Quebec Restores Historic Hiking Trails

- The restoration efforts in the southern Laurentian Mountains are reviving a century-old tradition of village-to-village travel on backwoods ski trails. A company named Les Routes Blanche has been instrumental in developing a 75-mile network of both historic and new ski trails in this region. - A provincial "park tax" established in the early 1990s aids these restoration efforts by requiring developers to contribute 10% of a deal's value or land for trails and green spaces. - The broader outdoor recreation industry in Canada, of which these trails are a part, contributes over $101 billion annually to the nation's economy and supports more than 1 million jobs. - Volunteer-led organizations are crucial to the maintenance of Quebec's trail systems. For example, Trans Canada Trail's "Trail Care Grant Program" recently awarded over $30,000 to 22 trail groups in Quebec for upkeep projects. - The economic impact of snowmobiling alone, which utilizes an extensive trail network, generates over $2 billion in annual economic benefits for Quebec. The government recently invested over $8.2 million for the 2025-2026 season to maintain and improve safety on these snowmobile trails. - In addition to hiking and skiing, Quebec has a vast network of over 30,000 kilometers of trails for quad biking, managed by the Fédération Québécoise des Clubs Quads (FQCQ) which has over 50,000 members. - The federal government is also investing in Quebec's trails, with over $17.3 million allocated through the Active Transportation Fund for 13 projects across the province to create and improve bike paths and multi-use trails. - Individual parks and regions are also undertaking significant projects, such as the rerouting and upgrading of the Delta Trail to the summit of Mont Saint-Pierre and the restoration of trails in Quebec's first national park, Forillon National Park.