🌲 Best for: Camping, multi-day hiking, mountain views & nature immersion
⛰️ Highlight: Mont Albert — one of Québec’s iconic peaks at 1 170 m above sea level
🛶 Tip: There are no grocery stores or gas stations inside the park — bring enough food, gas, clothes, layers & warm sleeping gear

We spent two nights camping at Parc national de la Gaspésie — and it was a perfect base to really explore the Chic-Choc mountains. The campground had all the basics we needed: toilets, water fountains, showers (no coins needed), picnic tables, and fire pits at each site. You can even buy firewood at the park’s discovery center. Even in summer, nights in the mountains get quite cold, so make sure you have warm layers and a good sleeping bag.

One of the main reasons we stayed here was to do the famous Mont Albert hike. This trail is challenging but incredibly rewarding, and many hikers consider it one of the best in the park. Mont Albert rises to around 1 170 m in the Chic-Chocs, giving you those classic alpine views and a chance to experience high-elevation tundra and boreal flora that feel very different from the forests below.

The full hike we did was about 20 km with roughly 1 100 m of elevation gain (depending on route and loop choice), so it’s a serious, all-day challenge — be prepared physically and bring plenty of water, snacks, and proper trail shoes. At the top there are refuges/shelters where you can warm up and rest, and the scenery from above is absolutely worth the effort. You’re surrounded by the remote beauty of the Chic-Chocs, and if you’re lucky you might see caribou or moose (they’re known to live in the park). Best to hike early morning or late afternoon to get a chance to spot them.

Since the park covers a large area with many trails, there’s plenty more to explore if you stay longer, but a camping trip combined with Mont Albert gives a real feel for the rugged and wild nature of Gaspésie. Just remember — plan ahead, bring all your food and supplies, and fill up your tank before you enter the park. There is almost no cell service. It’s a fantastic mix of challenge, beauty, and peaceful mountain wilderness.