national park

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – The summer tourist season, which began on May 30 for Forillon Park, is off to a good start, with overnight stays booked so far 23% higher than those recorded at the same time last year. 

More than 18,840 overnight stays have been booked since the reservation centre opened on February 5. 

“If you look at our popular ready-to-camp sites in July and August, they’re practically full. The same goes for our electric campsites,” notes Forillon Park manager, Mathieu Côté, Parks Canada’s Gaspésie Field Unit Director. There’s still room for unserviced sites. 

For those looking for ready-to-camp sites, there are still good dates available in June, September, and October. The season continues to stretch out. 

“We feel there are a few more reservations in June. We expect the tourist season to start fairly early, but it all depends on the weather. Those who want to come to Forillon should check the booking sites because they fill up quickly,” notes the manager. 

The new season brings its share of new developments, including a major conservation project for the first of Grande-Grave’s four heritage homes. Work began on the Joseph-Gavey House on May 12. 

“This is the beginning of the work. For safety reasons, there was a weakened barn. We had to hold discussions over the past few months with the group (Regroupement de personnes expropriées de Forillon) and the families involved. We had to deconstruct the barn and we committed to rebuilding it, keeping as much of the material as possible,” explains Mr. Côté. 

A dome will be placed over the house to protect it from the weather during the outdoor construction. Interior work will begin later this year. 

“It’s a complex project. There’s heritage, conservation, and visitor experience, because we’re making heritage accommodations. There’s also a relationship project with the community and the families. We want to commemorate the families who lived there,” explains Mr. Côté. 

In November 2022, the federal government announced nearly $9.8 million in support, focusing on four wooden heritage houses in the Grande-Grave area: those of Élias Gavey, Daniel Gavey, Joseph Gavey, and Charles Philipp Bartlett. 

Last year, work to finalize access roads to the houses and water research to drill a well for the houses was completed. 

The restoration and development project in the beaver pond area is nearing completion. The installation of furniture and the addition of interpretation and signage panels will complete the development of the three new trails in the area during the season. 

While these final steps are being finalized, visitors can enjoy the Le Pic-bois, Le Ruisseau, and Le Castor trails, which are now listed on the Forillon National Park map. 

“The trails will be inaugurated on July 19, but they are accessible. One of these trails connects the Visitor and Discovery Centre to the waterfall trail,” says the director. 

The asphalt on the old Route 132 has been removed. “We’re talking about six kilometres of road where we’ve removed culverts, restored waterways, and removed the asphalt. We’re in the final phase with the planting of 15,000 trees. We’ve also saved a kilometre of road,” notes the director. “In the context of a national park, leaving it as is was out of the question,” adds Mr. Côté. 

Several cultural and sporting events will also fill the park’s activities, including the inauguration of the trails on July 19; the Mawiomi, the pow-wow of the Micmac Nation of Gespeg, on August 9 in the North sector, near the reception and discovery centre; the sunrise show with Sara Curruchich on August 10 at Cap-Bon-Ami in partnership with the Festival Musique du Bout du Monde; and the Ultra Trail Forillon, a trail running event by Événements Gaspésia, which will return for a third year from September 19 to 21. 

Heritage sites including the Blanchette House, the Dolbel-Roberts House, and the Hyman & Sons General Store will come alive starting June 20. Food and sports concessions will gradually open between now and then. Over the past 15 years, more than $100 million has been invested in the park to bring it up to date.