Fall Hiking Near Coaticook: Colours, Hunting and Short Days

Fall hiking near Coaticook is the best three months of the year and the three with the most fine print. The colours peak somewhere between late September and mid-October, the Gorge keeps its footbridge open into early November, and the hunting calendar decides which trails you walk in between. Here is how the season actually runs.

What fall hiking near Coaticook is really like

September is summer with cooler nights: twelve hours of daylight at the equinox and sunset around 6:45 pm. October loses light fast, with sunset near 5:35 pm by Halloween, and when the clocks go back on the first Sunday of November it is dark by 4:35. By the end of November the day is nine hours long. The National Research Council's sun calculator has exact times.

The colours follow the same slope. Bonjour Québec's foliage map is updated weekly from mid-September to the end of October and rates each spot on a six-step scale; its Townships reporting points are Mont-Orford, Owl's Head, Sutton and Bromont. High ground turns first, a windy night can strip a hillside, and the first snow can arrive before Halloween. November is the brown month: bare trees, frozen mud, long views, and almost nobody on the trails. Each month has its own page: September, October and November.

Mont Pinacle: its busiest weekends

The cliff above Lac Lyster is at its best in colour season, and the Parc Harold F. Baldwin, about 15 minutes from Coaticook (13 km, 8 miles), knows it. The park sells a limited number of places per day, says weekend and holiday tickets sell out fast in fall, and warns that people who arrive without one may be refused when the time slots are full. A day ticket is $9.50 for ages 17 and up, free for 16 and under; hours are sunrise to sunset; dogs stay on a leash. Reserve Thanksgiving weekend (October 10 to 12 in 2026) the moment you book the house, or go on a weekday.

Then it closes. The park shuts its trails while the ground freezes, a period its FAQ places between November and January. Check its site before any November drive.

The Gorge until early November

The Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook runs its hiking season to early November, which makes it the last place around to walk the suspended footbridge each year. The 2026 schedule: 9 am to 5 pm daily from September 18 to October 12, last entry 3:30, then 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 5 pm on weekends from October 13 to the end of the season, with the footbridge reached only from the camping reception and last entry moving to 3 pm once the clocks change. The park posts the schedule each year.

The 3.5 km Gorge trail with the bridge takes about an hour and a half, with a lot of stairs; the 8.5 km Tillotson trail is the quiet one. The adult day rate is $10.75, taxes included, and leashed dogs are allowed. Foresta Lumina, the park's night walk, ends its 2026 season on Thanksgiving weekend; see our Foresta Lumina guide.

Hunting season: what closes and what to wear

This is the part visitors miss. Québec publishes its hunting seasons by zone. Around Coaticook in 2026, the white-tailed deer dates are bow and crossbow from October 3 to 16, shotgun and muzzleloader from October 17 to 21, and rifle from November 7 to 22. Moose has its own October dates. The zone maps are on the same site.

What that means on the ground:

• The Forêt Hereford closes its trails from October 3 to 9, October 17 to 21 and November 7 to 22 in 2026. The chemin Centennial, the summit and the Chute à Donat trails at East Hereford stay open.
• Tourism Eastern Townships lists Les Sentiers de l'Estrie as closed during hunting season.
• Managed parks keep going: the Gorge, Mont Pinacle while it is open, and the Sépaq parks.

Québec's orange rule applies to hunters, their guides and anyone with them: 2,580 square centimetres of fluorescent orange over back, shoulders and chest, visible from every angle. Hikers are not covered by the rule, which is a reason to follow it anyway. On any trail outside a park in those weeks, wear orange, put some on the dog, and stay on the marked route.

Bigger views: Mont-Orford and Mont-Mégantic

La Flambée des couleurs at the Mont-Orford ski area, about 45 minutes from Coaticook (50 km, 31 miles), runs on weekends from September 18 to October 18 in 2026, with the lift to the summit and a free shuttle between Magog and Orford. Next door, the Parc national du Mont-Orford has 50 km of trails. The Parc national du Mont-Mégantic, about an hour and a half away (100 km, 62 miles), has 40 km of high trails and the 1,110 metre summit. Both are Sépaq parks with a daily access fee, and dogs are allowed only in the sectors on Sépaq's list. Our fall foliage guide covers the drives and the orchards.

Mud, ice and ticks

Ticks do not stop at Labour Day: the Québec government says they are active whenever the temperature reaches 4°C, so a warm October afternoon counts. Its advice is long, light clothing, DEET or icaridin, and a shower with a skin check within two hours. November adds freeze-thaw: frozen mud in the morning, grease by noon, ice on the rock. Carry traction from the first frost.

Getting around

Drive times are approximate, from Coaticook, in good conditions. Leaf-season traffic around Magog and Orford adds to them on peak weekends. Winter roads change the math from late October, and so do border waits for anyone coming from the United States. Winter tires are not required until December 1, but Québec 511 posts conditions, and the hills do not read the calendar.

Back at the house

La Villa Foresta is in the Coaticook area, among the trees, with views toward Mont Pinacle, so some of the colour watching happens from the covered deck. After a short day there is the fire pit with s'mores supplies, maple treats and the board games. The seasons page covers the rest of the year.

Useful links

• Parc Harold F. Baldwin (Mont Pinacle)
• Parc Harold F. Baldwin: tickets and reservations
• Parc Harold F. Baldwin: FAQ and closures, in French
• Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook: hiking trails and rates
• Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook: schedules
• Forêt Hereford: trails and hunting-season closures
• Québec: white-tailed deer hunting seasons
• Québec: fluorescent orange bib rule
• Québec: hunting zone maps
• Tourism Eastern Townships: Les Sentiers de l'Estrie
• La Flambée des couleurs, Mont-Orford
• Tourism Eastern Townships: Parc national du Mont-Orford
• Tourism Eastern Townships: Parc national du Mont-Mégantic
• Sépaq: where dogs are allowed
• Bonjour Québec: fall colours map
• Québec: protecting yourself from mosquito and tick bites
• Québec 511: road conditions
• National Research Council: sunrise and sunset calculator