How to Spend a Summer in Quebec Province
Quebec Province is a hub for outdoor activities, but also culture, architecture, and history. If you're interested in visiting, know that it's not just its winter snows and landscapes that should attract you, because summer in Quebec Province is a season full of adventure activities, music festivals, walking tours, and so much more, without the weight of the winter cold on you!
Quebec Province is located in eastern Canada. It's the biggest Canadian province in area and the second biggest in population, not to mention the only one that has French as its official language. Canada is usually considered a winter vacation spot, its amazing snowy landscapes, and the possibilities they bring are incredibly attractive to travelers around the world. However, visiting Canada, and Quebec Province especially, during the summer can be an incredible experience for those who love outdoor activities in the warm weather!
Hiking
The parks and wildlife reserves around Quebec offer more than 6000 kilometers of short and long trails for every level and physical ability. Choose between alpine, adventurous, aerial, pilgrim, urban, and environmentally friendly trails that will take you around in different and very fun ways, and show you the incredible diverse landscapes around Quebec Province.
30 minutes away from Quebec city, you can find Jacques-Cartier National Park, a place with 100km of hiking trails that will take you along rivers, forests, mountains, and valleys that you will be able to explore and enjoy!
In this hiking experience along the Jacques-Cartier National Park, for example, you will be able to discover two Quebecois wonders: the stunning natural landscapes of the park, and their culinary specialties. During this amazing activity, designed for beginners in hiking, your guide will take you along a river or through a forest, towards a beautiful natural viewpoint where you will be able to see the valley of the National Park. As you hike, you will get to stop and try different Quebecois delicacies, and maybe even find some food out in nature that your guide will tell you if you can try.
Another incredible opportunity for a summery hike in Quebec can be found in the Sainte-Anne Canyon! Accessible even to people with reduced mobility, this billion-year-old canyon is just 35 minutes away from Old Quebec. The canyon stretches over more than 3 kilometers, along a breathtaking waterfall that you will not only be able to observe but also cross along three different suspension bridges, one of which is 60 meters high!
You will also have the opportunity to do some zip-lining over the waterfall, an adrenaline-filled break on your wonderful hike along the Sainte-Anne Canyon.
These are just a couple of examples of all the incredible sites where you can hike around Quebec Province. You can also go to Parc du Mont-Royal, near Montreal, where you'll climb a wooded mountain of over 200 meters that will give you amazing views of the city. Or Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Chemin de Saint-Jacques-Appalaches, the Sentier Notre-Dame Kapatakan, Parc des Chutes de Sainte-Ursule, among many many other hiking trails, both near and far from the urban areas in the region that will enchant you and challenge you in different ways, as you enjoy the green landscapes and diverse bodies of water to be found in Quebec Province.
Into the water
Adventure activities
Quebec Province houses a large number of bodies of water that, during the summer, can become playgrounds for those who love water-based activities.
With this in mind, you can try sea kayaking around Orleans Island! You'll explore the St. Lawrence River and spend around 3 hours paddling and learning about the beautiful Orleans Island from an experienced guide. And if you're interested in sea kayaking, but also incredible views, you can also paddle around Saint-Laurent-de-L'Île-d'Orléans at sunset.
If you'd like a faster and more adrenaline-filled activity in the water, you can try Packrafting on the Montmorency River or Rafting down the Jacques-Cartier River. In the first one, you'll descend the river in a light, inflatable kayak and pass through Class I and Class II rapids as you see the beautiful landscapes around the Montmorency River. In the second one, you will board a raft that will sit 7 to 9 people, and paddle down the Jacques-Cartier River as you pass over Class III to Class IV rapids, laughing and enjoying the cooling water with your raft companions.
Boat tours
If you're interested in navigating the beautiful rivers or lakes around Quebec in a relaxed manner, boat tours are the summer activity for you!
Try a guided cruise on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec City, for example, an activity that mixes nature and culture with a ride along the historic Île d'Orléans, the Cap Diamant, the Montmorency Falls, and the Château Frontenac, among other natural and city landscapes while an expert guide gives you a thorough explanation of the city's history and its biodiversity.
You can also try a boat tour just around Île d'Orléans, whether during the day or at sunset. Learn more about the river, stroll calmly with an expert skipper, and even have a local drink and snack during the sunset tour as you enjoy the beautiful view of the changing colors in the sky, reflected on the river's water.
One out-of-the-ordinary option can be a boat excursion around the Isle-aux-Grues Archipelago. You will explore the 21 islands that compose the Archipelago and the coastline of the Chaudière-Appalaches for about 2.5 hours. You'll learn about some of the history, secrets, and mysteries surrounding these Islands, and spend a beautiful couple of hours on the amazing St. Lawrence River!
Wildlife experiences
Canada is known for having an incredible wildlife diversity, with over 80.000 classified species, 68% of which are animals. That's why, if you visit it in summer, you'll get the opportunity of a lifetime, as you'll get to search for, and hopefully see, incredible creatures such as black bears, whales, moose, beavers, and more!
Whale watching
Whale watching is one of the most interesting and out-of-the-ordinary activities you can find in Quebec during the summer. The mouth of the Saguenay Fjord and the St. Lawrence estuary are rich in zooplankton, which means that they attract some of the world's biggest mammals towards their waters, and you can go see them!
