A must-do in the Laurentians: hiking to the top of Mont Tremblant

I have a confession to make: although I have visited the Laurentians countless times, I had never been to Tremblant. In fact, I have been in the Mont Tremblant area before (I visited the beautiful Domaine Saint-Bernard there last year) and I have hiked in the national park of the same name, but I had never been to the famous ski resort.

And yet, Tremblant is a popular tourist destination, sought after by visitors from all over the world who come to enjoy its ski slopes, its festivals and its many outdoor activities. In fact, that’s part of the reason I have avoided it for so long. I don’t particularly like places that are too touristy and I was worried that it wouldn’t provide the same tranquility as other trails in the area.

But for me who loves mountains so much, it was starting to seem a little incongruous that I continued to avoid what is probably the most popular mountain in Quebec. And since admiring the fall colours at Tremblant is a classic, I finally decided to go there on a beautiful October day.

Arriving early allowed me to have the streets of the cute resort almost to myself. I immediately felt charmed and I almost let myself be tempted by the creperie and the tourist shops.

But I had come first and foremost with the intention of going to the top of Mont Tremblant. And not by using the gondola, for which visitors were slowly starting to line up. No, I intended to get there by hiking one of the many trails on the mountain. I had decided that I would start the climb by taking Sentier des Caps (Caps Trail).

Apparently, the name Mont Tremblant comes from the Algonquin-Weskarinis who called the mountain Manitonga Soutana (trembling mountain) and who considered it a sacred place that shook every time someone disturbed the laws of nature.

I didn’t see the mountain shake, in fact, I found its trail very peaceful from the first few metres. The climb via Caps Trail is on the south side of the mountain. This narrow and steep trail seemed light years away from the busy touristy streets of the resort.

The climb is initially very gentle along Caps Trail. A short detour allowed me to admire a pretty waterfall, then I came across another small waterfall a little further along the trail. With the fall colours, it was simply beautiful.

The climb started to get a little more intense after the first kilometre. The trail was a little rocky and muddy in places, but nothing too difficult in my opinion. Especially since this climb eventually led me to a detour to a first lookout, where the colourful landscape almost seemed like out of a postcard.

The climb continued after that, sometimes on a wide, rocky path, other times on some rocky ridges. It surprised me how quiet the forest was. I passed a few hikers, but most of the time, I was completely alone, allowing me to fully savor the moment.

The trail also started to cross ski slopes a few times. When it did, it allowed me to get a view of the landscape, beyond the mountain. But I also noticed that clouds seemed to cover the summit. I hoped that it was just an impression, or that it would clear by the time I got there.

But as I got closer to the summit, I noticed that the fog did indeed seem to thicken. I, who had been enjoying a beautiful sunny day up to that point, suddenly had the impression of entering another world.

I arrived to the summit in a thick fog. I could see absolutely nothing of the landscape, so I was a little disappointed. Probably not as much as the crowd of tourists who had gone up there via the gondola, and who seemed visibly to be waiting for the view to clear.

At an elevation of 875 metres, the summit of Mont Tremblant (Pic White) is one of the highest in the region. A trail (the Summits Trail) connects it to the other peaks of the mountain, including Pic Johannsen, the highest peak in the Laurentians (and which I reached a few years ago via Toit-des-Laurentides Trail).

But rather than continue my hike, I decided to take a break at the snack bar at the summit. I took refuge there, sheltered from the wind and the cold, with a pastry, and I decided to wait a little too, to see if the fog would finally clear.

But I waited for a long time to no avail, and when I realized that the fog did not seem about to go away, I decided to start slowly going back down. This time I would take Grand Brûlé Trail.

Like Caps Trail, Grand Brûlé Trail was rocky, steep, and muddy in places. And like the climb up the mountain, as I went down, I felt like I was slowly emerging from the fog and returning to the beautiful sunny autumn day.

I also started to see more and more hikers. And the more I went down, the more numerous they were. Which is normal, given the popularity of the place, and the fact that I was there on a beautiful autumn day. But since the trail is rather narrow and steep, I had to stop a few times to let big groups of hikers pass.

Luckily, there were a few viewpoints of the landscape along the trail, which reconciled me to the fact that I had not been able to see anything from the summit.

I eventually got back to the ski resort, which felt a bit weird after these few hours in the forest. There were so, so many people. I was glad I arrived early enough to enjoy some peace and quiet.

My hike totaled 12.3 kilometres in total, with an elevation gain of about 700 metres. I may not have had any views from the top of Mont Tremblant, but I can now say I visited this popular spot! Plus, since there are so many other trails there, it gives me a good excuse to come back one day!