Forillon National Park is the final stop on the Gaspé Peninsula coastal drive from Quebec City on Hwy 132.
After you’ve driven for an entire day along the coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence – enjoying the beauty of Gasper’s coastal scenery and taking hundreds of amazing landscape photographs – you may be ready to quit for the day, thinking it’s been one of the best days of your life with the regard to travel photography. Then, you reach Forillon and forget right away everything you’ve seen earlier in the day. That’s why I call Forillon the crown jewel of Gaspé.
During my first trip to Forillon National Park, I didn’t have much information about the north side of the park. For some reason, I had concentrated all my research on the south side, so my time allocated to the north side was minimal. When entered the park in
When entered the park in an early afternoon I didn’t know what to expect, and I had no specific locations in mind to photograph. I stopped at the entrance and asked a park employee what spot I should visit if I had only a couple of hours to spend. The guy answered me right away without thinking or hesitation: Mont Saint-Alban observation point — on the north side of the park.
It takes about an hour of steep rocky hiking to get to Mont Saint-Alban observation point, but it’s totally worth it. The observation point is located at the edge of a very tall cliff with a 15-meter wooden observation tower hanging over the ocean. The view from the top of the tower is completely surreal and breathtaking. It’s probably the most amazing travel photography location I’ve ever had the opportunity to photograph.
We were so impressed with this location that we had to change our itinerary for the trip so we could return to the same place and spent an entire day in the north side of the park.
Where
Forillon National Park is located on the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada.
How to Get There
Driving from Quebec City or Montreal to the northwest or from New Brunswick or Main to the south, take Route 132.
Travel Photography Tip
If you plan to visit Mont Saint-Alban observation point, try to hike light, carrying minimal equipment. The hike to the top is very steep and hard, and carrying too much equipment will ruin the fun of this travel photography experience for you.
