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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.