Hiking

Doncaster River Park, Sainte-Adèle

Doncaster river deserves to be discovered regardless of it being less known than its sister rivers, the Rivière Rouge, the Rivière du Nord and the Rivière du Diable.It is a tributary of the North River and it is 46 km long, it crosses the Doncaster Indian Reserve as well as the municipalities of Estérel, Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson and Sainte-Adèle. We had the very good idea of setting up a park there in the 1990s. And it was a success.

We went there on a Monday morning at the very end of summer, just a few days before the fall colors appeared. We have already promised ourselves to come back there in the middle of autumn, to enjoy the colors. And we sure did!

Following the advice of the receptionist, we follow trails 2, 7, 8, 4 and 9. To our great delight. The hike begins slowly along the river whose flow is higher at the end of summer.

First observations: it is very well laid out and the signage is irreproachable. We thought of everything: picnic areas along the river, stairs to carefully reach the shore, public benches strategically placed to enjoy the beauty of the place… And always in the background, the music of this river that never stops pouring its waves.

Leaving trail no. 2, you go deeper into the forest. The path becomes narrower, we sometimes walk on huge stones and we keep our feet dry. In fact, in order to make life easier for hikers, the paths have been fitted with stairs and footbridges during the most difficult or muddy passages. We overcome these “difficulties” with disconcerting ease.

We arrive at the main course: trail no. 9, aptly named “Sentier de la grande ascension”. 1.1 km long, it leads to a belvedere which culminates at 373 meters. This will be our reward for the day, the view is splendid. We then retrace our steps and go down to trail no. 4. Despite its name, be aware that this trail is very accessible, we have measured it, its elevation gain is around 100 meters.