If you’re looking for adventurous yet laid-back day trips during your Quebec vacation, snowshoeing near Quebec City is one of the best winter experiences you can do.
This experience can be done without a car by booking a small group tour, which typically runs from December through March during Quebec’s winter season.
I booked a snowshoeing tour in Jacques-Cartier National Park in January 2026. Here’s everything you need to know before you go.
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Why Snowshoeing Near Quebec City Is Worth It
This snowshoeing excursion from Quebec City offers a unique and memorable experience. It’s ideal for anyone looking for an outdoorsy day trip that offers beautiful winter views, light exercise, local culture, and free time to enjoy the Jacques-Cartier National Park at your own pace.
Plus, the Jacques-Cartier National Park is only a half hour outside of the city, meaning you won’t be spending hours in the van going to and from.
The tour we booked was also a half-day tour, meaning we still had the evening to get freshened up, go out for dinner, and enjoy the city at night.
And because it’s a small day tour, it’s ideal for couples, solo travelers, or anyone who wants a combination of nature, adventure, and immersive travel.
If this sounds like the type of experience you are looking for, stick around and we’ll get into all the details.
Where You Go: Jacques-Cartier National Park
Because of its maintained winter trails and proximity to the city, Jacques-Cartier National Park is one of the most popular places for snowshoeing near Quebec City. Pretty much all snowshoeing near Quebec City tours will take place within the Jacques-Cartier National Park.
This is the closest national park to the city and offers numerous snowshoeing trails, scenic views, and the park’s Discovery and Visitors Center—which is perfect for warming up after the tour, buying essentials you might have forgotten, and enjoying a complimentary lunch provided by the tour guide.
Distance from Quebec City: It’s about 45 minutes from Gare du Palais to the park’s Discovery and Visitor Center.
The park is a popular winter destination thanks to its dedicated snowshoeing, crosscountry skiing, and fat bike trails. In fact, there are 12 snowshoeing trails totaling about 84 kilometers.
There are also other things to do near the Discovery and Visitors Center like sledding or snow tubing. You can rent items from the Visitors Center as need be. However, some experiences—like snow tubing—are completely free.
And to sum it up, the Jacques-Cartier National Park is a beautiful place to visit during your winter trip to Quebec thanks to its wildlife, river, mountain peaks, and snow-covered paths.
How to Book a Small Group Snowshoeing Tour
To go snowshoeing near Quebec City, if you don’t have a car, the best thing to do is book a tour. This takes out all the stress of planning and provides you with a tour guide who will teach you about the park and offer a field guide to the region—showing you birds, mushrooms, tree species, etc along the way.
I recommend snowshoeing in Jacques-Carter National Park if you have at least three days in Quebec City.
Where to Book
You can book your tour through GetYourGuide or Viator. The same tour I did is available on both platforms. What I like about these websites is that you have free cancellation, it’s easy to change dates if something comes up, and your tour provider has an easy way to get in touch with updates on the excursion.
You can see availability for the Snowshoeing Tour in Jacques-Cartier National Park on both Viator or GetYourGuide. Neither one is better, as they are the same tour. I’d just book with whoever has the lowest price. Mine happened to be cheapest through GetYourGuide.
Prices seem to run between $86 to $107 USD ($119 to $148 CAD) per person and includes pick-up, entry to the park, snowshoes, a tour guide, snacks, lunch, free time in the park, and drop-off back in Quebec City.
What the Snowshoeing Experience Is Like
To help you be prepared for your tour snowshoeing near Quebec City, here’s what you can expect before, during, and after the activity.
Getting started
The tour guide will pick you up at 9 a.m. or 9:15 a.m. from one of two locations—Place d’Armes or Gare du Palais.
We chose Place d’Armes which is located right next to the famous Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.
The tour is small, allowing a maximum of only 10 participants per excursion. We did our tour on January 9 with only four people in total–myself, my boyfriend, and a couple from Australia.
After about 30 minutes of driving, you’ll reach the entrance to the Jacques-Cartier National Park. It takes about another 10-15 minutes to reach the Discovery and Visitors Center, which will be the base of the tour.
Your guide will give you 15 minutes to look around the visitors center, use the bathroom, and buy any items you may need. There are boots, jackets, scarves, beanies, and other items for sale along with souvenirs and snacks.
Afterward, you’ll be led to a separate room where you’ll learn about putting on your snowshoes and adjusting your trekking poles.
A side door will lead you outside where you’ll put on your snowshoes and promptly begin the tour.
