The Desjardins Trail, a 10.35 km Hike in Parc Régional du Poisson Blanc

Last fall I visited parc régional du Poisson Blanc for the first time and fell in love with it almost immediately. I’m an absolute sucker for elevation gain and stunning views, and the trail we hiked back then (Le Sommet and Katimavik) had lots of both. So naturally I knew I had to get back and hike the Desjardins Trail at some point.

And I was lucky enough to do so this spring! I was nervous about hiking the Desjardins Trail because it’s a lot longer of a hike than the other, and I figured if the terrain were at all similar it was going to be TOUGH.

But I was pleasantly surprised, because the amount of elevation gain was spread out over a longer distance, making the hike easier in that regard. And the actual terrain itself was much less rocky and easier to navigate.

That being said, the Desjardins Trail is not an easy hike- just easier than what I had psyched myself up for! And the views we were able to reach were absolutely stunning. I loved this trail.

Quick Facts

Length: 11.4 km, according to the official map. My GPS recorded it being 1 km less.
Difficulty: Hard (On a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Trailhead Coordinates: 46.104919, -75.704695
Washroom at Trailhead: Yes (bring your own TP)
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Cell Reception: Spotty
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Parking: Free

Getting There and the Beach

There’s a small parking lot at the trailhead of the Desjardins Trail, with room for about twenty cars. You can use these coordinates to get there: 46.104919, -75.704695. The parking lot is well signed, and impossible to miss.

Near the back of the lot there’s an outhouse.

And if you head in that direction, you’ll easily find the trail that leads down to a rocky beach beside Lac Cuillèrier. The beach is stunning, with long views down the lake. It is however, very rocky. There didn’t seem to be many good places to stop and rest where we visited, although we didn’t head too much further down the beach. It was also really apparent that the water was low when we were there. But I’m still not sure how much fun it would be too swim there, and probably not worth it with really small kids.

The Trailhead

Across the road from the parking lot is where the trail begins. There’s not too much fanfare, just a simple blue sign pointing you in the right direction. Right away, we began a gentle uphill climb. Honestly, the grade of this first section of trail is pretty indicative of what the rest of the trail felt like. As much as we were consistently heading up, for the most part it was at a very easy grade and felt quite manageable.

Trail Marking

Right away the trail marking was well done and consistent. It stayed this way for the entire length of the trail, and we were always able to spot a little blue man in the trees to help guide us along. In a few spots where trees had fallen down, we had to look a little harder for the markers, but we were always able to spot them eventually.

We hopped over a few small creeks along the way and dodged a few rocks and roots here and there. After hiking just over 1.5 km we could start to see that we were gaining elevation, just from the view that we had through the trees. In the summer, you likely wouldn’t be able to tell this early with all the leaves in.

At the 2 km mark we arrived at the first steep hill. This was a cool spot because we could see the forest floor rising up in front of us and could tell right away that it was about to get a bit steeper!

500 metres later, what goes up must come down, and we actually began to head downhill for a bit. Around the 3.5 km mark, things began to get very snowy! Whereas at the bottom of the mountain all the snow had been melted and things were fairly dry, closer to the top there was actually still a lot of snow. Remember, we went near the end of April, and it was pretty warm this year. So some years I’m sure the snow up there lasts well into May.

Le Perchoir Lookout

We arrived at the first split in the trail having hiked 3.9 km. Here, there were arrows pointing in both directions. We decided to head to our left, thinking we might find a lookout. We were right, and it was gorgeous! We sat down on a huge open rock face to enjoy the wide open views, and decided this was a great spot for lunch. If you decided to end your hike here, it would still be well worth it and a good way to make the distance more manageable if needed. Likely, this was Le Perchoir Lookout (as written on the map), although there was no sign saying as much.

Le Pèkan Lookout

We wanted to continue, so we headed back to the split and off in the opposite direction. Not long after the first lookout, the trail brought us directly to another stunning lookout. This was a really cool spot as well because the forest kind of “ended” and the view opened up simultaneously. Again, I have to assume that this was Le Pékan Lookout.

The trail brought us slightly downhill and back into the forest before the view opened up again, just a huge expanse of sky beside the ridgeline we walked along. After this it was another short jaunt through the forest before the trail brought us back out further along the side of the mountain where we had seen our last views.

Le 31-Milles Lookout

And then the trail just sort of…ended. It was undoubtedly a fantastic view from this lookout as well, but it did feel a little anticlimactic because it was basically the same view we had seen just before. So you could also probably end your hike at the second lookout and feel quite accomplished for the day. This was Le 31-Milles, named after the lake nearby (Le Pékan is named after a lake too!).

After a quick break at the final lookout, we headed back towards the trailhead. The way back was even easier than the way up had been, and we made good time on the descent.

Trail Thoughts

By the time we arrived back at the parking lot, my watch had recorded us as having travelled 10.35 km. We were able to cover that distance in just over 4 hours- we were moving at a reasonable pace, but stopped for lunch, to take in the views, and so on.

Both sets of hiking trails on Montagne du Fort in Parc Poisson Blanc get you some stunning views, if you’re prepared to put in a bit of work. The Dejardins Trail is MUCH easier than the trails on the north side of the mountain. So if you’re at all skeptical about your ability to hike these trails, starting with Desjardins is definitely the way to go.

We had an amazing day, and couldn’t get over how beautiful the views were just two hours from home. You should visit parc regional Poisson Blanc this summer!

Map and Elevation Gain

Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the Indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.

Gear We Brought

• Hiking boots (mine are Keen)
• Hiking poles
• Gaiters (to keep snow and mud out of our boots)
• 15 L day pack
• 1 litre of water
• Lunch!
• Extra calorie dense food
• Headlamp
• Bear bell
• Rab 4 person superlite emergency shelter (this link takes you to a larger shelter because MEC isn’t carrying the 4 person currently- but it’ll still give you the idea!)
• Garmin inReach (this is a satellite phone that you can use when there’s no reception/if you need to call for help)
• First aid kit
• Extra layers (it was cold at the top!)
• Trail Running ShoesTrail Running Shoes

This is a reminder that you do NOT need top-of-the-line or brand new gear to get outside and enjoy the outdoors! Check your local Facebook marketplace or Kijiji, and look at what you have at home or can borrow before you spend money on gear.

If you use these affiliate links to purchase gear, a portion of the money you spend will go towards supporting the work we do through our Camp Kit Program (where we lend camping gear for free in the Ottawa area- so look there too before you buy!).

If You Liked This Trail

…you’ll probably also like:
–Le Sommet and Katimavik
–Mont Cascades
–Wolf Trail