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Land's
End
Day Hiking on the Gaspé Peninsula
©
Outdoor Adventure Canada
 Gaspé
is considered by many sources to be a Micmac Native word for land's
end. The Gaspé Peninsula is one of the oldest pieces of
land on earth and much of it is still uninhabited. There is a
coastal road allowing for easy access to the four major parks.
One of these parks is the breathtaking Forillon National Park.
Both the Iroquois
and Micmac Natives used these areas as their hunting and fishing
grounds in the summer. Created in 1970, Forillon National Park
is 244 kms (151 miles) in size. Forillon offers a unique landscape
of ocean worn limestone cliffs and pebble beaches.
The day hiking
trails of this park include:
Une
tournée dans les parages, translated as "a walk around
the area", is a 3 km (1.85 mile) loop. The trail visits a
fishing harbor, wooded areas, fields and a beach. Old buildings
and outdoor exhibits add to the interest of this hike.
The
Mont Saint-Alban trail is 8.5 km (5 miles) if you depart from
Petit-Gaspé and 9.1 km (5.6 miles) if taken from Bon Ami
Cape. This trail provides spectacular panoramic views of the area's
sea battered cliffs. The high point on the trail is an observation
tower that is 283 meters, almost 1000 feet, above sea level.
The Les Graves
trail is 7.8 km (4.8 miles) and is very good for sea life viewing.
It visits many coves along the shore and eventually takes you
to Cap-Gaspé at the edge of the Forillon Peninsula. The
magnificent pebble beaches would make an excellent place for a
picnic lunch.
There are
several other trails in Forillon National Park including a 0.6
km (1/3 of a mile) trail that is fully accessible to those with
physical and visual challenges. This beautiful region will provide
lasting memories of seaside cliffs and abundant sea life.
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