Vallée du Parc
Vallee du Parc is a 2-hour drive from Sherbrooke, and just under 2 hours from Montreal, heading towards Trois-Rivieres along Autoroute 40, and Autoroute 55 to Shawinigan. The mountain is located roughly about 6 kilometres from the Autoroute and is quite easy to get to. Once you arrive at the mountain you will find 33 trails, and glades with 5 lifts, 2 quad chairs, 1 t-bar, 1 Magic Carpet, and 1 rope tow. There are 2 snow parks, one set up for novices, and another for the more experienced rider. Night skiing is also offered. At Vallee du Parc the ticket counter, and the ski shop are in their own separate buildings apart from the Main Chalet. There is a ski school, and adapted snow sports program, EV parking and charging stations, and snow tubing. There is also a 2,2-kilometer alpine luge trail that is available on weekends, and holidays day or night, where reservations are strongly recommended.
The Mountain and the Ski Trails
At Vallee du Parc there is a good variety of trails for the beginner to the expert. The Easy and Intermediate level trails are served by the l'Envolee fixed-grip Quad chair. The Cap Breton and the Mauricie trails are nice easy beginner trails to start the day with. There is a snow park located on the Cap Breton trail for the novice rail rider and jumper. A good Intermediate combo run in this sector would be from the top of the l'Envolee Quad on the Buffalo, and then onto Prince Albert. Other intermediate trails are Prince Edouard, Forillon, and la Veille Forges. There are some intermediate glades such as Fee des Neiges, and Elk. The expert trails are served by the l'Expert Quad chair. There are no beginner or intermediate trails in this area. They are all expert trails. There is a snowpark located under the Quad chair on the l'Expert trail with bigger rails, bumps, and modules for the more experienced rider. The Fundy, Jasper, Waber, and Matteau are some of the really nice expert trails in this sector. There are a few expert glades here such as the Rocheuse, Haut-Bois, and the Yeti.
Unique Features
One of the unique features at Vallee du Parc is the mid-station unloading area on the l'Envollee Quad. This is where if you want to ski the lower two-thirds of the mountain or the glades, you can with ease. In the l'Expert section, you can see a little piece of yesteryear where the top terminal of an old T-bar can found with a tower, and the return bullwheel still standing. Vallee du Parc also features an alpine luge trail accessible from the top of the l'Envolee Quad that would be available by reservation on weekends and holidays.
Why visit Vallée du Parc?
If you are looking for a mountain with a good variety of trails, and glades at different levels of difficulty, Vallee du Parc has just that. Here you have that family mountain feeling without breaking the bank. The lift infrastructure is fairly recent, reliable, and comfortable. The chalet has plenty of room to go in to have a break or a bite to eat, or you can sit outside around the fire pit to warm up. The mountain is very easy to get to from the autoroute, and is close by to the town of Shawinigan should you want to dine, find a place to stay over, gas up, or grab a snack for the ride home.
