This August, we stayed in a ready-to-camp unit at the Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie. There are ready-to-camp units at Sépaq Parks all across Quebec, and they’re an awesome way to get out camping (glamping?) without having to pack ALL the stuff that goes along with traditional camping.
Here’s what our experience was like, and everything we learned!
A typical Sépaq ready-to-camp unit.
The Basics
We booked our ready-to-camp unit on the Sépaq website.
Prices start at $96 per night during the off season and rise to around $125 during peak season. So it’s less expensive than an AirBNB, but definitely more expensive than a traditional campsite. We had decided on the splurge because we have a toddler (almost 3), and at the time of our trip I was about 26 weeks pregnant. It seemed like the time for a little additional comfort and luxury!
I also feel like the ready-to-camp units give you a bit more of a feeling of being “inside,” which makes me want to stay a bit longer. When I’m in a tent, I usually feel ready to go home after three or four nights.
Pets are not allowed in these units. There are no washroom facilities at the campsite, so we walked to the main building (which for us was just a few feet away).
Eating
The ready-to-camp units come with literally everything you need to eat and cook, which was super convenient! Inside the unit there were dishes, cutlery, glasses, and mugs. There were pots and pans, a pasta strainer, and a bunch of utensils for cooking. There was also a kettle and a coffee percolator for all your caffeine needs.
The unit had EVERYTHING we needed to cook and eat our meals.
Outside, by the front door, there was a small camp kitchen. The biggest luxury was the mini fridge where we were able to store perishables for the week. It had a little lock on it so we didn’t have to worry about any critters getting into our stash. Above the fridge was a two burner propane stove, with some space on either side- not enough for food prep (although you could do this inside or at the picnic table), but enough room where you could set things down.
The little stove was super easy to use. It even had an ignitor so we didn’t have to fuss around with lighting it.
The main washroom was close to us, and had a big sink outdoors where we took our dishes to wash them. We brought our own dish soap and sponge, but used the hand towels provided by Sépaq to dry them. There is no running water in the ready-to-camp units.
The fridge outside was so handy- no worrying about ice melting etc.
Sleeping
I REALLY loved the sleep set up in our ready-to-camp unit. I thought it was brilliant (temperature aside- it WAS August after all).
At the back of the tent, was basically a smaller tent- we slept inside this. There was a wooden platform raised off the ground, with mattresses on top. The mattresses were the kind typically used in these shared accommodations- made of waterproof material and a few inches thick.
I found the mattresses to be fairly comfortable, even pregnant- so they MUST be alright!
Pillows were included as well, but we had to bring our own linens. Our queen-sized fitted sheet was stretched pretty tight, because the overall sleeping space was just a little bit bigger than a queen mattress.
The sleeping tent was divided down the middle, essentially making two rooms. This worked perfectly for us, as we slept on one side and our daughter slept on the other.
The sleeping tent was made of dark material, and there was a flap at the front you could close. Anyone who’s gone camping with little ones who wake up with the sun will know that this is a BRILLIANT feature. Instead of our daughter waking up at 5:30 a.m. when the sun started to come up, some days she slept in until 7:30 or 8 a.m.! A miracle!
Inside the ready-to-camp unit.
Toddler Naps + Heat
On the days we were there, it was absolutely scorching. Despite this, as the temperature dropped in the evenings, the tent also cooled down fairly quickly for sleeping. We felt comfortable every night that we were there, and were glad that we had made sure to bring blankets for our daughter.
Where it got tricky was for naps during the day. The tent was SO hot that I basically started to sweat as soon as I stepped inside. Obviously, naps didn’t happen inside the tent, and we had to grab them on the go while we were hiking.
I think the best time of year to use one of these ready-to-camp units would be in the fall, where it might not get as hot inside during the day. There was a little heater in the tent, so even for cooler nights you would have a bit of help.
Relaxing
The ready-to-camp units were well set up to have space for everyone. There were big Adirondack chairs for around the fire, a picnic table at the campsite, and a big dining table inside the ready-to-camp units. The little sleeping bedrooms also provided some additional space.
There were lights in the tent, but no other electricity. We weren’t able to plug in any of our devices, and were glad that we had brought our Coleman lantern and a portable battery along to charge these things.
Fire pit at our campsite.
Specific to the Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie
The Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie was one of the most stunning parks we had ever been to. All of the hikes had gorgeous views. Even the views from the ROAD in the park were gorgeous!
That being said, it’s not a park that was designed to be really family friendly. The terrain being what it was, there were only a few short hikes that were really toddler friendly.
We also rented a canoe for one day which actually got us to a few spots along the shoreline that were more chill for little ones, like small sandy beaches along the river.
And outside of that, there wasn’t really anything to do with young kids, if you kind of wanted to do nothing for part of the day. There weren’t any parks, nor were there any beaches. We found a rocky little access to the river near one of the bridges, which was perfect for adults to relax and swim at. But it was not relaxing at all with a toddler in tow. Again, the view was spectacular but the terrain was not for little ones (picture toddlers falling over a rock every other step). The depth of the river, combined with the current, meant that you had to be within arm’s reach at all times too.
So we found ourselves spending most of our down time at our campsite. We also had to skip a few of the tougher hikes because we could tell from the shorter ones we had done that they would be slightly out of reach (for us!) with a toddler in tow. I’m looking forward to heading back and tackling these without kids one day, or when the kids are bigger!
Pretty typical terrain for Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie.
Facilities
The washrooms were fairly close to our campsite, and were always super clean. In the same building was the bathroom and showers. Outside was a large sink for washing dishes. There were also water taps with potable water throughout the campground.
In the park there were two welcome centres, where the Wifi was strong and there were plug-ins for our devices. Both centres had gift shops, and the welcome centre at the heart of the park has a little café where you could grab (overpriced) sandwiches, ice cream, and beer. The beer seemed appropriately priced!
In Conclusion
While our trip to Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la- Rivière-Malbaie might have been ill-timed given the age of our daughter, it was still an amazing park. Quebec’s Sépaq parks really do boast some of the most gorgeous scenery I’ve seen, and this park is no exception. The trails and facilities were immaculately maintained, and paddling through the rock sided canyon was an absolute delight. You’ll have to go and see for yourself- maybe in a ready-to-camp unit?
Canoeing up the river at Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie.
