#parcsregionauxmatawinie

First hike of the spring season 2021!

Brienne was my hiking buddy today as we got out the city for some time in the woods.

This is my first visit to Parc Régional des Chutes Monte-à-Peine-et-des-Dalles

The #lanaudiere is full of beautiful treasures like this. What is so surprising about this area is that these falls are nestled into the terrain where the rolling farmland meets the piedmont (foothills) of the Laurentian mountain range.

You wouldn't expect such beautiful falls.

The park is accessed by three different village entrances - St-Jean-de-Matha, Ste-Mélanie & Ste-Béatrix and has 17 km of trail with 3 chutes. This photo is of chute Monte-à-Peine.

You could easily spend a whole afternoon walking/hiking most of the park or come for just a couple hours and see the highlights. There are sections with some elevation gain/loss but a lot of the hiking trail loops and sections are on the wooded plateau above the falls and wind through lovely and easy walking forested sections.

Highly recommend a visit for the falls and the woods. If you go in late winter/early spring bring crampons/something spiky for your boots. The climbs up and down from the plateau area are very icy this time of year.

The area is 1 hour away from Montreal and there is a fee to access.

There is camping also.

http://parcdeschutes.com/

#parcsregionauxmatawinie #riviereassomption

Mont Ouareau Trailhead.

My first visit to #montouareau in #notredamedelamerci

This hike is also part of the #sentiernational

I'm going solo today but with all the cars in the parking lot I won't be alone on the trail.

#parcsregionauxmatawinie #lanaudiere https://lanaudiere.ca/en/activities-lanaudiere/outdoors/hiking-trails/mont-ouareau-summit/

The Sunny Hill parking lot of the Tournée des cantons de Rawdon (TDCR) gives access to some gnarly backwoods ski trails, just what I like.

We skied the hors piste difficile (off “trail” difficult). There is still a “trail” but it’s not groomed.

I wouldn’t recommend for beginners. Also I think backcountry style x-country skis (wider, metal edged) are more appropriate for these kind of trails. Which is what we have.

I simply adore backcountry x-country skiing, which is also considered “light touring”

I recommend the TDCR for all types of x-country since you can find easier trails off other trailheads.

However, I think this is a popular spot and parking is limited. We went on a cold day (-15c) which eliminated the fair weather skiers. Perfect afternoon on all accounts.

#tdcr #parcsregionauxmatawinie #rawdon

For today’s 2 hr ski we parked at Sunny Hill and skied Richard Grant, part of l’attache ta tuque (tie on your tuque or hold on to your tuque), and le castor.

We met the actual Richard Grant, on his skis, as we returned to the trailhead. I’m so grateful for land owners like this who give people access to their land.

#parcsregionauxmatawinie #rawdon #tdcr

Discovering a new trail system. #tdcr

One of my favorite outdoor areas close to Montreal is the #parcsregionauxmatawinie

That region features regularly in my journals because it’s close to Montreal and the area offers myriad of outdoor activity options year-round.

If you’re brand new to Montreal the only place you know is Mont Tremblant, and maybe Orford in the Eastern Townships. But the Matawinie is the place you go when you know where to go.

Today we explored a new (to us) trail system called Les Sentiers de la Tournée des Cantons de Rawdon (just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it!) TDCR for short

You can find maps online at tourneedescantons.com

Access is free and so is membership. I signed up to become a member because according you the FB page access is limited during Covid to members-only. I may have gotten that info wrong (it’s all in French, but I signed up anyway just to be on the safe side).

The trail system goes through a lot of private land and is maintained by volunteers. This is a real gem only 1 hour from Montreal.

#rawdon

The popular Chutes Dorwin.

Chutes Dorwin in Rawdon (Parc des Chutes Dorwin) has very easy and accessible hiking paths, perfect for a couple hours if you don't mind crowds. I do mind crowds so we went early on a mid-week day.

An hour's drive from Montreal, Rawdon is a popular and easy destination for an outdoorsy day trip. I recommend the bracelet that lets you access all the Rawdon parks.

On our mid-summer excursion with friends we visited Chutes Dorwin, the municipal beach (fine for little kids, not recommended otherwise), and ended at Cascades Rawdon.

The favorite destination was Cascades Rawdon at Parc de Cascades, further up river. We had a lot of fun playing in the water there. Highly recommend it. (No hiking there).

#parcsregionauxmatawinie #chutesdorwin #rawdon #chutes

Hiking at Chute à Bull with Brienne. A short fall hike.

#parcsregionauxmatawinie #lanaudiere