On foot
Walking to Land's End
From the L'Anse-aux-Amérindiens trailhead in Forillon, the trail along the cliffs to Cap-Gaspé lighthouse drops you out into the wind at the literal end of the Appalachians.
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Gaspésie · Québec
Gaspé
Where Jacques Cartier landed and the Chic-Chocs meet the sea.
- Best time
- June – September for hiking and seabirds.
- Getting there
- Air Canada to Gaspé (YGP), VIA Rail Ocean to nearby Matapédia, or 10 hr drive from Québec City.
- Suggested stay
- 3 – 5 nights
- Known for
- Forillon National Park · Bonaventure gannets · Cap Gaspé
A portrait of Gaspé
An essential stop.
On the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, the town of Gaspé is the historic doorway to North America — where Jacques Cartier raised his cross in 1534 — and today the base for the Forillon cliffs, Bonaventure's gannets, and the Chic-Choc Mountains.
Field notes
Three ways to feel the place.
On the map
The six places
to anchor your trip.
A tour through the icons and the under-the-radar corners — laid out the way a local would walk you through.
- 1
Forillon National Park
Land's End cliffs with seals, whales, and the Cap-Gaspé lighthouse.
- 2
Percé Rock
Iconic pierced limestone arch off the coast at Percé.
- 3
Île Bonaventure
Boat trip to the world's most accessible northern gannet colony — 110,000 birds.
- 4
Musée de la Gaspésie
Town museum tracing Mi'kmaq, French, and Irish settlement of the peninsula.
Forillon National Park
Percé Rock
Île Bonaventure
Musée de la Gaspésie
N
Year-round
Gaspé through the seasons.
Spring
Whales return; trails open mid-June after late snowmelt.
Summer
Gannet chicks fledge from Bonaventure and Forillon trails are at their best.
Autumn
Festival Musique du Bout du Monde and a brief, dramatic peak in maples.
Winter
Backcountry skiing in the Chic-Choc Mountains inland.
Insider tips
From people who live there.
- 01
Drive the Gaspé loop counter-clockwise — north shore first, ending with Percé.
- 02
Book the boat to Île Bonaventure first thing for best light on the gannets.
- 03
Stop at the Microbrasserie Pit Caribou pub in L'Anse-à-Beaufils.
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