Top 8 things to do in Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve

Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve stretches along Quebec’s North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, near Havre-Saint-Pierre: a chain of some 30 islands and hundreds of islets of limestone laid down in a tropical sea about 450 million years ago. Waves, frost and ice have carved the rock into monoliths, tall pillars and arches standing on the shore like sculptures, the largest concentration of them in Canada. The islands are home to puffins and other seabirds, and whales feed in the waters around them. Every island is reached by boat. These are the eight outings we would put first. The order starts with what the park is known for, then goes by what an outing gives back for the time and effort it takes. Distances are approximate; times are our estimates and do not include stops.

The weather on the gulf changes quickly, with fog and wind, and the water is cold all year: dress in warm, waterproof layers, and paddle only with experience or a guide. The rocks along the shore are slippery when wet or covered with seaweed at low tide. Do not climb on the monoliths, which are fragile, and stay on the paths across the delicate island vegetation.

1. Walk among the monoliths on Île Quarry

Île Quarry has the widest variety of monoliths and landscapes in the park, and short trails lead around its shores past tall pillars, arches and flowerpot-shaped stacks, some of them topped with tufts of spruce, along with limestone cliffs, beaches, barrens and bogs. It also has campsites and oTENTiks for an overnight stay, when the monoliths glow in the evening light and the day visitors have gone.

• Allow: half a day to a night
• Start: Havre-Saint-Pierre, by tour boat or a boat operator’s shuttle
• When: June to September
• Suits: everyone

2. See the Bonne Femme on Île Niapiskau

Île Niapiskau holds some of the park’s best-known monoliths, among them the tallest in the archipelago, more than 33 feet (10 m) high, and the Bonne Femme, a pillar shaped like a woman’s face in profile. A short trail leads along the shore among them, and at low tide you can walk out across the flat limestone shelves at their feet. Late afternoon light shows their colours best.

• Allow: 2 to 3 hours
• Start: Havre-Saint-Pierre or Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, by tour boat
• When: June to September
• Suits: everyone

3. Watch the puffins at Île aux Perroquets

In summer, Atlantic puffins nest on Île aux Perroquets, a small island off Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan crowned by a white lighthouse, along with razorbills, common eiders and other seabirds. Boat tours circle the island so you can watch the puffins on the water and the cliffs, and some trips land at the lighthouse, where the old keeper’s buildings tell the story of the light.

• Allow: 2 to 3 hours
• Start: Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, by tour boat
• When: June to early August for puffins
• Suits: everyone

4. Walk around Île Nue de Mingan

Île Nue, as its name says, is bare: a treeless island of low, tundra-like plants, lichens and rare flowers, more like the Arctic than the coast around it, with fossils in the limestone and monoliths on the shore. A trail circles the island, a long, quiet walk with open views over the gulf in every direction.

• Distance: about 4.8 miles (7.8 km) loop
• Allow: 3 hours
• Start: Havre-Saint-Pierre, by tour boat
• When: June to September
• Suits: most walkers

5. Go whale watching

The waters around the archipelago are among the richest feeding grounds in the gulf, and minke, humpback and fin whales, and sometimes the blue whale, the largest animal ever to have lived, come close to the islands in summer, along with seals and dolphins. Boat tours from Havre-Saint-Pierre and Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan combine whale watching with visits to the islands, and whales are sometimes seen from shore.

• Allow: 2 to 4 hours
• Start: Havre-Saint-Pierre or Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, by tour boat
• When: July to September
• Suits: everyone

6. Sea kayak among the islands

A sea kayak lets you get close to the monoliths and into the coves and channels between the islands, with seals watching from the rocks and seabirds overhead. Guided trips run from the coast, from half a day to several days, camping on the islands along the way. The gulf can be rough and cold, so paddle with a guide unless you have real sea kayaking experience.

• Allow: half a day to several days
• Start: Havre-Saint-Pierre or Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, with a guided trip
• When: July to August, on calm days
• Suits: beginners with a guide; experienced sea kayakers on their own

7. Hike the coast of La Grande Île

La Grande Île, one of the largest islands in the archipelago, has a long trail around its shore, past monoliths, cliffs, beaches and sheltered coves, through forest and over barrens. It is the best hike in the park for a full day, or for two with a night at one of the island’s campsites.

• Distance: about 16.5 miles (26.6 km) around the island; shorter sections are possible
• Allow: a long day, or 2 days
• Start: La Grande Île, by tour boat or a boat operator’s shuttle
• When: July to September
• Suits: fit hikers

8. Camp on an island

Several of the islands have campsites, and Île Quarry has oTENTiks, roofed tent-cabins, so you can stay overnight in the archipelago. Once the last boats leave, you have the monoliths, the sunset and the sounds of seabirds and waves to yourself, and on a clear night the sky is full of stars. Book a site and your boat crossing ahead, and bring all your food.

• Allow: a night or more
• Start: Havre-Saint-Pierre, by a boat operator’s shuttle or a water taxi
• When: June to September
• Suits: anyone with camping gear and a reservation

Before you go

This list covers what stays the same from year to year. Closures, boat schedules, campsite reservations and marine conditions change, and Parks Canada posts them on its own site. The link is on our Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve guide, with the map and how to get there.