Parc national des Hautes‑Gorges-de-la-Rivière‑Malbaie — Attraction in Mont-Élie

EDIT: I’ve gone back since and logistically things have gotten better. Review below was left during pandemic craziness when everyone was confused. This is a beautiful place.

The park is a definite 5 stars. Beautiful, serene, magnificent. The park management itself leaves a lot to be desired. No information is given when you arrive at the park (unlike other national parks where they provide you with a map at the entrance and answer any questions you might have - even in a post-covid world) and the signage is a joke. Several times we had to go back and forth to understand where we had to go all of which can be avoided with a simple sign. For instance we wanted to do the ‘Riverain’ trail which is just across the bridge from the Le Draveur chalet. Had there been a sign it’d be simple instead we trekked out to the closest ranger who then directed us back to where we were so we can cross the bridge whereas right on the other side was the sign for ‘Riverrain.’ We encountered these moments of poor signage all throughout. Also - a warning: although the rental says it closes at 5pm they for some reason close at 2pm without a warning or anything placed on their site and even the rangers themselves don’t tell you until you’ve actually got in line and arrived at the cashier for the kayak rental. We were lucky since we went in the morning to try to ‘reserve’ for 3pm - and were almost not given a kayak until the cashier asked his ‘boss’ who said yes. The cashier wasn’t happy about that and it felt overall that they didn’t want to have to work late so they use the covid as an excuse to be able to go home earlier. If they close at 2pm they should state that and not 5pm. Overall bad management and bad organization for what is truly an exceptionally...

Absolutely breathtaking national park. Ensure that you do your research prior to embarking on your journey. First of all, be aware that there is poor reception in and around the park - so make sure that you know where you are going. We arrived too late in the day, just after 2 pm, but there was plenty of parking available. To get to the Acropole des Draveurs trailhead, we had to take the mandatory shuttle. We were not aware that you needed to begin the ascent by 2:00 and start the descent from the 3rd summit by 4:30, but thankfully we made it just in time as the friendly park ranger was preparing to close the trail for the evening. This was a challenging hike, as the first 2 kms were comparable to a stair master. The ascent was a real physical challenge and the descent was very technical. I can’t imagine how dangerous it would be to attempt this on a rainy day. The incredible wildlife (we encountered a porcupine and many other critters), as well as the beautiful waterfalls and streams, made this challenging hike worth every second. The views from the top were phenomenal - some of the best I’ve seen in Canada. It was incredibly windy though, too much to handle for a prolonged period. Pack warm clothes and a...

Honestly came here on a whim when visiting Quebec city. I hiked the Acroples des Draveurs trail. For being a flatlander this mountain kicked my butt. But I wouldn't have had it any other way for the views you got to see at the top.

The first 1.5km are gonna kick your butt. It's straight up and on very rocky terrain. After that you level out and have moments of reprieve from the straight up terrain. After getting to Summit 1 (which there is a very obvious sign for) you will have the option of doing 2 more summits that are about 30 minutes of extra work. Definitely worth it. You came this far already.

Bring lots of water and a good size snack for the top of the mountain where you will want to take a good 20-30 minute rest before heading back down.

Everyone I met on the trail was extremely polite and courteous. If someone is coming up faster behind you just let them pass, it's just trail courtesy. Everyone is there to enjoy themselves so go at your own pace and let others do the same.

Would...