Parc National de la Gaspesie/Lac Cascapedia

Matt

The park itself is beautiful. Lots of great scenery. However we were overall disappointed with our stay here. After about 3hrs of being at the park a park ranger approached our site, refused to speak English. Luckily my wife could understand enough french to gather that he had showed up because someone complained about our dogs barking, which they weren't barking much. A couple of dogs at other campsites were barking much more than ours but somehow we got the complaints. After that we were on edge the entire stay as he told us if we get another complaint we would be kicked out. A few campsites down from us someone was playing music at night. Which is against the rules and most people in the park were unfriendly. The only washroom in the campground has only two toilets. We did our best to try and enjoy our time there but it was not a place I would return. This park is not dog friendly even though they say they allow dogs.

Natalia Svechnikova

It is a gloomy park with unreliable weather and trail conditions. There is often fog, light rain and high humidity. In July and August, it can be very hot (even dangerously hot), especially high up on bare mountain tops but still, it can be extremely muddy and buggy at the same time. Suddenly, it can cool down and become uncomfortable in the evenings and very cool at night. There is a good chance to see wildlife, enjoy breathtaking lookout views and experience challenges of uphill hiking on a rocky terrain. There is a section of the International Appalachian Trail winding through the park West to East. But beware of the western part... It is very isolated, muddy and buggy in summer and doesn't offer any great views just the challenge of hiking in the mud.... I would not recommend going anywhere west of Cascapedia: don't waste your time and energy. Staying on a campsite and enjoying day hikes while exploring different sections of the park is probably the best option and the safest.

David Ruiz

REVIEW FOR DOG OWNERS: TL;DR: This park is not dog friendly at all I do not recommend you visit this park if you want to bring dogs. Online there are resources indicating that some trails are dog friendly. However, those trails are 1% of what the park has to offer. Unless you're happy with going to this park and having a 40 min hike then leaving, you shouldnt bother stoping here. I'd recommend much more that you visit Forillon park which has no limitations on dogs. It is a shame that the park doesn't do a good enough job explaining how little you can explore with your dogs. I felt a bit misdirected by their online map which shows long green trails, these are actually just paths you are allowed to have your dog in the car with you, not real trails. The only real trail is a 40 min small ( and beautiful) hike. The park is extremely strict. It is filled with multiple large "No dog allowed" signed at every corner. Making it very clear that dogs are not welcomed. P.S. Don't even try sneaking them in because there are fines and potential park expulsion for bringing your dogs to an unauthorized zone.

H S

This park is natural beauty at its very best, you see an untamed nature showing its most beautiful side with dollops of fresh air and clean water in unbridled rivers! Located at a distance of 30 minutes from Saint Ann Des Monts, you first arrive at the discovery centre where you buy tickets for access to the national park, as is a constant fixture there is ample parking and clean rest room facilities at the centre. There is a small cafe and a gift shop as well, if you plan to hike it is a good idea to buy some trail mix or water in case you havent brought it with you. Once you have bought the tickets (day tickets or season pass) you have a multitude of options in front of you from a hiking standpoint: 1. Different difficult levels - Easy, Intermediate, Difficult, Extreme 2. Different options based on distance and time Once you select a hiking trail you can easily follow the signs and enjoy the walkathon! Experienced hikers should definitely go for difficult and extreme, while newbies (and old people or parent(s) with smalls kids) should go for the easy option. As is with any hike please ensure you have the right foot wear, sun glasses, plenty of water, walking sticks etc. The picturesque walks have been curated with a lot of thought and you will find the most scenic pathways anywhere in the world here. Take care to not disturb the flora and fauna and enjoy it as if visiting a museum or an art exhibition. We opted for a hike that was graded as easy though gradually liked it so much that went in for the Difficult one, and boy was it difficult, the climb was steep and had rocks and pebbles all over. But the final view was worth it. Once you are in the jungle there are no restroom facilities and signal is low, do not stray from the path crafted and take care to have bug spray as well as sun glasses for your eyes. I would love to visit back and complete all the trails in the future, this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, thanks to Sepaq for crafting and maintaining this wonderful gift of nature.

Michael Kervin

This park is a real gem, best hiking east of the rockies imo.