living in Ontario, Quebec and some northeastern areas of the United States (New York, Vermont, etc.). Our first stop, Oka National Park, is about a six hour drive from Toronto. However, it isn’t too far from Montreal or Ottawa.

If you’re venturing from afar, fly into the Montréal–Trudeau International Airport. Here’s where you can find the best prices on flights to Montreal. After arriving at the airport, it’s important to pick up a rental car.

The places mentioned in this Laurentians summer travel guide will require some driving. At most, it’s an hour or two of driving per day. There isn’t much public transportation, so it’s imperative that you rent a car or drive your own car.

Justin and I drove our own car from home, so we didn’t need to pick up a rental car. If you do need a rental car, I suggest comparing rates for car rentals at Discover Cars. Search between multiple companies (including reviews) to find the best rental car for you. Browse and book your car here.

Mont Tremblant and the Laurentians Video

Here’s a travel video and vlog about the Laurentians to accompany this blog post. You can watch this video on YouTube and be sure to subscribe to our travel channel to stay in touch!

The Laurentians in the Summer: Oka National Park

Oka National Park (Parc national d’Oka) is not too far from Montreal, so it’s a popular place among city dwellers to hit the trails, go camping or spend the day at the beach. A portion of its land was purchased by the Quebec government in the 1960s, but it wasn’t until 1990 that it became a recreation park and then a national park in 2001.

This national park protects an area of the St. Lawrence Lowlands, a unique ecosystem. In all of Quebec, it has one of the most diverse ranges of plant species. There are maple and beech-sugar maple, red oak-sugar maple and white pine-red oak. Its land, water and wetlands are home to the Great Blue Heron, Wood Duck, beavers, bats and more.

Over the last few years, the park’s staff has focused on protecting turtle populations and tracking the amount of freshwater mullets. They’ve covered over 120 turtle nests with screens that have reduced their destruction by predators by 80-100%.

They also released 265 hatchling turtles. In addition, their inventory of freshwater mullets on Lac des Deux Montagnes amounted to 4500 mullets and 10 species (four are threatened and one is invasive).

This area has evidence of First Nations Peoples for thousands of years, particularly by the shores of Lac des Deux Montagnes. In 1717, the governor of New France gave this territory to Sulpician missionaries.

They developed this area, especially around Calvaire Hill, building four oratories and three chapels. It is still possible to hike the Calvaire trail to see three chapels, which was designated as a historic site in 1982.

Activities at Oka National Park

When Justin and I visited Oka National Park, it was a pretty hot summer day. So, the first thing we did was hit the beach. The beach is popular among families, especially those living in Montreal as a getaway for the day. There’s a long stretch of sand and the waters are pretty shallow. Plus, there are always lifeguards on duty all day long.

After swimming and lounging, we decided to go kayaking by the beach. Justin and I chose a tandem kayak, and solo kayaks are also available. There’s a little hut on the beach where we rented our kayaks by the hour. It was fun to see the beach and the surrounding area from a new perspective (and get a little bit of exercise!).

There are quite a few other activities you can do and equipment you can rent in the summertime. Try biking, riding standup paddleboards and pedal boats, to name a few.

There are five hiking trails ranging from 1.3km to 6.7km. Keep in mind that the trailheads are all over the park, even at different park entrances (ie. Grande Baie Visitors Centre, Le Littoral Visitors Centre or the Calvaire d’Oka parking lot).

Staying Overnight at Oka National Park

There are a few different ways to spend the night at Oka National Park. Go camping at their serviced and semi-serviced campsites. Staying at Oka National Park is a must when visiting the Laurentians in the summer.

There are traditional ready-to-camp tents, a cyclist campground, compact cabins and cube-shaped Étoile ready-to-camp sites in the Les Dunes campground. Justin and I opted for the Étoile ready-to-camp, so we’ll be sharing our experiences here with many photos.

This ready-to-camp tent is a canvas-sealed wood structure that’s integrated with the surrounding natural environment. This tent is more like a cabin with electricity and even a small heater for nights when it feels a little bit chilly. There are several windows with screens that zip open to allow the breeze to flow through the tent.

While you will need to bring your own bedsheets and fitted sheets, pillows and towels, the ready-to-camp cabin comes with everything you need to feel rested and cook your own meals. It sleeps up to six with three double beds (one is on the top bunk).

There is a little fridge, an outdoor stovetop beneath the front porch awning, pots and pans, cutlery, cooking utensils, plates, glasses and more. There’s outdoor seating on the front porch, a picnic table and a campfire with chairs around it.

Now, where is the bathroom? There is not a bathroom inside the ready-to-camp tent. However, facilities are only a short walk from the tent with bathrooms and private stalls with showers that are independent of one another. We stayed in unit #156 and it was quite close to the restroom station and water access.

