The fabulous forest views in the Laurentians you MUST see!

If you’re looking for a spectacular place to enjoy Quebec’s brilliant fall foliage, look no further than Sentier des cimes in Mont-Blanc, 20 minutes southeast of the Mont-Tremblant resort in the Laurentians. The name translates directly as “Peaks Trail,” but I’ve also seen it in English as “Treetops Walk,” which seems a bit more apropos.

A boardwalk stretching across the top of a forest canopy leads you to a 40-metre-high observation tower that gives you a 360-degree view of the fall colours lighting up the surrounding wooded hills—a mix of maples, birches, other deciduous trees and conifers. Interpretive plaques along the boardwalk provide lots of information about the flora and fauna below.

The entire site, designed by a German firm that has built similar attractions in Europe, is accessible to people of all abilities. At the entrance, an elevator provides an alternative to a 78-step staircase. After that, the gentle upward slope of the boardwalk and the ramps inside the observation tower never exceeds six degrees, so people using wheelchairs or canes, and parents pushing strollers, can traverse the whole thing. (I won’t lie, though; even for someone not using a mobility aid, the long walk up the tower can require a few pauses to catch one’s breath.)

Sentier des cimes opened in July 2022, and it’s clearly already a big hit. Several readers urged me to check it out, so I headed up there on what I thought would be a quiet fall Monday. By the time I arrived, at noon on a gorgeous autumn day, the place was jammed. Three guys were directing cars in the parking lot, and there was a bit of a traffic jam on the road going in.

Even so, the 1.2-kilometre boardwalk is long enough that people were quite spread out and it didn’t feel crowded. On a weekend, though, it could be a different story. If you want to visit on a Saturday or Sunday, I would strongly advise (a) buying your ticket online in advance and (b) coming as early in the day as you can.

For kids and thrill seekers, a bonus at the top of the tower is a terrifying net in the middle of the observation platform. Those with no fear of heights can pick their way across the net and look 40 metres down to the ground below. When I was there, many small children were bouncing on the net like fearless pogo stickers. I’m usually not afraid of heights, but I must admit I scuttled across the net like a frightened crab and was very happy to get to the solid deck on the other side.

If you go to Sentier des cimes

Sentier des cimes is 160 kilometres northeast of Parliament Hill. It will take you a little under two hours to drive there from Ottawa.

Tickets to Sentier des cimes aren’t cheap, at $31 plus taxes per adult. Also, you’ll have to pay to park in the adjacent lot. Still, I do think it’s a worthwhile splurge, both for the relaxing stroll to the observation tower and for the views.

One word of warning: The onsite, cafeteria-style restaurant, Chez Émile, is shockingly expensive. I mean, $6.95 for a brownie, and $16.95 for a bowl of chili? I know food and labour prices have gone up a lot in the last little while, but I must admit that I blinked. On the bright side, the restaurant is licensed, so a glass of wine might take the edge off the sticker shock.

Because I was really hungry, I paid about $20 for a ham-and-cheese sandwich, a small cup of “artisanal” smoked méli-mélo (AKA bits ‘n’ bites, which were actually quite tasty) and a bottle of orange juice. My tip? Bring a picnic and lay it out on the tables near the parking lot.

If you’d like to stay overnight in the area—which is a great idea, as there’s a lot to do—you can use the map below to find accommodation. Disclosure: If you book a place to stay using the map, I’ll receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.