This week, I want to share a beautiful corner of the Eastern Townships with you.
A few weeks ago, I took a few days of vacation and had planned a day of visiting Mont Megantic.
We therefore chose the only sunny day of the week to embark on our two hour car journey with the intention of reaching the summit where an extraordinary view of the mountains and the surrounding area awaits us.
Mont Megantic is iconic for its flora, fauna and position. Also, at its summit, sits the ASTROLAB, an astronomical activity center dedicated to the popularization of science. It presents the history of the universe, of the earth and life, bringing together astronomy, geology, biology and ecology.
The park is home to the most powerful astronomical observatory in eastern North America. To learn more about this unique scientific attraction in Quebec, at the heart of the first International Darksky Reserve, follow this link.
The stars are therefore in the spotlight, but they are not the only ones to impress! This territory is unique in southern Quebec with its peaks of more than 1000 m (3,280 ft), its extraordinary shape, a century-old sanctuary and exceptional snow cover.
But that’s not all, this national park founded in 1994 is a protected territory managed by the Sepac. Several hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing trails allow us to discover nature all year round and “Earth and stars” activities come together in perfect harmony.
To find out all there is to know about Mont Megantic National Park and its activities, follow this link.
As for our experience of that day, we arrived at the entrance to encounter a closed road. The road up to the Observatory had been closed that same morning due to snowfall the night before. It will remain closed for the winter.
You can still go up on foot but you have to be in good shape, more than 15 km uphill.
Even though we had left our trekking poles at home, we decided to take a 4 km mountain hike. This loop allowed us to make great discoveries, to see extraordinary points of view and to discover this wonderful river that we followed. To hear it sing, follow this link to my short video.
I hope you have the opportunity to discover this wonderful place and I fully intend to return better equipped for a longer hike.
Suzanne
©2021- Photos and Text by Suzanne Bélair
Follow me on Instagram
Enviroart by Suzanne Bélair, IAF, AFC 
Great photographs, thanks for sharing
Thank you Elaine! It was such a nice place 😊