About an hours drive from Montreal, armed with directions from a friend who plays gigs all over…read moreQuebec, we found what we'd been looking for. A regional park with almost no one around, a suspension bridge looming over water crashing and shushing past fat boulders. A river coming down a low old mountain in the sun.
The hike on the managed paths goes up one side to a suspension bridge then back down the other side and takes all of about 15 minutes, but you can slip off the paths easily to step into the dangerous but hugely beautiful current. In August the water is as warm as it'll get rolling down from the icey stretches up wherever it begins, and it's in these sunny little hollows where locals know to sit like it's a hot tub in a running river, coolers perched on the yellow rocks, beers perched on their bellies, puppies playing in the waves, nothing but smiles and friendly nods for miles. Apparently there are 2 or 3 different entrances to the park, and the east side is more popular with a more sculpted beach. So far we stick to the quieter side.
On final note - beware of Google Mapping this, it tried to send us to an office near a municipal park instead of the regional - in other words, we pulled up at a hockey rink in a very small town, very confused. Just make sure you're following the road signs for the regional park and you'll be fine... and it's a pretty area to get lost in anyhow.