Fall Colours

Early fall colours as seen from the ski mountain

My wife and I are taking a 5-week leave from work this fall, spending the last three weeks of September in France, and then the first two weeks of October in Mont Tremblant.  I was describing the trip to a coworker...he was aghast that we'd come back to Canada for those last two weeks.  "Why not go to Italy or Spain?  You're already in Europe...why come back to Quebec of all places???"  My response: "Have you ever been to Mont Tremblant in the fall?"  He admitted that he hadn't, and that explains why he didn't understand.  The fall colours in Tremblant are nothing short of spectacular, and I'd rather forego another couple week in Europe than miss a season here.

I don't know that we've ever experienced true peak colours...we've either come up in early September (while Porter is still flying) and caught the onset of the vivid reds, or come at Canadian Thanksgiving for an extended long weekend when the colours are still bright but the trees are half-empty of their leaves.  Naturally the peak varies according to the prevailing weather, but generally it's the last week of September and the first week of October.  And this is no secret...during these prime weeks, the Montee Ryan is jammed with daytrippers from Montreal, heading up to catch a glimpse of the splendour.

So how best to enjoy the colours?  The most popular is to head to the ski village and take the gondola to the peak of Mont Tremblant.  Or if you're more adventurous, take one of the many hiking trails to the top and you can enjoy the foliage up close, get some exercise and truly earn your mountaintop beer. As I mentioned above, the ski village will be crowded but on the plus side, the restaurants, bars and shops will be brimming with life.  If you prefer a quieter experience, try Old Tremblant.  It's close by, and yields beautiful colours among the treed mountains that surround Lac Mercier.  You can also enjoy a wooded walk in either direction along the P'Tit Train du Nord that runs right through town.  And of course, there are several nice restaurants and bars in Old Tremblant including our favourite pub, Au Coin.

View from our balcony...some colours still hanging on in
mid-October

We would also recommend the Domaine St. Bernard.  It will be a popular spot as well, but not overrun like the ski village.  If you haven't been there before, you'll love the views of the Mont Tremblant mountain, and of course there are countless trails on the property to enjoy.  The bottom line is you'll be treated to amazing scenery everywhere you go in Tremblant during the fall colour season...you can literally point your camera anywhere and still take a nice shot.  Enjoy!

Oct 2017 Update
An unseasonably warm fall this year meant that when we arrived for the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, there were plenty of leaves still in the trees as a October 7-9.  Other years, the leaves are mostly down by this point, so it shows how variable the fall colour conditions can be.