FORILLON NATIONAL PARK

Located at the very end of the Gaspé Peninsula, it is the main attraction of Gaspé. You enter the park at Saint-Majorique and leave it at Rivière-au-Renard (or the reverse). To explore the entire park, we recommend spending a day by car to discover the villages and the main attractions of the sector, and then a day or more to enjoy the park's conservation area on foot. For winter activities, you should contact the park, as some services are not offered.

The word forillon means "little lighthouse". This national park was conceived under the theme of harmony between man, land and sea in 1970. In addition to its landscape configuration of steep cliffs, pebble beaches and caves, it offers the great attraction of its fauna and flora. Lynx, beaver, moose, red fox and bear live in harmony with nature. The various forests (mixed, coniferous and deciduous), freshwater marshes, meadows and dune vegetation will enchant you. There are large colonies of seabirds and various species of seals and whales, including humpback, minke and white-sided dolphins.

The park has two visitor centres at the entrances to the North and South sectors, open from late May to mid-October. However, services and activities are mainly offered from June to early September, and in some cases until mid-October. The park remains accessible in winter for cross-country skiing (three trails, including the recent La Grande Cavée) and fatbike riding (bike reservations by phone at the Centre culturel Le Griffon). Three buildings are open in winter: the chalet at the starting point of La Vallée and Le Portage (L'Anse-au-Griffon) and the Répi-Nord chalet (La Vallée).

Lodging: 3 semi-developed campgrounds, for a total of approximately 350 sites (reservations: +1 877 737 8783 - reservation.pc.gc.ca). The Cap-Bon-Ami campground on the cliffs offers a breathtaking view. Other accommodations: ready-to-camp (oTENTik tents, small MicrOcube chalets and Ôasis teardrop-shaped unusual accommodations), wilderness camping (no charge, but registration required at the visitor centre or at the collection point).

Activities: hiking, biking, discovery and whale-watching cruises, recreation centre with pool and wading pool, sea kayaking, kitesurfing, swimming, saltwater or shore fishing, scuba diving and snorkelling, visits to heritage sites, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fatbike