Hiking to the top of Mount Nixon in the Laurentians

For several reasons, I was rather absent from this blog over the past year. I didn’t have much time to write, but more importantly, I didn’t have much time to go hiking. The arrival of summer made me realize just how much I had missed the outdoors, so I jumped at the chance when my friend Véro invited me to hike up Mount Nixon.

The last time Véro and I went hiking in the Laurentians, we hiked to the summits of Montagne Verte and Nez-de-l’Indien, north of Mont-Tremblant. This time, we headed a little farther east, to Lac-Supérieur, where the trailhead to Mount Nixon is located.

It’s worth noting that part of the trail passes through the territory of Parc National du Mont-Tremblant, so you need to purchase a daily access pass. And since there is no cell phone signal along much of the trail, it’s best to buy your pass before you get there!

The parking lot for the trailhead is very small, but we arrived early enough that we had no trouble finding a spot. And, for the first time in almost a year, I finally found myself heading toward the summit of a mountain again!

I had wanted to do this hike for a long time, especially because I had always been a little intrigued by the name Mount Nixon. A mountain in the Laurentians named after an American president seemed a bit odd to me. But in fact, Mount Nixon was not named after Richard Nixon. Instead, its name is believed to come from Ernest Nixon, who owned the land where the small mountain is located.

I believe there are several ways to reach the summit, but Véro and I chose the shortest option: an out-and-back route of about 6 kilometres leading to the top of the mountain. The trail starts climbing almost immediately. My legs had lost their habit of tackling ascents, so I found the climb fairly challenging.

But what a pleasure it was to be back in the Laurentians after all this time! The beautiful mixed forest, the huge glacial boulders, the rugged terrain… Everything reminded me why I love hiking here so much! I promised myself I would do it more often this summer.

We followed a rocky cliff for a short distance, and then, at the one-kilometre mark, we reached a first summit. I noticed that some maps call this spot Mount Panorama, while others call it Petit Nixon, but whatever the name, we were rewarded with our first view of the landscape. We could even see Mount Nixon ahead of us, the destination we were heading toward.

The trail then led us back down from Mount Panorama (or Petit Nixon) before making us climb up again. The trail remained beautiful, winding around large boulders from time to time. The climb was steady without being overly steep. In fact, it was the perfect trail to get my legs used to hiking again!

There was another viewpoint along the climb, although it was partially blocked by trees. Then, after another good uphill stretch, we reached the summit at an elevation of 665 metres.

From the summit of Mount Nixon, you can see Mont Tremblant, as well as Lac Supérieur and the surrounding area. There was a rocky outcrop there, and since we had the summit all to ourselves, Véro and I took the opportunity to rest for a while and enjoy the view.

After resting enough, we started making our way back down along the same trail. We hadn’t encountered any other hikers on our way up, but we passed several on our descent. In fact, by the time we returned to the trailhead, the small parking lot had filled up completely—a sign that this is a popular hike!

In total, we covered 6.9 kilometres, with 540 metres of elevation gain. And that day reminded me why I love hiking so much! I promised myself I would get back into it a little more consistently this summer!