Dive into a summer escape in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec! Discover a vibrant mountain paradise offering thrilling adventures, from treetop walks and ziplines to water sports and hiking. Find your perfect family retreat with a guide to top attractions, hidden gems, and the best places to stay.
If your perfect summer retreat involves sun-soaked days, mountain adventures, lake swims, and postcard-perfect landscapes, might I introduce you to summer in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec?
Tremblant Resort might come across as a winter destination, with its world-class ski hills and picturesque alpine village, but this place isn’t just a one-season wonder. Tremblant might be the face of this region (and with good reason), but this vast area, about an hour and a half north of Montreal, was one of the most amazing destinations on my family’s summer road trip this year.
I’ve visited the ski hills (and enjoyed dog sledding and tubing, as well as beautiful lodges) during winter in Tremblant, but we came back to experience the kind of activities the resort and the surrounding Mont-Tremblant region have to offer during the summer months. To say that we were blown away is putting it mildly.
So if you’re looking for a Canadian family vacation destination that combines adventure, culture, and a lot of beautiful scenery, here’s a summer vacation guide to Mont-Tremblant that you won’t want to miss.
Why Choose Summer In Mont-Tremblant?
When most people think of Mont-Tremblant, their minds immediately jump to the Tremblant resort. Ski hills, apres-ski cocktails, and loads of winter family fun. But the region of Mont-Tremblant, in which Tremblant Resort lies, is actually much larger and offers so much more than Tremblant Resort on its own.
Settled in the beautiful Laurentian Mountains, Mont-Tremblant is packed with idyllic small towns drenched in greenery and lying under a blanket of blue skies. Honestly, if I were to move to Quebec (and I’ve traveled throughout most of it), I’d probably move to the Laurentians.
This place is an outdoor-lovers paradise. If you love adventure, fresh air, fishing, hiking, biking, lakes, rivers, and water sports, you never have to look very far to find them. And the region pairs these epic activities with plenty of pampering: spas, excellent restaurants, breweries, and gorgeous mountain villages.
Summer Activities at Tremblant Resort
Let’s face it, Tremblant Resort is the center of the action in Mont-Tremblant. It’s where I usually stay when I’m in the region (shoutout to my regular home base, Lodge de la Montagne). Sure, you may know Tremblant as a ski resort, but during the summer, this place is hopping with concerts and events, great hiking, and of course, a plethora of incredible restaurants.
Here are a few of my favorite things to do during summer at Tremblant Resort.
Tonga Lumina
Tonga Lumina is one of the most sought-after activities in the Tremblant resort. The event, similar to other Lumina events we’ve experienced in Kingston, Ontario, and Sherbrooke, Quebec, is a sensory and immersive show that takes visitors on an illuminated trail to find the Trembling Mountain’s ancestral giant.
The event begins with a chairlift ride up the mountain, followed by a 1.5-kilometer trail through the illuminated forest, which weaves across streams, gullies, and clearings. The event brings the forest to life around you, and if you’ve never done a Lumina experience before, it’s truly a magical event.
The entire experience lasts approximately 1-2 hours, depending on your walking pace. The route weaves down the mountain rather than up or across it, so it’s quite an easy stroll.
Mountain Luge
If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, the Mountain Luge is an activity that you won’t want to miss. This gravity-fueled adventure puts you in a go-kart, toboggan hybrid and launches you down Mont-Tremblant on a gravity-fueled 1.4 km paved downhill track.
I did a similar (although far less safety-focused) experience near Almaty, Kazakhstan, a few years ago, and this was much more family-friendly, but still exciting. The route takes twists and turns down the ski hill that we had to navigate with a unique steering and braking system that kept us from getting into trouble (although the boys and I did our best).
Hiking
If you love hiking as much as I do, Tremblant Resort is an amazing place to get out on the trails. During the winter, this mountain is blanketed with snow, but during the summer, those ski trails are transformed into epic hiking routes that can take you up or down the mountain (or both if you’re looking for a challenge).
Hikers can choose to take a chairlift or gondola ride to the top of Tremblant to take in the views from the observation tower, or hike from the bottom and enjoy the views on a scenic descent.
Quebec’s Longest Zipline
Located right in Tremblant Resort, Ziptrek Ecotours offers an experience that takes adventurers on a wild ride down the mountain. Through a series of five ziplines that include the longest zipline in Quebec
Two of the five ziplines are over 1 km in length, even longer than the one that my family took on our Via Ferrata adventure in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts. And as a unique, family-friendly add, they all offer side-by-side zipping so you can enjoy the experience together.
Things To Do In Greater Mont-Tremblant During The Summer
Tremblant Resort is great, but the region of Mont-Tremblant extends far beyond the borders of this iconic resort. If you truly want to experience the region (and some of my absolute favorite things to do in Mont-Tremblant), you have to step outside the resort and dive into the local culture and small businesses that make it one of my favorite places to visit in Quebec.
Here are a few of my favorite activities in Mont-Tremblant that lie outside of Tremblant Resort (although you can still book some of these through the resort if you’re staying within the resort).
Tyroparc Via Ferrata and Zipline
I did my very first Via Ferrata just a few months ago when I was searching for adventurous activities near Quebec City. I loved it, and I knew that my kids would too. So the very first thing that we did when we arrived in the Laurentians was head to the town of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, about an hour from Tremblant Resort, and check out Tyroparc.
This epic via ferrata and zipline activity took us up Mont Catherine on a series of rungs, ladders, and cables. We navigated up and across the cliff faces in a thrilling outdoor experience that was every bit as awesome as I had hoped. The adventure came to a head with a dual zipline experience that included Canada’s third-longest zipline.
