IAT Quebec

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” -John Muir

Trail Stats

Distance: ~630km (~390 miles)
Elevation gain: ~15K metres (~50k ft)
Highest point: 1268 metres (4160 ft)
Lowest point: Sea Level
Starting point: Matapédia, Canada
Finishing point: Cap-Gaspé, Canada
Scrambling level: 1/5
Bushwalking Level: 1/5

Description

The Appalachian Trail is a well-known long-distance trail that finishes at Mount Katahdin in Maine.

The less known International Appalachian Trail starts from Mt Katahdin and extends to the tip of Gaspésie, Canada (where the Appalachian mountain range meets the sea). The Québec section of this trail is known for being one of the prettiest. It offers a nice mix of mountains, coastal scenery and crosses multiple national parks.

Highlights

Quiet: Not many people attempt this hike every year.
Mountains and sea: This trail will let you experience both.
Lights: In the summer, you will have 15 hours of daylight which is great for hiking.
Well-marked: When you have bushwalked and hiked where there is no trail, it's always relaxing to enjoy a well-marked trail.

Challenges

Language: French being the main language in Québec, in some of the small villages English can be minimal.
Food: One section of 250km with no food.
Bug: If you are doing the trail early, expect lots of mosquitoes.

When to go

The trail officially opens on June 24th till mid-October, keep in mind that the end of June and part of July is the buggy season (that's also when I decided to do the hike).

Resupplies

There are plenty of towns on the trail or close by for resupplying (except for one long section). Please visit resupply plan for further information.

GPS

IAT Québec website has all the extra information needed for some good planning and they have a page with GPS files. I have also made my own GPS file (with km markers).