Attraction Quebec City — Montmorency Falls, Canada

Montmorency Falls and the Île d'Orléans Loop

An 83-metre waterfall a quarter of an hour from Old Quebec, seen from its base, its cliff-top suspension bridge and its long staircase, then a drive around the farm island across the river.

Duration: 1 day
Distance: 3 km
Ascent: 80 m
Difficulty: Easy
Best season: June–October; January–February for the frozen falls

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Montmorency Falls is where the Montmorency River drops 83 metres off the edge of the Canadian Shield into the St. Lawrence, about 30 metres more than Niagara, on the border of Beauport and Boischatel. It is not a remote wilderness waterfall: it sits in a Sépaq park with a cable car, a manor house at the top and paved paths, about 12 kilometres from Old Quebec, and close to a million people visit each year. What makes it worth the trip is how close you can get. A suspension bridge crosses directly over the crest, and a cliff-side staircase lets you walk the whole height of the falls.

In summer the water runs a faint yellow from the iron in the river. In winter the spray freezes into a cone of ice at the base that locals call the sugarloaf, and the falls become one of the region’s great winter sights. On some summer nights an international fireworks competition is staged in front of the falls.

From the falls, the Île d’Orléans is five minutes away across a bridge. The island is 34 kilometres long, has six villages and roughly 7,000 people, and is still mostly farmland: orchards, berry fields, vineyards and old stone houses along a single ring road, the Chemin Royal, completed in 1744. Jacques Cartier landed here in 1535. A lap of the island is about 75 kilometres and an easy afternoon.

Getting there. By car, the falls are about 15 minutes from Old Quebec along Autoroute 440, with parking at both the base and the top. Without a car, the city’s RTC buses run to Beauport near the falls; check the RTC trip planner for the current route. The island needs a car or a bike, since there is no useful public transport around it.

Permits & tickets. The falls park is run by Sépaq. Visitors who are not Quebec residents pay an access fee, parking is paid, and the cable car, zipline and via ferrata are extra. Fees and seasons change, so check the Sépaq site before you go. The island itself is free.

Good to know:

Some facilities, including the cable car and parts of the staircase, run on seasonal schedules; confirm what is open in winter before making the trip.
The Île d’Orléans Bridge, opened in 1935, is being replaced by a new bridge built alongside it; expect roadworks at the approach.
Many island farm stands, cideries and wineries close or cut their hours from late autumn to spring.

Tips & Insights for this route Planning this route? Read our practical tips before you go — 8 tips. Read the tips

Download waypoints (GPX) Points of interest in walking order — not a trail trace.

Day by day

DayDistanceAscentDescentWalking time

Day 1 Hardest dayThe falls on foot, then the island by car

Distance3 kmAscent80 mDescentNot recordedWalking timeNot recorded

Day 1

The falls on foot, then the island by car

Montmorency Falls, lower station → Île d'Orléans Bridge 3 km 80 m

Navigate this day Print day

Start at the base of the falls, ride or climb to the top, cross the crest, and walk back down. Then cross the bridge to the Île d’Orléans and follow Route 368 around the island.

Segments

The foot of the falls 0.8 km Map

Lower parking and cable car station → Viewpoints at the base of the falls

Paved paths, wet with spray

From the lower station, follow the path toward the plunge pool, where the Montmorency River lands at the end of its drop into the St. Lawrence. The scale is clearest from here, and on a summer day the spray reaches the viewing areas. In winter this is where the ice cone builds up. About 30 minutes.

About this place

The Montmorency River is a tributary of North-East bank of St. Lawrence River, flowing in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, Canada. The course of the river successively crosses the regional county municipality of:MRC La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality: Lac-Jacques-Cartier, Château-Richer, L'Ange-Gardien, Boischatel; MRC La Jacques-Cartier Regional County Municipality: Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval Agglomération de Québec.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Share Bear (dmahalin@gmail.com) · Public domain
Up by cable car to the manor 0.2 km 80 m Map

Lower cable car station → Manoir Montmorency

Cable car

The cable car lifts you up the cliff beside the falls to the Manoir Montmorency at the top, a manor house with a restaurant, shop and restrooms. If the cable car is not running, or you prefer to climb, the panoramic staircase of 487 steps does the same job on foot. About 15 minutes by cable car.
Over the crest on the suspension bridge 0.8 km Map

Manoir Montmorency → East side of the falls

Cliff-top paths and a suspension footbridge

Follow the path along the top and cross the suspension bridge directly above the lip of the falls, with the river pouring beneath your feet and the Île d'Orléans and its bridge laid out ahead. Continue to the lookouts on the far side for the side-on view. About 30 minutes.
Down the panoramic staircase 1.2 km Map

Top of the staircase → Lower parking

Long wooden staircase with landings on the cliff face

Walk back down the long cliff-side staircase, pausing on its landings, which give the best straight-on views of the falls. It is far easier down than up. Then return to the base and your car. About 30 minutes.
Across the bridge to Saint-Pierre and Sainte-Famille Map

Montmorency Falls → Sainte-Famille

By car: Autoroute 40 and Route 368

Drive five minutes to the Île d'Orléans Bridge and turn left onto the Chemin Royal. Saint-Pierre, the first village, is where the singer-songwriter Félix Leclerc lived from 1958 and is buried. Sainte-Famille, founded in 1661, is the island's oldest parish and has one of the densest groups of French-regime houses in Quebec. Allow about an hour with stops.

About this place

Sainte-Famille-de-l'Île-d'Orléans is a municipality in the L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada, part of the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale. It is situated along the western shores of Island of Orléans.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Gordalmighty · CC BY-SA 3.0
Around the tip to Saint-Jean and Saint-Laurent Map

Sainte-Famille → Saint-Laurent

By car: Route 368

Continue past Saint-François at the island's eastern tip, where the river widens toward the sea, and turn back west along the south shore through Saint-Jean and Saint-Laurent, two old parish villages facing the mountains on the far bank. Farm stands, orchards and vineyards line most of this stretch. About an hour with stops.

About this place

Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. It is part of the L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality, on the southeastern side of Île d'Orléans.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Paul Paradis · CC BY-SA 3.0
Sainte-Pétronille and the view back Map

Saint-Laurent → Île d'Orléans Bridge

By car: Route 368

Sainte-Pétronille, at the island's western tip, is where Wolfe set up his headquarters in 1759 to watch Quebec, and later a summer retreat for wealthy families. From its shore you look straight across at Old Quebec and back at the white line of Montmorency Falls. Then close the loop to the bridge. About 45 minutes.

About this place

Sainte-Pétronille is a village municipality in the L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. It is situated on the south-western tip of Orléans Island, facing Quebec City.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Gabriel Picard · CC BY-SA 4.0