Regulations in Quebec's National Parks

We all have a role to play to ensure the conservation of our parks. Whether one is a visitor, a land-use planner or a park director, the protection of the natural environment concerns everyone. The Parks Regulations are, in a way, a kind of code of ethics that orients our contribution to the protection of our natural heritage.

Ethics and regulations

All of the efforts of parks managers would be useless if visitors did not participate. Below are the main rules and recommendations for planning park visits.

	To contribute to improving the quality of the park experience, an entry fee was established by the government. You must always carry your receipt or your season pass during your visit.
	To preserve the natural riches for future generations, it is prohibited to remove natural elements (animals, plants, dead wood, rocks, etc.).
	The flora is sensitive to being trampled. If we multiply the impacts of thousands of visitors, it’s easy to understand why it is mandatory to stay on the hiking trails.
	Nature exhibits exemplary equilibrium. The animals find everything they need to eat here, and that is why feeding wildlife is prohibited. In this respect, it is also prohibited to leave food or garbage unsupervised. Keep them in your car.
	Dogs, kept on a leash at all times, are allowed in national parks. However, dog access is limited to certain areas under certain conditions. Check out the applicable rules and authorized sites. Guide dogs and service dogs are allowed everywhere. Other pets are still prohibited in national parks.
	When camping, use only the sites assigned to you. Pitch your tent in the designated area and make your fires in the fire pits that are provided. Don’t forget that you are not alone when visiting the parks. To this effect, the number of people, equipment or vehicles on the same site is established in such a way as to offer users an experience worthy of a national park.
	Because people visit the parks to relax or enjoy nature, you must preserve a sonic environment that is acceptable for everyone. Respect the curfews and keep noise to a minimum at all times.
	It’s great to enjoy an authentic natural environment that is clean and healthy! Carry out your garbage, leave it in the containers provided, and take home any harmful substances, such as soap, oil, combustibles or pesticides.
	For the preservation of the milieu and for your safety, only a certain number of activities are allowed in these parks. Plan your visit and first check the list of activities that are allowed in the parks you plan to visit.
	In order to minimize the impact on wildlife and on the customer experience, Sépaq does not allow recreational drone use at the establishments it manages. Find out more

You can go even further in the quality of your actions when practicing outdoor activities than simply following the regulations.

Diseases and firewood

Nothing’s better than an evening around a campfire. But did you know that the wood you burn could be a ticking time bomb for the park’s forest and the whole region?

Transporting firewood is an important vector of tree diseases. Certain harmful and newly established insects (like the emerald ash borer) or those that are making their way here (like the Asian long-horned beetle) represent significant risks to our forests.

To reduce these risks, please leave your firewood at home and get your wood directly from the park or a producer near the park. The health of our forests could depend on this simple gesture.

The Outdoors and Conservation: The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace

Why visit Québec’s national parks? Whether for their scenery, the outdoor activities, intimate contact with nature or for other reasons, don’t forget an important fact: thousands of people visit the same places as you every year, and they are also seeking an exceptional experience in nature.

Québec’s national parks belong to each of us and to future generations. To protect the integrity of the natural heritage and these territories, we all have the responsibility of taking care of these unique places when enjoying our favourite activities. The actions we take outdoors can cause permanent impacts on the plant and animal life, and create problems that are detrimental to the quality of the nature experience for other visitors.

That’s where Leave No Trace comes in. It is the Canadian version of the popular American program. This code of ethics for outdoor practices is based on seven principles. They suggest behaviours to adapt when enjoying activities in order to leave the natural settings as attractive (or even more so) than they were when we arrived.

Take the time to read the seven principles of Leave No Trace (in French only), which were adapted to the context of Québec’s national parks. During your outdoor excursions in your favourite parks, think of the potential impacts of your actions. Let these principles guide you in making conscious and responsible choices centred on preserving everyone’s natural heritage.