If you’re curious about Via Ferrata or would like to know what the Tyroparc experience is like, check out my story about our experience.
Fly Fishing
This was the summer of sharing some of my new favorite activities with my family. In June, my friend Chris and I embarked on a fly-fishing adventure in Calgary, Alberta. I had never gone fly fishing before, and it completely changed my view of fishing.
We booked a fly fishing experience through the resort and were paired with an expert instructor at Recoin du Moucheur on the banks of the La Diable River. Over an hour, our guide taught us the ins and outs of fly fishing on land before taking us onto the river for some hands-on angling.
It was a blast, even Christina was having a great time, and she’s rarely one to pick up a rod. We ended up catching a few chubb each, and we all left with a new passion.
A Flying Circus Like No Other
My family’s final night in the Laurentians was truly something special. We made the short drive to the town of Mont-Blanc, about 20 minutes from Tremblant Resort. Our goal wasn’t the town itself, but rather a massive outdoor playground just on its doorstep.
Sentier des cimes is a former hunting and fishing reserve that has been transformed into an eco-reserve. Part of its transformation has been the launch of a unique treetop walk experience. This universally accessible pathway gave us the chance to skim the treetops while the boys tackled obstacle courses and clever squirrel playgrounds.
The treetop walk is amazing, but the highlight of Sentier des cimes is a 40-meter-tall observation tower topped with a mesh trampoline. Now, this alone makes it one of the best things to do in Mont-Tremblant. But on Sundays during the summer, the observation tower is the location for a one-of-a-kind circus show.
The Là-Haut circus involves acrobatics, slack lines, and aerial silk acts, and it’s absolutely phenomenal. The most incredible thing is that, unlike other circus shows, where you’re stuck in a seat, at Là-Haut, you can wander throughout the tower to get views from anywhere.
Parc national du Mont-Tremblant
If you want to take your outdoor summer activities in Mont-Tremblant to another level, look no further than Parc National du Mont-Tremblant. This massive 1,510 square-kilometer provincial park features an extensive network of year-round trails, including hiking and mountain biking trails.
The park offers everything from casual strolls to extensive multi-day treks passing many of Mont-Tremblant’s most picturesque rivers and lakes. The park also features its very own Via Ferrata experience.
Scandinavian Spa Experience
A weekend of adventurous activities in Mont-Tremblant deserves a little relaxation. The Scandinave Spa Mont-Tremblant is THE place to relax in the region. Located in the Laurentian Forest, just five minutes from the main resort, this Mont-Tremblant spa offers a thermal journey where guests can immerse themselves in hot baths, saunas, and cold plunges. There’s also an option to take a dip in the La Diable River itself.
Summer Weather In Mont-Tremblant
During summer in Mont-Tremblant, the weather makes a dramatic transformation from blustering snowy days to warm weather, green mountains, and blue skies. Summer weather in Mont-Tremblant is generally warm, paired with a nice summer breeze.
As with any destination, the region can experience a variety of cooler and rainy days and even a few thunderstorms, but Mont-Tremblant’s weather is typically very forgiving. Always pack for a “thermal journey” with a combination of sweaters and pants, along with shorts and t-shirts, and a rain jacket just in case.
Tips For Experiencing Summer in Mont-Tremblant
Like any destination, it’s good to arrive in Mont-Tremblant prepared. Whether you’re spending your time relaxing at Tremblant Resort or taking on some of the exciting activities in the Mont-Tremblant region, here are a few tips from an experienced traveler.
- Plan to spend at least a weekend, if not a week, in Tremblant to take advantage of the many things to do at the resort and throughout the surrounding region.
- Prepare for a range of weather. It’s typically warm in Mont-Tremblant during the summer, but some activities, such as the Tonga Lumina show and the Scandinave Spa, operate “rain or shine.”
- Tremblant Resort is awesome, but take some time to experience the wider Mont-Tremblant region to get a taste for the wide variety of outdoor adventures, including whitewater rafting and horseback riding.
- Take advantage of combo packages from the resort, such as the “Zip & Dip,” which combines ziplining with a Scandinavian Spa visit.
- Rent a canoe at one of the nine rental centers within Parc National de Mont-Tremblant to explore the national park’s many lakes and rivers.
Where To Stay In Mont-Tremblant
When my family visits Mont-Tremblant, we often stay at the Lodge de la Montagne right in Tremblant Resort. It’s central to most of the resort’s activities and offers easy access to the many Mont-Tremblant activities that we love to take part in. But it’s far from the only property worth considering.
Here are a few great places to stay in Mont-Tremblant, both on and off the resort.
Fairmont Tremblant
Fairmont properties have always been a hit for my family. Our experiences at Quebec properties like the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie and Le Château Montebello in Montebello, Quebec, have all been unforgettable.
The Fairmont Tremblant offers a great choice for a family getaway during the summer. It sits right in the heart of Tremblant’s pedestrian village and features a number of on-site restaurants and bars. The licensed outdoor pools are a hit and are some of the best pools on the entire property. It’s also pet-friendly (although there’s an extra fee for your furry friend).
You can find their current rates and availability here.
Les Chalets Sauvignon
Located just outside Tremblant Village near the shores of Lac Tremblant, Les Chalet Sauvignon offers a small-home-style stay that includes a fully-equipped kitchen, dining area, and outdoor furniture. All the rooms have mountain views and include free parking and a complimentary shuttle to the resort.
You can find their current rates and availability here.
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