Mont-Saint-Joseph, Carleton-sur-Mer

X Eve-Danielle Latulippe

Mont-Saint-Joseph, in Carleton-sur-Mer, is known for the views it has to offer. It is a mountain that is accessible, up to the summit, by car. For our part, we like challenges, so in addition to climbing it on foot, we decided to complicate our lives and extend our route by a few kilometers. We reached Mont-Saint-Joseph via the Taguine trail and returned via the Éperlan trail. In total, we accumulated more than 668 meters of vertical drop and 11.5 kilometers of walking.

It was a beautiful spring day, but the weather was very uncertain. Therefore, I had brought my brand new Isla II in my bag, just in case thunderstorms happened. Fortunately, I didn't need to use it, it only rained for 2-3 minutes at the end of our trip. When we left in the morning, I decided to wear my Sahra shorts, but I also brought my Maeto III pants with me. I wore my Kanso t-shirt with the Secco jacket as a second layer. I had also luckily brought along (as it was much colder at the top) my new favorite fleece: the Comodo jacket, made of Polartec fabric.

Getting back to the hike, we took the Taguine trail which starts via the Route de l'Éperlan, west of Carleton-sur-Mer. The climb is rather steep and kept us on our toes for quite a while. However, there are beautiful landscapes and a few benches to admire them (and also take a little break to get some water). This was our very first hike since the spring break for snowmelt. We were happy to reconnect with nature but found the climb to be quite challenging.

Once we reached the top, we enjoyed the view of the Baie des Chaleurs and Carleton-Sur-Mer from Mont-Saint-Joseph, which is really impressive. As I said before, we can reach the summit by car. There are also different parking lots during the ascent, in order to make it accessible to everyone. It is, therefore, an ideal place for those who are starting out, who wish to hike with children, or who have reduced mobility. It is also possible to get there quickly to simply have a picnic at the top and admire the view. There are several areas set up for this purpose. But for me, what caught my eye the most were the geodomes. An incredible place to sleep when you are in the area. Clearly, I will have to go back.

We often talk about the peaks and their views. But to be honest, this time I was more impressed with the Éperlan Trail on the way back. We had access to different lookouts with incredible views, as well as groomed trails that ran along different streams and waterfalls. Speaking of which, the Éperlan trail is relatively short, if you take it directly from the parking lot. According to the AllTrail app, it's a 2.7 km hike with 159m of elevation gain. Again, this can be a great hike for young families or just a quicker hike. 

 For the first hike of the season, it was really a success. My Indyeva clothing kept me comfortable and suited for the new season. As we all know, during the month of May in Gaspésie, the weather can be variable and very unpredictable. It was even more so during our stay, when violent thunderstorms and tornado watches were reported all over Quebec. With all the items I had in my bag, I knew I would be comfortable and have everything I needed depending on the weather. The clothes are so light that you can manage to bring more in your backpack to deal with the temperature changes.