The Top Things to Do in the Laurentians for Outdoor Lovers: Embrace Adventure in Quebec

If you’ve been dreaming of a region to come and truly stretch your legs, the Laurentians Region of Quebec is a true mecca of adventure for the outdoor enthusiasts out there. Each night, you get to climb into bed, tired in the best kind of way, filled with memories of a day out in nature.

Dog sledding at the Kanatha-Aki. Photo Credit: Christopher Mitchell

One of the most magical parts about Quebec, is how close you can be to a major city centre, and yet truly feel worlds removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Nowhere is that perhaps more prevalent than in the Laurentians or, as they say here, Les Laurentides.

This is an outdoor mecca, filled with wide open spaces and expansive viewpoints, and it’s only about an hour’s drive from Montreal, the province’s largest city. However, it’s not as if the outdoors are all that are here, there are plenty of lively villages, unique restaurants, and festivals and events which also demonstrate that this is a region teeming with culture.

Recently, Bri and I visited the Laurentians will the intention of spending as much meaningful time as possible in the great outdoors, and our goal is to share everything we’ve learned to enable you to get the most out of your visit to this gorgeous region that we feel is worth visiting again and again.

A Brief History of the Laurentians

If a destination is known for skiing, then it’s also known for hiking! Here’s Mont Tremblant in the warmer months. Photo Credit: Unsplash

Firstly, it’s worth mentioning that this area is the traditional territory of the Algonquin First Nation. In the 1700s, English Canadians began settling in towns in the area, and shortly thereafter, particularly in the early 1800s, French Canadians began to settle. Around this time, the focus was on forming communities, as well as establishing an agricultural presence in the area.

It was in the 20th century that the Laurentians started to become a popular tourist destination. Yes, that was in part fuelled by the growth of cities like Montreal, but folks from Ontario began to come en masse as well, along with travellers from the United States, particularly from states such as Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and Maine.

The main reason? This region is perfect for embracing summer sports and lake culture in the warmer months, yet has a very defined downhill and cross-country ski culture once things get a little colder.

Nowadays, it’s easily accessible via some major road routes, and features lively communities such as Blainville, Boisbriand, Deux-Montagnes, Lachute, Mirabel, Mont-LaurierRosemère, Saint-Colomban, Saint-Eustache, Saint-Jérôme, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Sainte-Sophie, and Sainte-Thérèse.

The largest city in the region, Saint-Jérôme, has around 85,000 people, so that gives you a sense of the scale of the communities that you’ll be heading through on your visit.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links. Simply put, this means we may receive a small commission for some of our honest recommendations, at zero additional cost to you.

How Can You Make the Most of Your Trip to the Laurentians in Quebec?

Respecting what makes this region special, in our humble opinion, is about putting yourself in positions to be humbled by the natural beauty and wonder of this area, so that will be a key focus of our recommendations.

Visit The Kanatha-aki Nature Activity centre

The Kanatha-Aki Nature Activity Centre is known for their dog-sledding, but also so much more. Photo Credit: Briana Mitchell

We personally had the joy of visiting Kanatha-Aki to participate in some dog sledding, and it was an unforgettable experience for both Bri & I. It’s located in Val-des-Lacs, which is adjacent to Mont Tremblant National Park, making it about an hour and half from Montreal, but just a short drive from communities such as Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and Saint-Donat.

Dog sledding is an activity that we ensure is being done to the highest standard before offering a recommendation, but we felt they clearly demonstrated a respect for both the land and the animals, and the opportunity to sled for a couple of hours, then have lunch in the chalet was an experience we won’t soon forget. They have a variety of packages on offer here.

There’s so much to do here beyond just dog sledding though including horseback riding, survival training, outdoor workshops, a bison reserve, fishing, as well as being best known in the warmer months for the hiking opportunities, as well as climbing and, most notably, their epic zipline course.