The Laurentians in the Summer: Mont Tremblant National Park

Parc National du Mont-Tremblant is one of the most beautiful protected areas of southern Quebec with plenty to offer in all seasons. Established in 1895, it’s the first national park created in Quebec, the third in Canada and the 6th in North America. Visiting Mont Tremblant National Park is one of the best things to do in the Laurentians in the summer.

In total, there are 1510 km² of forest to explore, as well as 400 lakes and six rivers. The park is divided into three sections. We stayed in the Diable Sector for two nights and barely scraped the surface of what there is to experience here. With 25 hiking trails, four major waterfalls and via ferrata, you’ll need to return many times to see it all (or spend many months here).

We made Mont Tremblant National Park our home base for exploring the park and its surrounding areas. In total, we really had only one day within the park’s boundaries, so we’ll show you what to do with a short amount of time here.

Though we spent three days in the Laurentians in the summer, it’s easy to plan your entire trip around staying at Mont Tremblant National Park if you love the great outdoors.

Hiking at Parc National du Mont-Tremblant

With 25 hiking trails to wander, it might be difficult to choose. If it’s your first time hiking at the park, I suggest hitting the trails with an experienced guide. That way, you’ll learn a bit about the nature of the park from a knowledgeable guide as you walk along the path.

Justin and I went on a guided hike with D-Tour Tremblant. We met our friendly guide, Laurie, at the Discovery Centre by Lac Monroe. We hiked the “La Roche” trail, one of the more popular trails within the park. It’s 5.4km in length and takes approximately 2.5-3 hours roundtrip.

Along the way, Laurie showed us some interesting mushrooms and flora that we would have otherwise not noticed or overlooked. We hiked up to a scenic lookout point at the top of La Roche trail. It offered a stunning panoramic view of the glacial valley of Lac Monroe and the Mont Tremblant highlands.

Laurie knows this park inside and out and can answer all of your questions on the way. Whether it’s your first time hiking at the park, you’re looking for someone to lead you on a hike or you’d like someone to hike with as a solo traveler, check out D-Tour Tremblant and their guided treks.

Spending the Night at Mont Tremblant National Park

Much like our stay at Oka National Park, Justin and I spent two nights in one of the park’s Étoile ready-to-camp units. As of summer 2024, there are 51 cabins like this at Mont Tremblant National Park. Our ready-to-camp unit was located in the Castor campground near Lac Monroe (La Diable Sector).

This cabin sleeps up to six people on three double beds. There’s a convenient kitchen where it’s easy to prepare meals. There’s electricity, an outdoor fire pit and the unit seamlessly blends into the natural surroundings. It feels like camping, but much more comfortable. The bathroom and showers are a short walk from the ready-to-camp unit.

Not into this accommodation style? Mont Tremblant National Park also has traditional ready-to-camp units, regular camping, canoe camping, yurts, a cycling campground, 10 vacation cabins, three Écho cabins, 10 nature cabins, huts, EXP cabins and five compact cabins. There are so many options for the ideal stay for couples, families or groups of friends.

International Dark Sky Park

Designated in 2023, Mont Tremblant National Park is Canada’s third International Dark Sky Park and sixth International Dark Sky Place. To receive this special certification, a park must combat light pollution, protect the sky, promote astronomy, and raise awareness of the value of protecting the night sky.

By restoring a natural nighttime environment, this protects communities and wildlife from the effects of light pollution. Manmade outdoor lights ultimately disrupts nocturnal creatures, contributes to climate change, wastes energy and impacts human health.

Mont Tremblant National Park worked hard on its dark sky conservation efforts by replacing lighting fixtures in the park and working with nearby municipalities to reduce light pollution. This has significantly reduced artificial skyglow in and around the national park.

Not only will you feel good being surrounded by nature all day, but the positive effects continue into night. Gaze up into the night sky. On a clear night, it’s possible to see the Milky Way, the Andromeda galaxy and over 3000 stars. I loved listening to the occasional call of a loon while gazing up at the starry night.

Sentier des cimes: Treetop Walk

Here’s an attraction that you don’t want to miss when you visit the Laurentians in the summer (or any season). Sentier des cimes Laurentides, aka the Laurentians Treetop Walk, is a spectacular platform above the treetops that ends at a circular viewing tower with amazing 360 degree panoramic views.

The property of Sentier des cimes used to be an old fish farm. Built in the 1930s, Ancienne-Pisciculture is a fully restored site with original stone buildings and a museum. The flower gardens and fountains around the property are gorgeous, and it is completely free to visit.

