Published October 4th, 2025

Photography by Jay Kana

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If you’re looking for an authentic outdoors Quebec experience by land, by lake and by air, then you’re in the right place.
In between Montreal and Quebec City, on the northern shores of the St.Lawrence River is Lanaudière-Mauricie, a haven for adventure.

During an autumn visit with my partner Steph, we spent our short yet satisfying two days here hiking, kayaking, relaxing and soaking in this special, must-experience part of Canada. This trip was focussed on La Mauricie National Park’s Waber Falls adventure, which means we’ll have to return a few more times to get a sense of everything the area has to offer.

We drove from Toronto it’s approximately an eight-ish hour drive once fuel and meal stops are factored in.
Thank you to Hyundai Canada, who provided our chariot, the all-new 2026 Hyundai Palisade, decked out with all the bells and whistles, which made the journey smooth and serene, even in terrible Toronto traffic.

We did the famous Waber Falls excursion and our home base was Le 2800 du Parc, which I’ll talk about later in the article, along with an float plane experience that’ll give you another unique perceptive of La Mauricie National Park.

Follow in my footsteps and paddle strokes or use this as a guide to plan your visit to Lanaudière-Mauricie.

How to prepare for the Waber Falls Excursion

Since you’ll be gone between six and eight hours, pack a lunch, snacks and double the amount of water you think you’ll ned.
Steph and I packed flavoured rice crackers, hummus, sandwiches, apples, a stick of meat and a bag of Starburst candy. The candy was for in case we needed a small burst of sugar for the second half of our journey.

A waterproof backpack/day bag is a must. It’s doubtful that you’ll tip your boat but better to be on the safe side of things.

If you have water shoes, bring them. If you don’t, get a pair before you do this. They’re inexpensive and worth it. That said, I forgot both pairs and ended up with one mud-filled shoe - more on that later…

There’s no cell service so tell a couple of people where you’ll be and what you’re doing.
You’ll likely meet others along the way but again, better to be on the safe side.

Pick your vessel carefully. Steph and I initially planned on taking two single kayaks but it was a game time decision to take a tandem kayak and it was certainly the right choice. “You can go fast alone but you can go far together” is the saying, which rang true for us.
You can bring your own kayak/canoe or you can rent one on-site.
There are dozens of canoes and a few kayaks, with the vast majority being single sit-on-top ones. We were there early and lucked out and got one of the very few sit-in tandem kayaks.
You’re given a personal floatation device, rope, whistle and bailer bucket and triple check all the gear before you set off. I noticed one of our paddles had a crack in it so I quickly swapped it before we got in the water.

Nifty Numbers

Perhaps you’re like me and enjoy the world of numbers.

16: Number of round trip kilometres by land and lake
9.2: Number of round trip kayaking kilometres
3: Approximate hours of round trip kayaking
6.8: Number of round trip hiking kilometres
3: Approximate hours of round trip hiking
400: Approximate highest elevation of the journey in metres
1300: Approximate highest elevation of the journey in feet.
27: Height in metres of Waber Falls, or 88.6 feet.

This excursion is rated as intermediate and our journey included portaging two beaver dams. Your experience may vary; check with a Parks Canada team member before you depart as those beavers may have been busy leading up to your adventure.

The Plan

Arrive at the Wapizagonke Picnic Area & Boat Rental location at 9:00 a.m.
It’s a 50-ish minute drive from the park entrance and the winding roads were bursting with autumn’s finest colours during our early October visit.
The boat rental shop opens at 9:00 a.m so we were there right on time.
Since the rental shop closed at 4:30 p.m., we planned to leave for the return kayak portion at 3:00 p.m, which we did.

By Lake: Kayaking Wapizagonke Lake

It took us an hour and 40 minutes to kayak there, thanks to head winds and navigating the area for the first time.
The two beaver dam portages also added approximately 20 minutes to our time. We did see others in a canoe go over the beaver dam but we opted for the slower and safer-to-us route of portaging.
Be very careful portaging and watch where you step. On the return journey, my left leg feel into a mud hole because I didn’t look down often enough. No injuries, only a very muddy leg and shoe.
The scenery is spectacular from the water and while it’s important to not dawdle for too long, it’s also important to admire your surroundings, especially from this unique vantage point.
Once we reached land, there were a few kayak/canoe racks to store our boat that were very close to shore.

By Land: Hiking to Waber Falls

The hike is front-loaded with ascending portions, so you’re getting the harder work out of the way early and your reward is a steady descent on the latter portion of the return hike.
It was a picture-perfect autumn afternoon in early October during our afternoon hike. A light breeze, autumn’s colours majestically on display, temperature in the mid-teens made for a sweat-free hike. There’s ample signage, paths, wooden planks and wooden stairs along the way.

You’ll hear the waterfall before you see it and as you approach it, there’s a series of steep steps descending to the base. I say that as you’ll have to climb them once begin the return trek.

Waber Falls

The reward or rushing water falling upon rocks is stunning and mesmerizing. Even with the lower-than-usual water levels, the falls were quite the sight and we were treated to the sun beaming on the middle of the falls as an exclamation point.
Steph and I perched ourselves on a rock at the base of the falls beside the staircase and slowly ate our well-earned lunch. And yes, a plethora of pictures and video were taken.

The Return Journey

The hike and kayak path back to the launch point was just as beautiful as the way there. We dropped off our kayak at 4:30 and enjoyed the beautiful drive back, enveloped by the La Mauricie’s fall colours on its long and winding road.

Le 2800 du Parc

With the Saint-Maurice river as its backdrop, Le 2800 du Parc’s cozy and quaint cabins (also called Chalets Aventures) were the ideal place for us to rest and recharge. Our cabin only had bunk beds, with one set being Queen sized and this year-round property, on a clear night, gives you a vivacious view of a sea of stars.
The on-site restaurant serves up delicious local fare and I highly recommend the smoked meat sandwich and smoked meat poutine, plus the nachos were terrific!

It’s less than a kilometre from the park entrance and our cabin came with its own dedicated parking space.
There are also EV chargers on-site and the vibe here is relaxed and welcoming.

By Air: Hydravion Adventure

Completing the trifecta is a float plane flight over La Mauricie National Park via Hydravion Adventure. It’s a 35 minute drive from Le 2800 du Parc and show up at least 15 minutes before your flight.

There are various tours available and our “The Park” themed flight was smooth and filled with information about the area and its history from our pilot.
There’s so much to see across Mauricie’s sweeping vistas, lakes and landscapes.
Our flight was approximately 75 kilometres round trip with each moment more majestic than the last.

Inspired to visit? Great!
Visit their website to learn more about this delightful region that’s worthy of the name, Quebec Authentique.

Chasing Waterfalls by Land & Lake in Lanaudière-Mauricie, Quebec