Birdwatching twenty minutes from the chalet
The Parc Nature de Pointe-aux-Outardes packs eight natural environments onto a single sand spit. That is what explains the density of birds you meet there.
Some twenty kilometres from the chalet, the point that closes the baie des Outardes is a geographic dead end. Migrating birds following the north shore of the St. Lawrence stop there before crossing, and that forced pause makes it one of the busiest observation spots in the region.
The park has built boardwalk trails that cross the salt marsh without damaging it, an observation tower and a dune beach.
When to go
- May and early June: the spring migration, the densest. Trails can still be wet.
- July and August: the breeders, fewer but easier to watch at length.
- Late August to October: the autumn migration, especially shorebirds on the flats as the tide falls.
- Winter: the park closes, but the shore in front of the chalet stays open to anyone who wants to walk.
From the chalet
Allow about twenty minutes by road, on the 138 then the route de la Pointe. The best moment follows the tide rather than the clock: shorebirds follow the falling water, exactly as they do on the beach in front of the chalet.
A pair of binoculars beats a telephoto lens if you are hesitating: the observation tower already brings you close.
Sources
Checked on 6 September 2026. If you find an error, write to us and it will be corrected.