While there is an admission fee to visit the Treetop Walk Laurentides, there are hiking and snowshoeing trails from the main building that are always free to walk. There are three trails in total that form to join a loop trail (ranging 1.5km to nearly 2km long).

On select dates, there are always a variety of events taking place at Sentier des cimes Laurentides. Whether it’s live music or a circus show where people perform thrilling feats suspended within the tower itself, there are new reasons to return to the Treetop Walk again and again. We’d love to return in the autumn for the fall colours or the winter to see the scenery blanketed in snow.

Laurentians Treetop Walk

The tower and walkway that make up Sentier des cimes is built with all visitors in mind. The entire walkway is barrier-free and accessible, made entirely of wood and free of any obstacles. There’s a maximum slope of 6% so children in strollers and people in wheelchairs can fully experience the Treetop Walk.

At the beginning of the trail, there’s a staircase or an elevator up to the top. Then, we began to walk along the wooden platform above the trees. It’s wonderful that this platform integrates so well within the natural environment. There are many educational panels on the way to learn about nature within the Laurentians.

In total, the walkway is 1.3km long and the tower height is 40 metres. At the end of the walkway, the tower will slowly come into view. As we ascended this circular tower, we admired the inner construction of the tower itself and the beautiful scenery of the Laurentian mountain range.

At the very top, we were treated to views of trees extending for miles and miles, as well as the rolling mountains in the distance. In the middle of the tower, there is a suspended net where it’s possible to look straight down. The top of the tower is dozens of floors above the forest floor.

It’s quite incredible and I’m so grateful that we have this magnificent treetop walk here in the Laurentians. While there are treetop walks similar to this one in France, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia and Ireland, this is the only one of its kind in Canada.

Chez Émile Restaurant

Hungry? Chez Émile Restaurant is a self-service restaurant within the Ancienne-Pisciculture heritage building. Dine indoors or sit outside on the terrace if it’s a nice day outside. There’s a rotating seasonal menu featuring local products, including a selection of desserts.

The staff at Chez Émile were kind enough to create a vegan version of their chili nachos dish that was so tasty. There’s also naturally vegan lentil soup, as well as a vegan brownie. While I can’t guarantee that there will be any vegan dishes on regular offer (most likely a vegetarian option), you can inquire in advance to see if the chef can make this dish for you.

The Laurentians in the Summer: Tremblant Resort

We’ve visited Tremblant Resort in the summer and the winter on several occasions now, so it’s safe to say that we really enjoy it there. For that reason, this Laurentians summer travel guide would not be complete without a day at Tremblant.

We’ll highlight some fun activities below for spending a half day to a full day at Tremblant. If you have a few days to spend at Tremblant, even better. Take a look at the guides that I’ve linked to in the previous paragraph for a whole array of things to do in Tremblant for a lengthier getaway.

Mont Tremblant Village

Mont Tremblant has a picturesque pedestrian village with sweeping vistas, whether you’re gliding through the air on the Cabriolet gondola or standing from the top of the mountain. There are over 30 gourmet restaurants, several hotel accommodations, and numerous activities like mini golf and even skiing in the summer!

Wander around the European-style cobblestone streets and people watch from a patio. Explore 11 hiking trails on the property or simply go shopping. While many consider Tremblant to be a winter destination for skiing and snowboarding, there’s so much to do at Tremblant resort in all seasons.

If you plan to visit Tremblant in July, you may wish to plan your stay around the Tremblant International Blue Festival if you love music. There are stages with many bands and international acts performing, even surprise pop-up shows happen around the Mont Tremblant Village. It’s another fabulous thing to do in the Laurentians in the summer.

Ziptrek Tremblant

If you love spectacular views and you’re a bit of a thrill-seeker, you won’t want to miss an aerial adventure with Ziptrek Ecotours. There are five ziplines in total where you’ll fly over rolling mountains and lush valleys.

These ziplines were the longest and fastest ones we’ve ever tried. The lengthiest zipline is 1.6km in total, so it’s quite the thrill. When we started our day, it was quite foggy and cloudy, so we could barely see any views in front of us. This added to the excitement, in my opinion!

Then, we gradually got closer to the pedestrian village and could admire the scenery of the mountains all around. There are five ziplines and two hiking sections where we had the opportunity to walk through the dense forest.

Something that’s really unique to Mont Tremblant Ziptrek Ecotour: every zipline was a tandem zip, meaning that you’d fly through the air side by side, in pairs. I was never alone because Justin was always on the corresponding zipline beside me.

Ziptrek Ecotours is great for someone who hasn’t gone ziplining in the past, but it’s really exciting for the seasoned veteran. It’s the top rated attraction at Tremblant for good reason.

