Where to Go Hiking This Summer in the Eastern Townships

Hiking is a non-fail activity for connecting with nature and one that offers an easy way to practise social distancing! In order to identify the best hiking trails, we asked two local experts to talk to us about their favourite places to go hiking in our region. This is where they recommend you should go.

Parc des sommets — Bromont

The Parc des sommets is the new name given to Bromont’s municipal trail network. Besides being an impressive network destined for mountain bikes, we can also find several kilometres of hiking trails to explore.

We asked Annie Gélinas, an instructor for Cardio Plein Air, and a Bromont resident, to share with us her favourite trails. She highly recommends that we try the M50 trail—Coureur des bois—you can find it on the mountain network of trails. This new route offers a great uphill climb ending with a fine view from the top of Mont-Bernard.

The Lake Gale network of trails is also a must in the region. Annie recommends taking the G1 trail which goes around the lake and runs along a small valley by Chemin du lac Gale. This trail is especially magnificent during the golden hour.

View Bromont’s trail map.

Parc d’environnement naturel de Sutton (PENS)

This park, well known by all hiking enthusiasts, is simply not to be missed in the region. The great majority of hikers come here to visit the classic trails, such as the Round top, Lake Spruce and the Dos de l’orignal. For this article we questioned M. Gilles Coulombe a patrol volunteer for the PENS, and a Sutton resident, and for his part, he particularly enjoys the Solitaire trail. It offers some wonderful points of view while still being wilder and less visited than the Round Top. According to him, the Nombril, which leads to Nymphes falls, and Mont Gagnon, which offers a nice view of Vermont’s Green Mountains, are also less visited sectors, yet highly appreciated by hikers.

View the PENS trail map

The Sentiers de l’Estrie

Coulombe took this opportunity to talk to us about the many trails of the Sentiers de l’Estrie. He recommends hiking on Mounts Echo and Singer, which he’s visited before. And this summer he promised himself to explore the Bolton Pass loop. Please note that for the time being it’s impossible to hike on this trail. You’ll need to consult the Sentiers de l’Estrie Website for updates about trail access.

Visit the Sentiers de l’Estrie Website

Before Leaving

Please note that you can purchase your access rights online, from your home, for all three networks mentioned in this article.

We ask you to also take a few minutes to read the Hiker’s Code of conduct during these pandemic times, published by the Rando Québec organization.