Gaspésie National Park. A haven for
hikers and runners, it holds a diver-
sity of trails, including one on Mont
Jacques-Cartier, Quebec’s second-
highest summit. Nearby Mont Albert
has a 17. 4k loop trail, or, you can opt
for an 11k round-trip trail on the north
side of the mountain. Heading further
east to the eastern tip of the Gaspé
Peninsula is Forillon National Park
in the Land ’s End region. Seascapes,
cliffs and mountains make the trails
in this park unique; if the trail you are
on is not adjacent to the blue waters
below, it will eventually lead you to a
lookout point for a glimpse of the infi-
nite sea. Forillon is notable for hosting
trail races, such as the Ultra-Trail du
Bout du Monde, which takes place in
September and offers distances from
a family-friendly 3k, all the way up to
an ultra 110k race called the Great Bear.
Back on Route 132 and heading
south around the Peninsula, there’s
Bonaventure National Park, also
located in the Land ’s End region.
Located near the village of Percé and
home to the iconic Percé Rock, just
off the mainland. This huge, sheer
rock formation is one of the world ’s
largest natural arches located in water.
The park has 18k of marked trails,
with several lookouts and an impres-
sive glass platform suspended 200
metres above ground, from which you
can marvel at the stunning view of
Bonaventure Island, Percé Rock and
the sea. Heading farther south around
the peninsula to the Chaleur Bay,
Mount Saint-Joseph features a lookout
with a view of the bay from the peak at
555 metres. There are dozens of linked
beginner and intermediate trails, about
30 kilometres in total.
With more than 3,000 kilometres of
trails throughout the Gaspè Peninsula,
choices abound for beginner and expe-
rienced trail runners. With so much
choice, planning a trail trip can be
daunting. One option is to leave the
planning to the experts, such as tdlg
(Traversées de la Gaspésie), a group
that plans a trail hike every year in
September. A week-long adventure,
it includes a hike each day exploring
different trails, meals and accommo-
dations, so you can enjoy the natural
playground that is Gaspé.Joanna Kotsopoulos is a writer, editor and
running coach with Boardwalk RC,
a youth running club based in The Beach
area of Toronto.runningmagazine.ca Canadian Running 37Co
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