Hiking at Station touristique Duchesnay: trails, map and practical info

Station touristique Duchesnay is a Sépaq resort 30 minutes from Québec City, on the shore of Lac Saint-Joseph. The site covers 89 km². For walkers, Sépaq reports 25.7 km of hiking trails in gentle terrain, ideal for family walks. In winter the station also operates as a cross-country ski centre.

Routes on the official map

The official walking-trail map published by Sépaq gives the distance and time of each route. Times are estimated at an average walking speed of 3 km/h.

• Le Méandre: 0.4 km, 15 min
• La Pinède: 1 km, 20 min
• Le Périphérique: 1 km, 20 min
• L'Érablière: 1.3 km, 25 min
• Le Rocher: 1.7 km, 30 min
• L'Orée: 3.3 km, 1 h
• Le lac Jaune: 3.5 km, 1 h 20
• Le Riverain: 5.2 km, 1 h 40
• La Tourbière: 5.2 km, 1 h 50
• La Randonnée: 6.1 km, 2 h
• Le Coureur des bois: 16.1 km, 5 h 20

Several routes build on one another. Le Riverain extends L'Orée by one trail (no. 52). La Randonnée extends La Tourbière with trail no. 57, and Le Coureur des bois adds trail no. 58 to La Randonnée; the map marks no. 58 as “difficult”, while the other numbered trails carry the “easy” symbol.

Along the way

Sépaq recommends stopping to look at the rock shelters on Le Rocher trail, which it describes as a geological phenomenon that fascinates every hiker. A 1 km lit trail also allows short evening walks. The map also marks viewpoints along several trails, in the area around the Horizon pavilion, the inn and the nautical centre.

Access, fees and dogs

According to Sépaq, access to the hiking trails is free in summer and fall. Fees apply in winter, when the cross-country ski centre is open. The station is open year-round.

Dogs are admitted on the trails under certain conditions: the dog stays on a leash and supervised at all times, the person in charge picks up its waste, and a dog weighing 20 kg or more wears a head collar or a harness. Dogs are not allowed inside buildings. On the outdoor site, Sépaq excludes them from developed areas near water, water-access points and cross-country ski trails.

Getting to Duchesnay

The address is 140 montée de l'Auberge, in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier. From Highway 40, Sépaq directs drivers to take exit 295 toward Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, follow Route 367, drive through town and take the hill road, then turn left at the first road (route Duchesnay). Allow about 2 km from there: Duchesnay is on the right.

After the walk

In summer the station also offers swimming (supervised during busy periods, weather permitting), boats to rent at the nautical centre, the Arbraska Duchesnay aerial course and a nine-hole disc golf course. The 68 km Jacques-Cartier–Portneuf bike path runs through Duchesnay.