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Where To Camp Around Montreal
Retvrn to nature
I spent the morning planning our camping trips for this summer. We usually head to the beautiful La Mauricie, but it’s time to try something different.
I scouted several Sépaq, Ontario, and regional parks near Montreal to see what’s out there. Here’s a breakdown of some of the options:
- Oka: Has a beach, but not much else as far as I can tell.
- Boucherville: Located on an island, so you can’t reach the site by car and there’s no deep forest.
- Voyageur Provincial Park: I don’t know much about it, and the 4.4 Google Maps rating is lower than average.
- Parc Régional de la Forêt Ouareau: A beautiful spot, but the campsites lack showers and proper toilets.
- Yamaska (Sépaq): The first option that hits every requirement, but it’s already fully booked on weekends until mid-July.
- Parc de la Montagne d’Argent: Very cheap, first-come, first-served sites, but no showers or toilets. Particularly good for rock climbers.
- Plaisance (Sépaq): Looks great for kayaking but has no hiking trails.
- Mont-Tremblant (Sépaq): Meets all the criteria and surprisingly still has plenty of availability. 💖
- Orford (Sépaq): Another solid option that meets all requirements.
- Parc Naturel Régional de Portneuf: The Sainte-Anne river sector has showers. Meets all requirements, but is not Sépaq. No mountain to hike, but there’s a cave to explore and water activities. Cheaper than Sépaq.
- Parc Régional du Mont-Ham: Meets all requirements; it has a mountain to hike but is not a Sépaq park. Only four tent camping spots available.
We’ve decided to go “full Sépaq” this year to make the most of its season pass: Plaisance, Mont-Tremblant, Orford, Yamaska in late August, and a longer trip to the distant Fjord-du-Saguenay.
Under 90 minutes of driving
| Category | Name | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Sépaq | Oka | 4.4 |
| Sépaq | Boucherville | 4.5 |
| Ontario Parks | Voyageur Provincial Park | 4.4 |
| Regional | Parc Régional de la Forêt Ouareau | 4.6 |
| Sépaq | Yamaska ⭐ | 4.5 |
| Regional | Parc de la Montagne d’Argent | 4.7 |
| Sépaq | Plaisance ⭐ | 4.5 |
90 to 120 minutes of driving
| Category | Name | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Sépaq | Mont-Tremblant ⭐ | 4.7 |
| Sépaq | Orford ⭐ | 4.7 |
| Regional | Parc Régional des Sept-Chutes | 4.7 |
| Regional | Parc Régional de la Rivière Gentilly | 4.6 |
2 to 3 hours of driving
| Category | Name | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Regional | Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook | 4.7 |
| Ontario Parks | Rideau River Provincial Park | 4.1 |
| Regional | Parc Naturel Régional de Portneuf 👀 | 4.7 |
| Regional | Parc Régional du Mont-Ham 👀 | 4.8 |
| Ontario Parks | Fitzroy | 4.5 |
| Regional | Parc Régional de la Montagne du Diable | 4.7 |
Over 3 hours of driving
| Category | Name | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Regional | Vallée Bras-du-Nord | 4.7 |
| Sépaq | Frontenac | 4.6 |
| Sépaq | Jacques-Cartier | 4.8 |
| Regional | Parc du Massif du Sud | 4.7 |
| Ontario Parks | Bon Echo | 4.7 |
| Sépaq | Fjord-du-Saguenay ⭐ | 4.8 |