Notre Dame Mountains

Monts Notre-Dame is a mountain range in eastern Quebec that stretches for about 800 kilometers, with the highest peak reaching 1,268 meters. The range includes the Chic-Choc subrange and features dense forests, river valleys, and numerous hiking areas within and around several national parks.

French explorer Samuel de Champlain named this range during his early 1600s expeditions and recorded it on the first detailed maps of New France. The mountains later became important routes for trading and fur hunting as European settlement expanded eastward across the region.

Indigenous nations of the region used these mountains for hunting and gathering for centuries, shaping pathways and camps that followed the seasons. The landscape still carries traces of their presence through place names and oral traditions passed down locally.

The range is most accessible during warmer months when snow melts and trails are fully passable. Multiple entry points through national parks offer different levels of difficulty and activity options for visitors with various interests.

The Chic-Choc subrange holds one of the last woodland caribou herds south of the Saint Lawrence River, a small and remarkable population. This isolated herd remains a key focus for wildlife conservation efforts in the region.

GPS coordinates: 48.98600,-65.95200

Latest update: December 10, 2025 15:47