Family friendly activities in the beautiful province of Quebec and surrounding area. Find tips and guides for hiking, traveling, outdoor and indoor time with your kids.
Ski Montagne Coupee is located in Saint-Jean-de-Matha about 1h15 from Montreal. The centre is specialized in winter sports; cross country ski (traditional and skating – 72.3km trails) and snowshoeing (19.5km trails). The center is situated near the Abbaye Val-Notre Dame, a monastery opened in 2009. The trails take you through a pine forest, a valley, hills, and an impressive cliff.
La Société de Conservation, d’Interprétation et de Recherche de Berthier et ses Îles (SCIRBI) is a wetland reservation, known for its richness with fauna and flora. The main activity besides hiking is observing the 200+ species of birds, fish and rare plants in the island along footbridges, interpretation signs, and observation towers. This place was awarded by UNESCO in 2000 as one of the six world reserves of the world’s biosphere. The islands host a resting and feeding area for migratory birds such as herons and waterfowls. There are three trails on the island, this post is about our 7km+ hike on the island.
Terre des bisons farm is great for kids to learn about the bison and elks in North America. Discover the history of the bison in the discovery center, watch the animals from close proximity while hiking 1.2km around the large farm.
Ski Val Saint Côme is a ski station located in the Lanaudière region (under 2 hours drive from Montreal). It offers a 300 meters vertical drop, 37 trails, two snow parks, and evening skiing. The ski station has recovered well from the fire in September 2018 which destroyed the main buildings. New buildings have been built, completely functional (although the outside part is not yet completed). Trails types: beginner (25%), intermediate (36%), expert (28%), extremely difficult (11%). We enjoyed a sunny day, skiing, at the beginning of February at this nice place.
Havre Familial is a 4 stars holiday centre, offering outdoor activities ideal for families all year round. We visited the centre during wintertime enjoying ice skating on lake Clair, tubing (two slopes) and winter hiking. The resort is also offering cross country skiing, snowshoeing and ice climbing. During the summer, there are plenty of water sports activities.
This all-year trail is a super fun walk, about 1.9km return, part of the Parcs Regionaux MRC Matawinie. It is not suitable for very small kids as the trail during wintertime can be very slippery. There are about 90 stairs to reach the small waterfall. During our visit, it was mostly frozen and impressive to watch from close proximity. The trail is well maintained and has clear indications. Interpretive signs along the trail will explain the wood logging history of this region.
We had a lovely afternoon visiting the Marché de Noël de Terrebonne. Open from November 29th until December 16th, 2018, the market is located in old Terrebonne. Main attractions are the exhibitors; decorated stalls with various offerings (food, wines, clothing, house decorations and more). There is a main stage with performing artists (check online program). The market is relatively small so you can continue walking along the decorated streets of Old Terrebonne to discover this charming area. Add to your walk a quick visit to Ile-des-Moulins just nearby the market.
Hurry up, only a few days left for pumpkin picking at this great farm (a family-owned business in L’ Assomption since 1790), 40 minutes north from Montreal. The activities for kids include a tractor ride, a playing area with lots of different bicycles, a huge pile of hay with bridges to climb on and a small farm with cows.
Île-des-Moulins is located 30 minutes from downtown Montreal and nearby Laval, on the north shores of the Riviere des Mille-Iles and of the Riviere des Prairies. This small island is considered one of the most important pre-industrial site of the 19th century, a historical site, as it used to have a large complex of buildings from that era (today only 5 remained). The first flour mill was built in 1721 and a sawmill in 1725. Many other mills were built in the 19th century. We headed to Terrebonne on a cold autumn weekend day and we discovered a gem! Enjoy the sounds of the streaming water, cross the dam towards Île Saint-Jean and be inspired by the old buildings and mills.
Halloween is just around the corner and autumn is definitely here. Head for La Courgerie for a great experience of pumpkin picking. Take a wheelbarrow & a pruner and start loading these beautiful pumpkins, choose a variety of 300 squashes!! Play in the garden and learn about the pumpkin culture in the interpretation area.
Only 1 hour away from Montreal, you can find the streaming Ouareau River surrounded by forest trees. This regional park has few lookout points of the Dorwin waterfall and 2.5km of trails along the river with information points. This is a good place to take visitors – a nice viewpoint of the falls and a simple & relaxed walk in the forest (and of course so close to Montreal).
Everywhere I go, I love to collect tourism brochures. Last Friday evening I was looking for a place to visit and I was going through my box, dedicated to activities in Quebec. I found a brochure about this place. After a search online, we decided to visit it the next day! We decided to combine a visit to the winery with wine tasting, a visit to a super nice antique tractor museum (ideal for tractor fans) and do a 4.5km hike (one way) which starts from the vineyards.
If you are looking for a beautiful viewpoint of the Lanaudiere region, this is the place to visit. The trail is about 2 km return – 900 meters to the viewpoint, mostly uphill (elevation gain of about 120 meters).
It was on my mind to write about this walk we did back in early September, on a sunny day but the ground was slippery from rainy days before. The trail is rough. Although it is considered an intermediate – easy hike, it can be difficult for young kids. The park does not allow strollers. It includes a walk along the river, a waterfall and a steep climb uphill. I definitely recommend taking a child carrier backpack, or to hike with older kids.
I am happy to write about this hike as we were confused from the information about this walk when we first looked at it. Hopefully it will be easier to follow now.
This great park is totally worth the visit. It has three main entrances, Porte Ste- Béatrix, Porte St-Jean de Marta and Porte Ste-Mélanie. The Rivière L’Assomption crosses this park and offers three waterfalls which can be viewed from bridges. The walk – Sentier Desjardins which is described here is about 5km return.
Quebec Family Hikes 