Gaspésie National Park

The Chic-Choc and McGerrigle mountains rise above eleven hundred metres here, high enough for arctic-alpine tundra on the summits, and they hold the last woodland caribou herd south of the St. Lawrence, isolated from all others and reduced to a few dozen animals despite intensive protection. Access to summit areas is restricted in the calving season to protect them. Mont Jacques-Cartier at one thousand two hundred and sixty-eight metres is the second highest peak in Quebec and the usual place to see caribou, reached on a controlled trail with fixed hours. The park is on the International Appalachian Trail.

History

Mi'kmaq groups have lived seasonally in the Haute-Gaspésie for at least 10,000 years, and French and then British settlers kept mostly to the coasts, so the rugged interior was little disturbed until the expeditions of the 19th century. The park was established on 14 April 1937 to protect the McGerrigle and Mont Albert environments, the salmon of the Sainte-Anne River and the remaining caribou; mining and forestry were later allowed, the Madeleine mine working from 1969 to 1982, and after the caribou declined by 60 to 80 per cent, stronger protection came with the Parks Act of 1977 and stricter laws in 1999 (Wikipedia, Gaspésie National Park).

What's there

• The caribou - the last herd south of the St. Lawrence, critically small.
• Mont Jacques-Cartier - Quebec's second highest peak with alpine tundra.
• The Chic-Chocs - a mountain range unusual in eastern Canada for its height.
• The vegetation zones - forest through krummholz to tundra in one climb.

When to go

The Mont Jacques-Cartier trail opens roughly late June to late September with fixed daily hours and a shuttle; outside that it is closed for caribou. Winter brings backcountry skiing.

Things to know

The summit trail has enforced hours and a shuttle, and closes entirely outside a short season. Caribou sightings are not guaranteed and the herd is very small. Weather above treeline turns fast.

Nearby

Forillon lies east; Reford Gardens are west.

Key facts