Microbrasserie La Diable

I love how Tremblant has so many vegan-friendly restaurants, and Microbrasserie La Diable is one of them. Tremblant Resort has its very own microbrewery serving up refreshing pints.

La Diable Microbrewery has the classic pub environment down pat, with beer coasters decorating the walls and ceilings. There’s a pretty large patio outdoors that fills up quickly in the summer.

We each enjoyed a pint of beer and tried their hummus platter to start. We dined at La Diable after our ziplining tour, so this really hit the spot. Then, I tried a delicious chickpea burger and fries as my main course.

If you’re visiting the Laurentians in the summer, set aside at least a half day or full day to experience Tremblant Resort. If you have more time, like a week in this region, I’d stay at Tremblant for three days if you can. We’ve visited on multiple occasions in many seasons and can’t wait to return.

The Laurentians in the Summer: Farouche

Farouche Tremblant is an eco-luxury escape, a Nordic farm, a cafe and restaurant, and a hub for outdoor activities. Located just outside of Mont Tremblant National Park, Justin and I spent the late afternoon and early evening at Farouche to dine, take a farm tour and go paddling on the river.

We met owners Jonathan and Geneviève; Jonathan greeted us at the cafe and provided us with a tour, and Geneviève is the brilliant chef behind the farm-fresh meals. Farouche is French for “wild”. While Jonathan and Geneviève have thoughtfully and carefully crafted a stunning experience, it’s a great way to immerse yourself in nature.

Farouche is not only an agri-tourism destination, but the architecture of the cabins and main building is stunning. Jonathan proudly showed us how Farouche has been featured in several architecture books about hotels and stays from across the globe.

Cafe and Farm Shop

As I walked into the cafe and dining room, I couldn’t help but notice the light spilling into the room through massive glass windows. Moreover, the unspoiled Laurentian mountains provided the perfect view beyond the window screens. Stop by for a coffee (arguably, one of the best cups of coffee in the region), apertif and a cocktail, or a full three course meal.

Justin and I enjoyed a decadent vegan spread of chips, guacamole, olives, pistachios, fresh grapes and dried fruits. Aside from the cafe beverages, there’s a menu of 100% Quebec handcrafted cocktails, local beers from microbreweries, and natural local wines.

The farm shop features a wide array of locally made products from around Quebec. Notably, it’s possible to buy Farouche’s coffee beans, preserves, olives, fresh produce, clothing and more.

Outdoor Activities On-Site

There are a number of outdoor activities at Farouche that you can book even if you aren’t staying the night. This includes standup paddleboarding on the Diable River, cruising on an e-bike, and even booking a huge party paddleboard that fits 6-8 people. It’s easy to book any of the activities through their official website.

Justin and I took out a pair of standup paddleboards to soak up the scenery of the Diable River from new vantage points. The river winds around many bends, surrounded by trees and small sandy beaches on its shores.

The majestic mountains loom in the distance. We loved embracing nature in this way, leisurely paddling up the river until we felt like turning around and drifting back to the dock.

Nordic Farm and Dining

Farouche lends new meaning to a “farm to table” experience. The farm is right in their backyard! Jonathan and Geneviève grow a wide array of fruits and vegetables. Then, Geneviève artfully creates dishes depending on what’s in season.

Originally, they needed to clear the land and cultivate the soil for their small farm. It was a massive undertaking to clear trees and remove tree stumps, as well as add the proper organic matter to the soil. Their vegetables are grown from ancestral seeds, and you can taste what’s grown on the farm through their food and beverages.

While their menu isn’t typically vegan, Geneviève had no problems creating tasty and beautiful plant-based dishes for us. Our salad contained fresh strawberries, greens, and even salad dressing using their own homegrown ingredients. The main course contained eggplant, zucchini blossoms, tomatoes, greens and more.

Spend the Night at Farouche

It’s possible to stay overnight at Farouche. While we didn’t have the opportunity this time to stay at Farouche, it’s definitely on our bucket list. We took a little tour of Farouche’s cabins and they are as adorable as they are chic!

Farouche has seven little A-frame cabins in the middle of nature. Surrounded by the mountains and situated near the river, it’s quite a peaceful and beautiful setting. Each cabin has a king-sized bed, electricity, heating, a gas stove, a mini fridge and a bench.

While the bathroom is not inside the unit, it’s only steps away with the option to have a private or shared bathroom. The bathrooms are quite luxurious and includes towels and toiletries.

Other amenities include a cedar Nordic bath, an outdoor fireplace with BBQ grill and firewood, a propane BBQ and grill, outdoor chairs and picnic table, and a coffee maker with Farouche coffee. The cabins sleep two guests and it’s a very luxurious way to stay in nature.