On this whale-watching excursion on the St. Lawrence, you'll visit the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park and, in compliance with all rules and regulations for the safety of the animals and the park, you'll head over to the majestic Saguenay Fjord. There, you'll have the opportunity to see incredible species such as the beluga, fin whale, minke whale, blue whale, humpback whale, harbor porpoise, and grey seal! It is an unforgettable experience only available during the summer months that you will definitely not regret.
A search for Black Bears
Another incredible opportunity you will have in Quebec Province during the summer, is looking for and observing black bears, an endangered species and the smallest of the North American Bears. On this black bear-watching expedition you will go to the heart of Quebec, near the Saint-Joseph Lake, about 30 minutes away from the province's capital. This is a mindful and caring experience, so, as to not disturb the bears and other animals on the site, you will climb up into an observation tower, where you will have a clear view of the forest, the bears, and other species such as the blue jay, hare, squirrel, woodpecker, and many more if you're lucky!
But you can also strap your boots on and, for example, hike, canoe or kayak around the Jacques-Cartier National Park, which is known for hosting moose in the river valley inside the park, beavers on the Scotora trail, and white-tailed deer, foxes, and porcupines, not to mention over 130 species of birds all around the park. To know more about this wonderful activity, you can check out our article on the best spots to see black bears in Quebec.
Remember to always respect nature and take care of the animals you come across during your different outings, it is paramount for their survival and your safety, not to mention the survival of the amazing ecosystems you'll be visiting.
Sportive activities
With all the hiking trails and natural attractions we've mentioned in this article, it's already clear that Quebec Province is an ideal place to practice some fun and sportive activities that will show you the incredible sights that are available around the province. Here are a few more that might interest you, and are ideal to do in the summer.
In the first place, you can rent a mountain bike at Les Sentiers du Moulin, near Quebec City, an outdoor center that offers a network of 60km worth of mountain bike trails that you will be able to explore on your own. You can enjoy the views of the Maelström mountain or delve into the boreal forest, the world's largest land biome. The choice is yours!
And if you'd still like to bike, but would prefer to have a guide to show you the best spots and tell you about the region, you can book a guided mountain biking tour around Quebec City, where a guide will take you around some of the amazing trails around the city, passing through lush green forests, and natural viewpoints that will mark you for life.
Now, if you're interested in a more adrenaline-filled sportive experience, you can try this via ferrata in the Bras-du-Nord Valley. In this impressive expanse of natural beauty, you will climb the rocks with a guide that will keep you safe, and if you're feeling really adventurous, you can try a 150-meter long zip-line or a 50-meter abseil at the end of your via ferrata! This is an amazing excursion that will challenge and elate you all at the same time.
And if you're really interested in this activity, don't hesitate to check out this list of the top 10 via ferratas in Quebec.
But if what interests you is watching the views of the stunning Vallée Bras-du-Nord from up high, try this multi-pitch climbing experience in the area! You will discover the "Tite Étoile" route as you climb a 180-meter high, hard granite wall in different stages. Once you reach the summit, you will abseil back down to the ground and get a wonderful view of the valley, while feeling the rewarding soreness of having climbed this challenging rock mountain.
And if you're coming in the summer, but still want a taste of the Quebecois winter, why not try ice skating indoors? This 400-meter ice skating rink in the heart of the Plateau Sainte-Foy in Quebec City is open almost year-round and, for a small price, you'll have access to the Olympic-sized rink and even rent all the equipment necessary to spend a few hours on the ice!
But, clearly, one article is not enough to tell you about all the things that you can do during the summer in such a diverse region as Quebec Province. You could take a helicopter tour over Montreal or the forests of Quebec. You could take a guided quad biking tour around Montreal or go zip-lining in Mont-Catherine. You could go caving in the Trou de la Fée Cave or stand-up paddle boarding on the Saint Lawrence River. You could also try Quebec's water parks, like the Village Vacances Valcartier, or its sandy beaches like the one in Baie de Beauport.
You could, on the other hand, enjoy the culture, like the multiple festivals happening around Quebec Province, the Festival de la chanson de Saint-Ambroise in Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean in August,for example, which will show you new artists singing in French. You could go to the museums available there, like the Musée National des Beaux-arts du Québec or Le Monastère des Augustines. Or even just take a stroll down Motreal's or Quebec City's streets, take a guided walking tour to learn about the history of the area, and even a ghost tour if you're a fan of all things creepy but fun!
And why not try some delicious food? Montreal bagels, boiled before baking; their world-famous poutine, fries smothered in gravy and cheese; not to mention the pouding chômeur, Quebec's most iconic dessert consisting of dough and maple syrup and/or brown sugar, a delicacy left over from the great depression you will want to try. These are only a few of the options available to you if gastronomy is what your heart desires.
No matter what your interests are, Quebec Province probably has an activity, tour, restaurant, festival, or shop to supply it, and during the summer, you can enjoy this region's charms without worrying about what you'll wear to survive the cold. If you're interested in knowing more about the variety of outdoor attractions you can find in Quebec Province during the summer, you can check out these activities in Quebec City or the ones in Montreal, you are sure to find something for your taste. And if you want to visit this wonderful place, but you don't like the heat or would simply try out other seasons, you can figure out when to visit Quebec Province or find out about the best year-round activities that you can take part in once you do decide to go.
So, don't hesitate to visit Quebec Province during the summer. With all there is to do, it's an ideal vacation destination!