Trip Report: Mont Megantic National Park, Quebec Canada

Huts of Mont Megantic National Park, Quebec 

Date: 02.02.15—02.04.15

Submitted by: Rob Stenger, Hutmaster, Maine Huts and Trails

Location: Mont Megantic National Park, Quebec Province, Canada

Website: http://www.sepaq.com/pq/mme/index.dot

Names of Huts visited: La Voie Lactee, Col-des-Trois-Sommets, La Grande Ourse, La Petite Ourse, Pelerins, Le Mont-Saint-Joseph

Facilities/Amenities: Huts consist of separate bunkrooms with vinyl mattresses and main room with table, chairs, and a woodstove. Woodshed and outhouse are located outside nearby. There are wax/sawdust firestarters supplied by the Park and candleholders mounted on the walls.

There is also a “camper’s center” which stays open 24/7 near to registration building.  There are flush toilets and water fountains there and an emergency phone.

Tips: Bring your own candles. And be aware that there are no cooking stations in the huts. Draining/washing your pots may involve running outside in the snow a lot. The huts in the valleys (La Petite Ourse, La Grande Ourse, Col-des-Trois-Sommets) may see more day visitor use (huts are open to the public during the day) whilst the high huts are harder to get to. La Voie Lactee hut is slightly fancier, with a couch, a sink basin, and an inside composting toilet. This hut and Pelerins have the best views. Le Mont-Saint-Joseph is the most romantic, with a single double bed in the main room looking to the outside. There is also an observatory which does special programming on weekends, but programs are only in French. Also, be aware that park access fees are separate from the per night hut booking fee.

Trip Description: We stayed 2 nights at Mont Megantic. The first night was at La Voie Lactee and the second was at La Petite Ourse. However, all of the huts are within 5km of each other and some much closer, so we were able to visit all of them during our stay. We happened to be there during a week of heavy snow and had a wonderful time skiing the valleys and snowshoeing up to the peaks. Trails were well maintained, although some of the longer loops on the cross-country ski paths had not been groomed. Due to our mid-week stay, we had both huts to ourselves.