Located in the Laurentian Mountains in-between Montreal and Quebec City, La Mauricie National Park offers an opportunity to explore a park with a 150 different lakes. In the boreal forest, hike among the dense evergreens and deciduous trees along the Canadian Shield of the St. Lawrence lowlands. Read on for what to do inLa Mauricie National Park with kids.
What to do inLa Mauricie National Park with Kids
- Naturalists Programs
- Hiking
- Find a Red Chair
- Picnic
- Kids Programs
- Canoeing
- Camping
Naturalist Programs
La Mauricie National Park offers seasonal naturalist programs during the summer and fall season. Take a hike or attend an evening program at the campground. Learn to track animals or enjoy a guided canoe trip with the Parks Canada naturalists.
Check in at the Saint-Mathieu Visitor Center for the weekly schedule. All programs are in French only.
Hiking in La Mauricie National Park
Explore La Mauricie National Park with a family hike.
| Trail | Distance |
| Ruisseau Brodeur | 1.4 km |
| La Tourbière | 300-meter boardwalk |
| Les Cascades | 2 km |
| Lac Gabet | 3 km |
| La Caché | 1 km |
The Parks Canada Red Chairs
Find a pair of red chairs in La Mauricie National Park. Sit down and savor a special view handpicked by the park. Find the special chairs at the following locations.
- Lac aux Chevaux Lookout
- Le Vide-Bouteille Point
- La Rosoy Lookout
Where to Picnic in La Mauricie
Kids love a picnic so pack one for your trip. Find picnic areas at the following spots.
- Shewenegan Picnic Area
- Esker Picnic Area
- Wapizagonke Picnic Area
- Lac Edouard Picnic Area (closed for 2018)
Kid Fun in La Mauricie National Park
La Mauricie Naitonal Park offers several programs for kids.
Nature Biokit
Developed for teens, the Nature Biokit combines hikes, observation and games to explore the park with all five senses.
Parks Canada Xplorers
Similar to theNational Park Service’s Junior Ranger Programsin the U.S., Parks Canada offers the Xplorer Program. Kids receive a booklet at the visitor center to complete. It takes about an hour and kids receive a collectible dog tag charm with the park’s name imprinted on it.
Pick up an Xplorer booklet at the Saint-Mathieu Visitor Center, Mistagance Campground or the Wapizagonke Campground.
Club Parka
Grab a Club Parka booklet for the younger kids to explore La Mauricie National Park. Each booklet offers age-appropriate activities for kids to do while enjoying the park with their families.
Where to Canoe in La Mauricie
With 150 lakes, La Mauricie National Park is perfect for canoeing. As a bonus the park offers a boat rental. Find the following boats at several locations.
- Canoes
- Kayak—single and double
- SUP (stand up paddleboard)
- Rowboats
Lodging in La Mauricie
On the edge of the Lac à la Pêche, Le Chalet Wabenaki or La Maison Andrew used to host the American elite, like the Kennedy family. Now find basic accomodations for groups with lots of lake activities nearby.
Camping in La Mauricie National Park
Find 500 campsites across the La Mauricie Naitonal Park for your getaway. The majority of the campsites are open seasonally from mid-May to mid-October.
All the campgrounds feature an amphitheater along with a bathhouse with showers and toilets. Each campsite features a picnic table, a fireplace and a tent pad.
Rivière à la Pêche Campground
Find 223 sites at the Rivière à la Pêche Campground, with a beach, café and boat rental close-by. This campground is closed for the 2018 summer season.
Mistagance Campground
Find 91 sites at the Mistagance Campground that features a playground, a beach, café and boat rental nearby.
Wapizagonke Campground
Find 190 campsites at the Wapizagonke Campground that features a kitchen shelter, a corner store and boat rental nearby.
Canoe Camping
Take camping to the next level and canoe to your site. La Maurice National Park offers a campground only accessible by canoe.
Find some sites with a fireplace, some without. Each site offers a picnic table and a bear-proof food hanger nearby. This campground features vault toilets only.
oTENTiks
An oTENTik is A-frame structure featuring sleeping for five or six with a series of platform beds. Find a table, four chairs and a bench inside along with solar lighting. Each sites provides a lantern, a woodstove and a coffeemaker along with the majority of utensils for cooking.
The oTENTiks feature a picnic table, a fire place and grill for outdoor cooking. Bathhouses are a short distance away. All cooking is done outside.
Find 13 oTENTiks at the Rivière à la Pêche campground (closed for the 2018 summer season).
Another 12 oTENTiks can reserved at the Mistagance campground.
Be Bear Aware
La Mauricie National Park is home to black bears but not Grizzly bears. Stay safe in bear country.
- Make noise while hiking.
- Look for fresh tracks or scat.
- Hike in groups.
- Give bears 100 meters if you encounter one.
- Keep a bare campsite by storing food and equipment when not preparing or eating food in a bear-proof storage container.
Lyme Disease
The Black-legged tick is found throughout the eastern Canada. To prevent Lyme disease use the following precautions.
- Wear light-colored clothing, including long pants and long-sleeved shirts.
- Use insect repellant with DEET.
- Stay on trails and avoid long grass and brush.
- Take a shower shortly after hiking.
- Put clothes in a hot dryer for 10 minutes to kill ticks.
Where’s La Mauricie National Park
Located in-between Montreal and Quebec City, La Mauricie National Park is two hours from each. It’s north of Trois-Rivières.
| Admission | Cost |
| Adult–18 and over | $7.80CAN |
| Senior | $6.80CAN |
| Youth—17 and under | Free for 2018 |
| Family—Up to seven people in one vehicle | $15.70CAN |
Other Sites to Explore in Canada
During our road trip through the Canadian Maritimes, we explored the following.
Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site
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