On the trail
The trail begins with a beautiful view as you cross over the St. Lawrence River. From there, the trail is very peaceful with small inclines and declines.
You’ll pass a lot of different types of trees along the way, and many of them are marked with details about each one. You’ll see balsam fir, maple, yellow birch, and more.
We snowshoed for about two and a half hours, stopping halfway through for hot cocoa, crackers, cheese, and jam. You’ll get to try a couple different local jams—and this was a really fun part of the tour because our guide made us guess each one (harder than you might think!).
You’ll cross some bridges and eventually reach another spectacular viewpoint in the last leg of the hike. Our guide offered to take pictures of us, which we were happy about. He did a great job!
Trail overview & difficulty
Duration: We spent about two and a half hours on the trail, including the snack break and stopping to learn about the scenery we were looking at.
Difficulty level: Beginner-friendly; I have never snowshoed and had no problem getting the hang of it. It’s just like walking. The trail is also beginner-friendly. We had an active 70-year-old man on our tour and he did a pretty good job keeping up with us.
Terrain: Our snowshoeing trail was a mix of rivers and streams, small inclines/declines, and flat paths among tall trees and mounds of fluffy snow.
After snowshoeing
After those few hours are up, you’ll arrive back at the Discovery and Visitors Center for lunch. Our guide served homemade soup with more crackers, cheese, and jam along with maple cookies. Everything tasted very fresh.
Then we had about an hour of free time to explore some nearby trails, sit by the fire in the Discovery Center watching the snowfall from the windows, or choose our own adventure.
We started off by making snowmen and snow angels, which led to throwing snow balls at each other. Eventually, we learned that there was free snowtubing a 5-minute walk from the visitors center, so we spent the rest of our free time doing that. It was an absolute blast and the perfect way to end our day trip to the Jacques-Cartier National Park!
What to Wear Snowshoeing Near Quebec City
One of the most important things to know before booking this day tour is what to wear. After my experience, here is what I recommend:
Snow pants: These wick-away snow and keep your legs warm and comfortable in cold conditions
Merino wool base layer: Wool wicks away moisture, essential for outdoor winter activities, and provides gentle warmth.
Second layer: Choose a light puffer, a fleece pullover, or a lightweight sweater.
Waterproof jacket: You don’t need a long winter coat for snowshoeing. Because it’s an active excursion, your body will generate a good deal of heat on its own. Instead, you can wear a light jacket or a windbreaker instead of the winter coats you’d wear in the city.
Waterproof boots: Very important! Make sure you have snow boots or waterproof shoes that go up to your ankle.
Warm socks: I prefer merino wool socks as they wick away moisture, but any winter/boot sock should do the trick.
Gloves: Whatever pair of winter gloves you have should be fine.
Beanie or ear warmers: Something to keep your ears/head warm.
For reference, I wore this Merino.tech base layer, these snow pants, a Mountain Hardwear pullover, and a Columbia windbreaker. I had also packed a down vest, but ended up not using it on the trail.
Of course, I also wore gloves (which occasionally came off when I got a little warm) and a warm beanie that covered my ears.
For shoes, I actually just wore Sperry Duck Boots and they performed really well!
If you’d like a more in-depth guide on what to wear, you can check my ultimate winter packing guide.
Is Snowshoeing in Jacques-Cartier National Park Worth It?
Yes, absolutely!
Snowshoeing in Jacques-Cartier National Park was one of the most unexpectedly joyful experiences of my winter trip to Quebec. It struck the perfect balance between being active and relaxed, immersive but not exhausting. Everything I was looking for and more!
What stood out most was how accessible it felt. I’d never snowshoed before, but it was so easy to get the hang of. Walking through quiet, snow-covered trails, learning about the landscape, and stopping for hot cocoa in the middle of the forest made the whole experience feel slow in the best way—my favorite way to travel.
As a day trip from Quebec City, this excursion was carefully paced and well worth the time. You get fresh air, the opportunity to see more of Quebec, beautiful views, and local knowledge.
For travelers who want to experience Quebec’s winter landscape without needing a car or committing to a full outdoor expedition, this is an ideal day trip.
FAQ – Snowshoeing Near Quebec City
Here are some of the most common questions asked by those interested in going snowshoeing near Quebec City, Canada.
Final Thoughts
Visiting the Jacques-Cartier National Park was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Quebec City. It was my first time getting outside of the city and seeing more of Quebec’s natural scenery.
I’m so glad I was able to experience snowshoeing, and I would absolutely do it again!
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