IAT Quebec

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

Trail Stats

Length: ~630km (~391 miles) with detours
Elevation gain: ~31K metres (~100K ft)
Highest point: 1268 metres (4160 ft)
Lowest point: Sea Level
Starting point: Matapédia, Canada
Finishing point: Cap-Gaspé, Canada
Max Scramble levels: 1/5
Bushwalking Level: 1/5

Description

The Appalachian Trail is a well-known long-distance trail, it finishes at Mount Katahdin in Maine. The less known International Appalachian Trail starts from Mt Katahdin and extends all the way 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 best parts. A nice mix of mountains and costal scenery. The trail crosses multiple national parks and reserves.

Highlights

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 Quebec, in some of the small villages english can be minimal.
Food: One section of 250km with no food.
Bug: If 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 end of June and part of July is when the buggy season is.

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 their GPS file. That being said, the TA is a well-marked trail. I barely used my GPS and maps. I have also made my own GPS file (with km markers).