Get a Bird’s eye view at Sentier des Cimes Laurentides

This is one of the newer experiences that has launched in the Laurentians for lovers of the outdoors, and they have done a remarkable job with it. Here, you have the chance to stroll amongst the treetops in the heart of the region, and then climb up the observation tower to see the area in a whole new light.

It’s a 3 kilometre roundtrip, which means that you can also sneak in a little exercise while you’re learning about the area’s flora and fauna, and it’s also worth mentioning that this was intentionally designed at a maximum slope of 6% to make it easily accesible for strollers and wheelchairs.

The big highlight, for me at least, was the net situated 40 metres off the ground that allows you to genuinely grasp just how high up you are, but with safety at the forefront of the experience.

The gift shop and welcome centre is also first class, and the work they’ve done here has ensured that sites like ours can feel confident in recommending that you add this to your list of things to do in the Laurentians if you’re after those big time nature moments.

You can plan your visit here.

Relax at Scandinave Spa Mont-Tremblant

When you see this sign, you know it’s time to relax. Photo Credit: Christopher Mitchell

I’m not quite sure I’ve ever seen a spa that harnesses the power of its natural surroundings so well. While you’re there, you feel as if you’re truly in the Laurentian Forest, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that its situated right alongside the Diable River.

Here, it’s all about taking a digital detox, and focusing on journeying through their cycles (hot, cold, relaxation) to get back in touch with yourself. The facility is first class, encompassing over 72,000 square feet, and I loved that you could also pop into the river for a moment as well. We visited in the colder months, so that counted as part of our cold cycle!

You can, of course, get a massage and the like while you’re there, but the experience of just taking a moment for yourself honestly provides a bit of a mental massage unto itself. We also planned our timing so we could get lunch here, and the food and drink options were perfectly designed to showcase some of the local flavours, as well as being health conscious and nutrient dense.

When you’re designing an itinerary around adventure, you need to counter-balance it with experiences like this. After a day of hiking, for example, this an ideal place to come and catch your breath, and help you take care of your body so that the adventuring can continue the following day, and you can make the most of your time in the Laurentians.

Embrace the outdoors at Tremblant Resort

When people first think of Mont Tremblant, they understandably think about winter. With a ski area of over 650 acres, it’s one of the best known (and regarded) ski resorts in Eastern North America, after all. When we visited, it was indeed the heart of winter, but we didn’t reach for the skis, we actually took part in some epic ice climbing adventures, and climbed an ice waterfall. If you haven’t tried ice climbing before, I’d say this is an excellent way to do just that.

We based at ourselves at the centrally located Residence Inn by Marriott Tremblant Manoir Labelle, which made it easy to enjoy the village outside of the activities we had planned, and to visit restaurants like La Forge Bistro Bar and Central Tapas in the evenings.

This is a four season resort. In the warmer months, there are two golf courses nearby, the opportunity for swimming and water-sports on Lake Tremblant, as well as (as you might imagine) hiking trails galore. There’s also cycling, something longtime readers will know I love, fishing, horseback riding and more. The views around this area at this time of year are also just gorgeous.

All that to say, there’s no wrong time of year to visit Mont Tremblant!

Take Advantage of the parks and wildlife reserves in the laurentians

There’s a reason that I’m focusing this article on outdoor adventure in this region, and that’s because it’s abundant!

As Tourisme Laurentides notes, “The Laurentians region, a vast natural territory, offers outdoor aficionados an unrivalled selection of parks to enjoy their favorite adventure activities.”

Hiking, water sports, cycling, and nature interpretation in the warmer months, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, skating and more in the winter months. The reality is pretty simple with the breadth of parks and wildlife reserves here - if you can dream it, you can likely do it here. Camping, of course, is also a major part of all of this.

