Quebec is one of the most stunning provinces in Canada, with glacially carved valleys, craggy mountains, and stunning fjords. If you’re looking for a way to explore Quebec’s natural beauty on your own, consider visiting Jacques Cartier National Park, which is conveniently located 45 minutes north of the charming Quebec City.
One of the best hikes in Jacques Carter is the L’Eperon Trail, which provides stunning views over the Rivière Jacques-Cartier and the lakes that dot the national park’s rolling hillsides. So if you want to explore this trail for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about the L’Eperon hike in Jacques Cartier National Park.
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About the L’Eperon Trail
L’Eperon translates to “the spur” in English and references the topography that you’ll climb across on this trail, climbing along the ridgeline of Montagne de l’Epaule that juts out over the glacial valley below, providing spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.
Here are some quick stats about the L’Eperon Trail:
- Length: 5.1 km (3.2 miles)
- Elevation gain: 250 meters (820 feet)
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trail map
How to get to Jacques Cartier National Park
As mentioned above, the trailhead is located here in Jacques Cartier National Park,about 45 minutes north of Quebec City. There are a few ways that you can get to the park.
Drive
If you’re hiring a rental car or if you have your own while you’re visiting Quebec, it’s a quick 45 minute drive from Quebec City to the national park, which is all along paved and well-maintained highways.
Just be aware that the parking lot for the trail is pretty small. There are limited spots along the shoulder of the road, as well, but definitely pay close attention to the copious amount of parking restriction signs here. We saw a tow truck that was actively towing vehicles for not complying with the parking signs!
My husband, Justin, and I visited on a random Tuesday at the end of September around mid-morning and had to probably park about half a mile away.
So, if you’re visiting during a particularly busy period, like a weekend in summer or fall, I’d definitely recommend getting here on the early side!
Join a tour
If you’re not going to have a car while you’re visiting Quebec City, you can join a tour to Jacques Cartier National Park. For example, this small group option includes roundtrip transportation to the city, a guided hike, as well as two hours to explore the park on your own, which is plenty of time to tackle the L’Eperon Trail.
Take the shuttle
There is a daily shuttle, operated by Quatre Natures, that offers daily service between Quebec City and the Jacques Cartier National Park Visitor Center.
However, it takes over three hours to walk roundtrip from the Visitor Center to the trailhead for the L’Eperon hike, so, unless you take a bike on the shuttle or are comfortable with trying to hitch a ride with another park visitor, this probably isn’t your best option.
Cost of visiting Jacques Cartier National Park
To enter Jacques Cartier National Park, there’s a $10.10 CAD entry fee for people over 18 (and free for anyone under 18), unless you have a valid annual pass to the national park or to the Quebec National Parks.
You pay this fee at the kiosk when you enter the park.
What to expect on the L’Eperon Trail
The L’Eperon Trail is a loop trail, so the first thing you’ll need to pick is whether you want to go clockwise or counterclockwise.
We hiked this trail clockwise, but, after having actually done it, I’d generally recommend going counterclockwise—the climb up to the summit is less steep that way and the most spectacular views will be saved for the end of the trail.
If it’s recently rained or icy, though, I might recommend going clockwise to save yourself from having to climb downhill on the steeper part.
Assuming that you’re hiking the trail counterclockwise, the trail immediately enters into a dense forest, with the pathway remaining pretty flat for the first 1.6 km.
About 1.3 km into the trail, you’ll reach the shores of what appears to be a pretty lake, but what is actually a wide section of the Rivière à l’Épaule. Shortly after you skirt along the waterfront, the trail starts gradually climbing uphill along a rocky trail.
This section is pretty, but it’s mostly forested, so you won’t really get many views of the surrounding Jacques Cartier Valley until you reach the summit of the trail, about 3.3 km into your hike. Here, to the west, you’ll have pretty of the curving Rivière Jacques-Cartier below and the surrounding rolling hills.
From this point on, you’ll be climbing the rest of the way steeply downhill along a series of tight switchbacks, which has a mix of large rocks and wooden staircases. There are lots of viewpoints sprinkled throughout the trail, where the dense trees part to offer views over the valley and the river below.
The trail absolutely has some spectacular vistas. However, to set expectations, when we visited, most of the viewpoints consisted of small clearings of trees along the trail, oftentimes with significant overgrowth from other trees and brush that oftentimes obscured the view.
I definitely commend the national park for generally letting nature be, but, for such a popular trail, I was a bit surprised the viewpoints weren’t particularly well-maintained to offer hikers the best views possible.
After the last viewpoint over Rivière Jacques-Cartier, you’ll follow the path for 0.5 km back to the trailhead.
When to visit the L’Eperon Trail
Luckily, the L’Eperon Trail is open year round.
In my opinion, though, the most beautiful time to visit the trail is in fall, when the park’s rolling mountains are aflame with autumnal foliage. Peak fall colors vary from year to year, but it generally happens around the last week of September to early October. Quebec has this handy fall foliage tracker, which is regularly updated, starting every September, so you can plan your trip when the colors are at their most vibrant.
And, as a bonus, there are tons of other stunning fall hikes in this area of Quebec, like the Mont du Dôme in Zec Des Martres or Acropole des Draveurs in Hautes‑Gorges-de-la-Rivière‑Malbaie National Park.
If you can’t time your hike in the fall, not to worry. The trail is usually ice and snow-free, beginning around March of every year. While this time of year may be a bit drab to visit, with all of the leafless trees, the upside is that the overlooks along the trail will be less obscured with the overgrown shrubs and branches.
The trees spring to life again in May and keep their leaves through mid-October.
Even when snow falls on the trail, which typically occurs from November through March, you can still use it—and, in fact, it’s actually a popular snowshoeing trail! You can actually rent snowshoes at the park’s visitor center for $19.25 CAD per adult or you can bring your own (here’s the pair that I have and here’s the pair that Justin uses).
I’d also suggest bringing along a pair of microspikes, especially if you’re visiting on the earlier or later side of winter, when you’re more likely to encounter thin, icy patches along the trail.
I hope you enjoy the L’Eperon Trail in Jacques Cartier National Park—it’s such a fun little day trip from Quebec City! Do you have any questions about this hike? Let us know in the comments below!
