© Parcs Canada
New beaver pond in Forillon National Park
As part of a major new ecological restoration and enhancement project, Forillon National Park has restored 13 hectares of forest and six streams to allow beavers to reclaim their natural habitat. The project also includes three new trails totalling seven kilometres.
The 2.9 km Le Castor stone dust trail is suitable for all – walkers, cyclists, parents with strollers, and people with reduced mobility. Running alongside the beaver ponds, it leads to an observation platform where, with a little luck and patience, visitors can catch sight of our buck-toothed friends hard at work. For a longer hike, the Le Ruisseau and Le Pic-Bois trails are great choices.
Park admission is free throughout 2026, and there is a 25% discount on camping and other accommodations.
© Espace NAPAGA
Espace NAPAGA: Better than ever
Espace NAPAGA in Chandler is an open-air archeological museum that preserves the Pabos dig site where more than 18,500 unearthed artifacts are used to reconstruct the daily life of fishing communities in eighteenth-century Gaspésie. An updated permanent exhibition in summer 2026 will give visitors the chance to step into the boots of an archaeologist: with explorer’s logbooks in hand, they must team up to solve a quest while learning the archeologist’s trade on a tour replete with a prospector’s tent, an excavation site, and a lab to analyze samples.
Espace NAPAGA also offers immersive interpretive activities, including Fantöm: The Hunt, an outdoor augmented reality trail. Participants wear detection goggles and walk the trails, day or night, to search for the ghosts that haunt the site.
In 2026, the activity will move to Île Beau Séjour, an area newly accessible thanks to a 500-meter floating walkway.
© Laëtitia Clouzot
Parc régional du Lac-Matapédia: A big hit!
The Seigneurie-du-lac-Matapédia regional park is making a major investment in infrastructure modernization – $1 million by 2027. Upgrades include additional signage, refurbished street furniture, eco-friendly toilets, a new service building, and two wooden playgrounds with a nature-inspired design – just the ticket to give kids a safe introduction to the great outdoors.
The park is a real hidden gem, with fantastic mountain biking and lake access along with eight hiking trails ranging from 1.5 to 6.9 km in length and spanning difficulty levels from easy to intermediate. Highlights include elevation changes and memorable views of Lac Matapédia and the surrounding area. Four-legged friends are welcome, and admission is free from spring through fall. Nearby campgrounds and cottages offer accommodation and water sports – everything needed to enjoy this majestic 19 km-long lake.
© Juliette Bellefleur
Web series: Behind the Scenes in Gaspésie
Behind the Scenes in Gaspésie is an original documentary web series that introduces viewers to the people behind the Gaspé Peninsula’s all-season tourism experiences. Hosted by Christine Bérubé-Martin, a Gaspé native of Mi’kmaq heritage, the summer edition showcases the contributions and businesses of 30 individuals who have excelled in a variety of fields, such as outdoor activities, culture and heritage, festivals and sporting events, agritourism, art, crafts, and lodging.
This project showcases the inspiring people who shape tourism in Gaspé every day, fostering the region’s vitality. The web series is produced by Tourisme Gaspésie and is available on YouTube, where the winter episodes have already racked up over a million views! The new season comes online on May 11.