Parc national du Mont-Tremblant. Photo Credit: Unsplash

Some parks and reserves in the area to consider include:

Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles (Laval)
Parc National Du Mont-Tremblant (Lac-Supérieur)
Parc National D’Oka (Oka)
Parc régional éducatif Bois de Belle-Rivière (Mirabel)
Parc Éco Laurentides (Mont-Blanc)
Parc de la Rivière Doncaster (Sainte-Adèle)
Parc du Mont Loup-Garou (Sainte-Adèle)
Réserve faunique de Papineau-Labelle (Val-des-Bois)
Parc régional du Poisson Blanc (Notre-Dame-du-Laus)
Parc régional de la Rivière-du-Nord (Saint-Jérôme)
Rouge-Matawin Wildlife Reserve (La Macaza)
Parc régional Kiamika (Rivière-Rouge)

Stay Somewhere Interesting

Take a look at accommodation options (of which there are plenty) to get an idea for where you want to base yourself to make the most of the outdoors here.

Break Out the Golf Clubs

If it’s warm out, and those golf clubs are gathering dust in your closet, the courses on offer here may be your excuse to brush off that dust.

Mirabel is a great golf headquarters because nearby they have the Club de Golf Mirabel, Club de Golf Saint-Janvier, and Le Centre d'Activité & Golf Le Sélect.

Other options in the region include the Gold Royal Laurentien, Club de Golf Piedmont, Club de Golf Nominigue, and Club de Golf Vallée de la Lièvre.

All that to say, wherever you’re choosing to base yourself, there will be some golf available to you nearby!

Appreciate the Public Beaches

When you first think about the Laurentians area, you may not immediately think of beaches, but this article is, in part, a request to challenge what you thought you knew about the area.

There are a lot of beautiful beaches which I’ll note below, all of which participate in the Ministry of the Environment’s water quality monitoring program to ensure they’re perfect for swimming and which are supervised by trained lifeguards.

The Beach and Tennis Club and Parc Plage at Mont Tremblant Resort
De La Crémaillère Beach on Monroe Lake in Mont-Tremblant National Park
Jean-Guy-Caron Beach at Lac Rond in Sainte-Adèle
Gratton Beach on Saint-Joseph Lake in Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard
Major Beach on Des Sables Lake in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts
Municipal Beach on Lac Carré in Mont Blanc
Grand Lac Nominingue Beach in Nominingue
Michel-JR. Lévesque Beach on Tibériade Lake in Rivière-Rouge

What Else Should You Have on Your Radar in the Laurentians?

In between your outdoor fun, you may want to stop by the plethrora of wineries, breweries and liquor producers in the area.
Cyclo-tourism here is big business, and that’s because they have premier mountain biking, road, and gravel-cycling opportunities on offer. Next time I’m in the area, I’ll be taking my Trek Checkpoint ALR-5 on the The Corridor aérobique, a 58 kilometre multi-purpose recreational trail built on an old railroad. That’s also very popular amongst cross-country skiers in the winter months, by the way.
Snowmobiling and ATVing are also hugely popular here.
We visited one spa during our recent explorations, but there are plenty more on offer. Consider planning a spa visit towards the end of your trip so that you have a moment to fully reflect on all you’ve experienced. It can be nice to just put the old phone away and cherish the present moment. There are more than ten spas throughout the Laurentians!
Tremblant is perhaps the most well known ski resort, but there are many more ski resorts that operate across this mountainous area. If you’ve been to Tremblant a few times, why not consider a visit to Mont Blanc next time?

Come and Disconnect, Surrounded by Nature

It’s easy to get to, yet it feels worlds away from the busyness (and stress) of daily life. At its core, the Laurentians is a place to come and reset, and allow some deep breaths of fresh air to aid in that process. What they’ve built out here is a cornucopia of experiences with the adventurer in mind.

For folks like myself, who love few things more than spending a day amongst the birds and the trees, it’s heavenly. I love the feeling of waking up here, and knowing that I can be moving all day, aided along by the stunning landscapes, and an infrastructure for outdoor adventure that’s nearly unmatched.

We want to thank Tourisme Laurentides for hosting us as media. All opinions are completely our own.