Seasons
Fall Foliage in the Eastern Townships: When and Where
Updated
The colour in the Townships usually starts in the second half of September and is mostly on the ground by the end of October. In between you get about three good weekends, and which three changes every year. This page is about picking them, and about what to do once you are here.
When the colours turn
Nobody can promise you a peak date in July, but you can watch the official map. Bonjour Québec, the province's tourism site, runs an interactive fall colours map that is updated weekly from mid-September. It rates each reporting spot on a six-step scale from "beginning soon" to "end", and several of those spots are in the Townships: Mont-Orford, Owl's Head, Sutton, Bromont and Mont-Mégantic.
As a rule, summits and high ground turn before the valleys, and a windy, rainy night can strip a hillside that looked perfect on Friday.
My advice: book the weekend that works for your group and stop chasing the exact peak. A week early, you get green valleys with red hilltops. A week late, you get gold birches, open views through the branches and far fewer cars. The one weekend to think twice about is Thanksgiving (October 10 to 12 in 2026), when every lookout within two hours of Montréal is busy.
La Flambée des couleurs at Mont-Orford
The big organised event is La Flambée des couleurs at the Mont-Orford ski area, about 45 minutes by car from Coaticook (50 km, 31 miles). In 2026 it runs on weekends from September 18 to October 18. The resort's "hybrid lift" (gondola cabins and chairs on the same cable) carries people to the summit on September 18 to 20 and 26 to 27, then October 2 to 5, 9 to 12 and 17 to 18. You can also hike up.
At the top, around 850 metres, there are five lookouts and a summit circuit, and each weekend has a theme: sport, family, food, art. The resort asks you to buy lift tickets online ahead of time, and a free shuttle links Magog and Orford during the event. Do that, especially for a sunny Saturday around Thanksgiving.
For a quieter walk, the Parc national du Mont-Orford, run by Sépaq, is right next door. It is a separate operation from the ski hill, with its own daily access fee.
Close to Coaticook
You do not have to drive to Orford for colour. The Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook has 19 km of marked trails, and the 3.5 km Gorge trail crosses the long suspended footbridge over the canyon. Fall is your last chance for that view each year: the footbridge closes for the winter. Foresta Lumina, the night walk in the same park, is still running on Fridays and Saturdays as I write this in late September. Check its site for the final nights, and see our guide to planning a Foresta Lumina night.
For a summit, there is Mont Pinacle above Lac Lyster in Baldwin Mills, about 15 minutes from Coaticook (13 km, 8 miles). The trails are in the Parc Harold F. Baldwin, which sells tickets online, opens from sunrise to sunset and allows dogs on a leash. One thing to know: the park closes while the ground freezes, a period it places somewhere between November and January. Go in October.
La Villa Foresta sits among the trees with a view toward Mont Pinacle, so some of your leaf-peeping will happen from the covered deck, coffee in hand.
A country drive: the Chemin des Cantons
The Chemin des Cantons (Townships Trail) is a signposted heritage route of 430 km through 31 towns and villages, with 38 official stops. Expect Victorian houses, round barns and covered bridges. It passes through Coaticook, Compton and Stanstead.
Do not try to drive all 430 km. Pick a section and follow the signs. The route's own site, chemindescantons.qc.ca, has maps and audio guides to download before you leave.
Orchards and harvest in Compton
Compton, about 15 minutes north of Coaticook (15 km, 9 miles), is apple country. Verger Le Gros Pierre grows 21 varieties for picking on dwarf trees, which suits small arms, and runs tractor rides and a play area. Picking goes through late October, and the orchard lists a pumpkin fair for October 17 and 18, 2026.
The same village hosts Les Comptonales. The 2026 Virée gourmande is on October 10 and 11, from 10 am to 5 pm: a self-guided tasting tour of six farm destinations with a free shuttle, sold by ticket. A harvest market follows on Thanksgiving Monday, October 12, from 11 am to 3 pm. For cheese makers, cider and the rest, see our local food guide.
Practical notes
Drive times here are approximate, from Coaticook, in good conditions. Leaf-season traffic around Magog and Orford adds to them on peak weekends, and so does the first snow, which can come before Halloween. Winter roads change the math.
Bring layers and a headlamp, because it gets dark early in October. Back at the house there is a fire pit with s'mores supplies, which is the right way to end a day like this. For the other three seasons, see the year at La Villa Foresta.
Useful links
Bringing a group?
La Villa Foresta sleeps twelve in five bedrooms near Coaticook, with a fire pit, a meadow and Mount Pinacle in the window. Dogs are welcome. It is new on Airbnb for 2026 and hosted by a Superhost.
See the house
