National Parks have always been one of the best destinations for outdoor activities. Since ancient times, children, adults, and even elderly persons have preferred roaming the parks and spending quality time with their friends and family.
But just roaming around the park can sometimes become tedious. The thrill doubles when you have multiple activities to keep your hands on. Exploring multiple activities at a single destination makes the trip even more exciting.
Very few parks have facilities other than fun rides and attractive scenic views. However, Yamaska National Park offers you the same and is a perfect fit for you.
1. About Yamaska National Park
Located between Montreal and Sherbrooke, Yamaska National Park is a magnificent park on the choiniรจre reservoir.
It is popularly known in French as Parc National de la Yamaska. It was built in 1977 and covered an area of around 12.9 square kilometers.
Swimming, hiking, camping, and boating, Yamaska National Park has everything that you could ever ask for. However, you must know all the important facts before planning your trip. Let us explore each one of them.
Yamaska National Park is located in the valley of the Appalachian lowlands. Centrally, it is located in the northeastern part of Quebec in the Choiniere reservoir.
The park is only 94 km away from Montreal, one of the reasons why Yamaska National Park is a must-visit destination.
2. How to Reach Yamaska National Park from Montreal
If you have arrived safely in Montreal, reaching your dream destination is not a big thing anymore. You can book a bus or taxi, or you can also drive yourself to double your excitement.
On average, traveling by any means mentioned above will take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach Yamask National Park.
3. Activities at Yamaska National Park
Yamaska National Park is not just a normal park. It has numerous activities to offer that you would never have imagined.
Can you imagine a park where you can enjoy hiking, boating, camping, surfing, fishing, and much more?
This is not a joke, and such a park does exist. Yamaska National Park is one such park where you can fulfill all your dreams that you have ever dreamt of, knowingly or unknowingly. You need a long vacation break to extract the best from Yamaska National Park.
3.1. Hiking
Hiking involves going on long walking trails to explore nearby attractions with your friends or family members.
There are awesome lake views and varieties of natural vegetation, flora, and fauna, giving you a real picture of how breathtaking nature can be.
Owing to the variety of natural vegetation, the park has very fresh and pure air to relieve your mind and soul from the cityโs pollution.
Both beginner- and advanced-level hiking are possible on the roads of the famous national park.
You can have your camera with you. If you have good photography skills, the amazing scenic beauty of Yamaska National Park can help you brush up your skills efficiently.
3.2. Cycling
The park has given special attention to cycle-loving tourists as it has a 19 km long cycling trail surrounding the Choiniรจre reservoir.
You can enjoy your fun ride while enjoying the splendid natural beauty and the typical valley of the Appalachian lowlands.
How about competing with your friends or siblings who can cover the distance in the minimum time? Experiencing the same around the lovely park would be even more enthralling.
3.3. Swimming
Long walking and cycling trails can be hot and sweaty. To cool yourself, you can dive deep into the Choiniรจre reservoir and refresh yourself from the tiring outdoor activities and discoveries of the Yamaska National Park.
Donโt worry if you donโt know about swimming; lifeguards are present near the reservoir to help you gain swimming experience. However, you must confirm their presence before going into the reservoir.
3.4. Kayaking
Kayaking is everyoneโs favorite. You must go kayaking if you want to witness the same views but with a different perspective. The unseen variety of fish in the park can be seen floating underneath your kayak.
If you have small kids with you, kayaking would be the best way to let them know how beautiful aquatic life can be and introduce them to these small animals and fishes.
3.5. Explore the Yamaska Beach Area
Only a fool would return from Yamaska without visiting the Parc National De La Yamaska beach. The beautiful still water of the beach, equipped with the bright beauty of the sun, is a perfect place to relax and forget all your worries for a time.
Kids can have a perfect time on the beach, playing around without fear and making sandcastles on the epic beach.
Not only this, volleyball and other popular beach activities combined can make your trip even more memorable. Volleyball courts are available on the beach, and you can utilize them fully.
3.6. Take a Pause and Look Around the Numerous Varieties of Flora and Fauna
Yamaska National Park is gifted with a wide variety of flora and fauna that are generally not found while walking around the streets of your city.
These natural creatures and vegetation are precious, and you must make sure not to harm them.
The park consists of around 40 species of trees, which include white pine, basswood, sugar maple, red maple, American elm, grey birch, eastern hemlock, and much more.
Yellow lilies and bloodroots are some of the vulnerable plant species occupying the parkโs natural vegetation.
