Towns
Where to Stay Near Magog and Mont-Orford
Updated
Magog is where a good part of the Townships spends July, and it has earned the crowd: a big lake at the end of the main street, a national park ten minutes away, and enough restaurants that nobody has to cook. The question is less whether to go than whether to sleep there. This page makes an honest case for and against basing yourself 40 minutes south.
Distances, from Coaticook
Magog is about 40 km (25 miles) from Coaticook, 35 to 40 minutes by car. The Parc national du Mont-Orford is about 50 km (31 miles), roughly 45 minutes. The abbey at Saint-Benoît-du-Lac is about 60 km (37 miles), a little under an hour. Winter roads and border waits change the math, as they do everywhere here.
Magog and the lake
Lake Memphremagog is long and narrow and crosses the border: its south end is in Newport, Vermont. Magog sits at the north tip, and the town's best feature is that the lake is right there. The Parc de la Baie-de-Magog and Pointe Merry put a waterfront path, beaches and a dock within a short walk of downtown. Tourism Eastern Townships lists an east and a west beach in the bay park, plus the Plage des Cantons a little farther along the bike path.
To get out on the water without paddling, Escapades Memphrémagog runs summer and fall cruises from the MacPherson dock in Magog. The shortest is an afternoon cruise of about an hour and a half. The others are meal cruises of three hours or more, a long time for children who don't like sitting.
Tourisme Memphrémagog keeps the full list of restaurants, rentals and events.
Parc national du Mont-Orford
The Parc national du Mont-Orford is run by Sépaq, the provincial parks agency. For a day visit, the things to know:
- Two lake sectors. Lac Stukely and Lac Fraser each have a campground and a supervised beach. The Bonnallie service centre at Lac Stukely rents canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, pedal boats and rowboats.
- Hiking for regular people. Sépaq describes Mont Chauve, at nearly 600 metres, as a beginner-friendly mountain hike with a view over Lac Stukely. The Étang-Fer-de-Lance trail is flat enough for a big-wheeled stroller.
- Winter. The park is popular for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
- Access fee. Sépaq charges a daily access fee, which you can buy online ahead of a sunny Saturday. Rates are on the park's page.
- Dogs. Sépaq restricts where dogs may go. Read its page on dogs at Mont-Orford before you load yours into the car.
The alpine ski hill next door, Mont-Orford, is a separate operation. Our ski guide covers it.
The marsh
The Marais de la Rivière aux Cerises is a wetland at the edge of Magog, with boardwalk and gravel trails, open every day from 7 am to 11 pm all year. The non-profit that runs it counts 4.4 km of trails in summer and 6.2 km in winter. Most are easy, and each is rated for reduced mobility. Trail access is free. Parking is paid, and that money goes to the organization. It is a good hour in Magog with a grandparent and a toddler in the same group.
The abbey at Saint-Benoît-du-Lac
On the west shore of the lake, the Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac is home to a community of about thirty Benedictine monks. Visitors come for three reasons, in roughly this order: the cheese, the Gregorian chant, the apples.
- The shop sells cheeses, ciders, and fruit compotes and spreads made by the community. It closes on December 25 and 26 and on January 1 and 2.
- The abbey church is open all day, and everyone is welcome at Mass and the sung offices. It is a working monastery, so behave accordingly.
- The orchard has 3,500 apple trees. Pick-your-own runs Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 5 pm, normally from Labour Day weekend to Thanksgiving weekend, plus the two holiday Mondays.
- Guided tours of the monastery are offered. Check the abbey's site for times.
So, where to stay
Stay in Magog or Orford if the lake and the park are your whole trip, you want to walk to dinner, or you are a couple. Tourisme Memphrémagog lists the inns and hotels, and Sépaq has camping in the park. Driving 40 minutes each way for every outing gets old by the third day.
Base yourself near Coaticook if Magog is one or two days of a longer stay, you are a group that needs five bedrooms under one roof, or you prefer your evenings quiet. From the Coaticook side you are also closer to the Coaticook gorge and Foresta Lumina, to North Hatley and Lake Massawippi, and to the Vermont border.
La Villa Foresta is in the Coaticook area: five bedrooms, two bathrooms, room for 12, among trees with views toward Mont Pinacle. It has a fire pit, a covered deck, a modern kitchen with an island, and a small lake with a free beach less than five minutes away. Dogs are welcome. What you give up is walking to a restaurant: you will be cooking, or driving to eat.
The area page shows how these places sit in relation to each other.
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