Besides the park also has 19 species of fish, 40 species of mammals, 16 species of amphibians, five species of reptiles, and 240 species of birds. Witnessing such a great species in person seems fascinating.
With every step, you will witness a new and exciting surprise in the form of these lovely and gifted creatures of nature.
However, care must be taken to ensure that these species are not harmed due to the careless behavior of tourists.
3.7. Go Boating or Surfing
Both the boating and surfing facilities are available in the choiniรจre reservoir. Both pedal and row boats are available to meet the needs of its tourists effectively.
You can opt for pedal boating if you want to explore the awesome lake for hours and enjoy the magnificent beauty of the water.
Pedaling a boat while singing with friends or family can be a good combination. Parents should encourage their kids to pedal the boat.
With this, they will become more confident and aspire to learn something new throughout the journey.
However, pedal boating can be tiring if opted for a long time. In such a case, you can opt for motor boats, giving you a small yet memorable glimpse of the beautiful lake.
If you know about surfing, you can get paddle boards and start your journey of exploring aquatic life. The reservoirโs waters are calm and composed, well suited to the long, wide surfing board near the beach.
You can stand and test your balance before going for a ride. Once you balance, take a long breath and start your beautiful journey.
3.8. Fishing
No one will ever miss the chance to see the 19 species of fish available in the choiniรจre reservoir. There are varieties of fish, like perch and carp, which are very fascinating to watch with the naked eye.
You can engage yourself for hours while exploring plenty of aquatic animals. However, to enjoy fishing, you must have a Quebec fishing license. You must keep all your documents ready to avoid any last-minute hustle.
Also, note that motor boats are not allowed during fishing, and you must arrange your means to go deep into the reservoir. Nevertheless, you will enjoy fishing, no matter what way you do.
3.9. Camping
Yamaska National Park offers as many as 147 cool camping sites to witness the parkโs beauty while resting in the tent provided in the park.
You can cool yourself down during hot summer days by placing a tent at night under the moon and stars.
Enjoying a cold drink or ice cream with your friends or family in quiet, private camping sites seems a good idea. During winter, you can have a bonfire or give some movement to the strings of your guitar.
Varieties of tents are available to suit your purpose. There are electric-powered tents to give you a home-like experience. On the other hand, some cheaper tents will just have a camping space and washroom facility.
3.10. Biking
A bike ride has always been a fascinating experience. Riding a Royal Enfield on the famous roads of Ladakh is still a dream of many young girls and boys.
Yamaska National Park can give you a mini experience of such awesome rides.
If you have walked for long hours, you can give rest to yourself and opt for a bike ride. A bike ride can be pleasant and soothing as the fresh air will strike your face and blow your hair, relieving you from a tiring journey.
3.11. Winter Activities
You can make your winters extra cool by putting your hands on various winter activities available in Yamaska National Park. Ice fishing, snowshoeing, winter hiking, and various other activities can be tried in this epic park.
Playing and surfing in the snow can be much more enjoyable, especially for small kids. Fat Bikes are available to discover the park during winter. They are specially designed to impart greater friction on smooth snow-covered surfaces.
You must have gotten excited by imagining yourself doing the activities mentioned above. Yamaska National Park can be considered a hidden gem and one of the best fun-filled destinations in the world.
A typical valley of the Appalachian lowlands, Yamaska Park is a stunning and great location to freshen up your boring, scheduled life with so much color, love, memories, and happiness.
If you want to witness the mesmerizing beauty of this park, you must take a leave for at least one week. The scenery is extremely beautiful here, and you can roam around the park on foot or a bicycle.
The awesome lake view, morning weather outlook, bright and nice beach, varieties of water bikes, sailboat bicycles, and other walking trails can offer you a wonderful family escape.
Competing with friends and making fun of each other while on a hike or a camp can be overwhelming and over-exciting.
This is why it is one of the most popular destinations for locals and travelers visitingย Canada.
4. The Last Word
After reading about the Yamaska National Park, it is understood that you will plan a trip to this plan anytime soon. It is a must-visit place in Canada for a reason that you have read about already. Spending time with your friends and family is the best option.
This place ensures you will have a bucket full of memories after you return from your trip. After you return from your trip, your days and weeks will be spent only discussing and reminding you of the lovely memories of the trip.
But before planning your trip, you must get detailed information about all the necessary things like the best nearby restaurants, ongoing and return tickets, etc. Stick to the time decided.
Once you have all this, you are ready for a long roller-coaster ride filled with memories and happiness. The outstanding memories and moments of the trip will last for ages, and you will remember them now and then.
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty
