La Mauricie National Park Car Service: Chauffeured Day Trips from Montréal and Québec City

A La Mauricie National Park car service solves the one real problem with this park: it is a long way from any airport, the best scenery is spread along a 63 km Parkway, and the day works far better when somebody else is driving and you can look out of the window. Parks Canada places the park north of Trois-Rivières, about two hours from both Montréal and Québec City. From Montréal-Trudeau (YUL) it is roughly 190 km to the Saint-Jean-des-Piles entrance, and a chauffeured sedan for that run is priced at $895–$1,070 before tax.

This guide is written for travellers who are about to book a La Mauricie National Park day trip or a transfer to a cabin or oTENTik inside the park. Every date, distance and fee comes from the Parks Canada pages for the park, read in early October 2026.

Is La Mauricie National Park worth a chauffeured day trip from Montréal?

The park is almost entirely forest. Parks Canada's nature pages put forest cover at 93 percent of the park, with about 150 lakes, wetlands, and rivers that drop over waterfalls. Brook trout and white pine are the species the park highlights, and a wood turtle appears in its photography. There are more than 110 km of hiking trails, 55 km of gravel trails suitable for hybrid and mountain bikes, and a 63 km road cycling route that follows the Parkway.

What makes the chauffeured version attractive is geometry. The two main entrances are 64 km apart inside the park by the Parkway and 41 km apart outside it by Highway 55 and local roads. A driver can bring you in by one gate and collect you at the other, so you walk, paddle or cycle a one-way route rather than doubling back to a car park. That is the single biggest advantage over driving yourself.

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When to go: the 2026 Parkway calendar and the seasons

The park is open by sector, and the dates change every year, so read the official schedule before you fix a day. The Parks Canada hours page for 2026 gives these figures for the Parkway:

• 28 May to 12 October 2026: the Parkway is open from km 0 to km 63, the full length.
• 13 to 25 October 2026: open from km 0 to km 8 only.
• 26 October 2026 to 27 May 2027: open from km 0 to km 6 only.

The Saint-Jean-des-Piles and Saint-Gérard entrances stay open all year. Saint-Mathieu is a seasonal entrance and, for 2026, runs from 28 May to 12 October. The summer season for staffed services runs from 14 May to 25 October 2026, with the gateway staffed from 9 am to 4:30 pm and automated payment terminals available at all hours. Winter services run from 17 December 2026 to 28 March 2027. In the low seasons, from 26 October to 16 December and from 29 March to 12 May, facilities are closed and overnight stays are not possible, but day visitors may enter from sunrise to 10 pm.

In practical terms, July and August are warmest and busiest, with swimming at the picnic areas, while September to early October is the autumn colour window with the full Parkway open. If you are reading this after 12 October, treat the full Parkway drive as a spring 2027 plan and use the shorter open section for a quiet autumn walk.

La Mauricie National Park limo from Montréal-Trudeau (YUL)

Most readers start from Montréal-Trudeau airport, a downtown hotel or Montréal Central Station. Parks Canada's own itineraries describe the Rivière-à-la-Pêche area as 190 km from Montréal, and a routing check from YUL to the Saint-Jean-des-Piles gate measures about 193 km. Allow two to two and a half hours, longer in heavy traffic on Highway 40 or Highway 55.

These figures use the per-kilometre transfer rates on the rates page and exclude tax, gratuity and any tolls. Six people sharing an SUV pay about $190 to $225 each. For the Saint-Mathieu gate the distance from YUL is about 174 km, which brings the sedan range to $810–$965.

If the car stays with you for the day, hourly rates apply instead: $135–$165 per hour for a sedan (two-hour minimum) and $175–$210 per hour for an SUV. The online booker returns the exact all-in fare for your address and waiting time.

Flight tracking is included, so a late arrival at YUL moves the pickup with it. On international arrivals the first 60 minutes of waiting after landing are free; on domestic arrivals it is 30 minutes.

Québec City to La Mauricie by black car

From Québec City Jean Lesage airport (YQB), the nearer gate is Saint-Mathieu, reached from Highway 55 exit 217. A routing check gives about 165 km and a drive of around two hours to two and a half hours, which matches Parks Canada's statement that the park is about two hours from either city. If you start at the Gare du Palais instead, enter that address and the booker prices the run from there.

Because Saint-Mathieu closes for the season after 12 October in 2026, a late-autumn run from Québec City should be routed to Saint-Jean-des-Piles instead, or to Saint-Gérard, which is open all year but does not give access to the Parkway. If you are unsure which gate is open on your date, check the Parks Canada hours of operation page and enter the gate you want in the booker.

Which entrance to use: Saint-Jean-des-Piles, Saint-Mathieu or Saint-Gérard

Parks Canada lists three entrances, and choosing the right one is the difference between a smooth day and a long detour.

• Saint-Jean-des-Piles: Highway 55 exit 226, then the Chemin du Parc-National. This is the entrance for the Parkway in winter and the one for the Rivière-à-la-Pêche service centre, and the oTENTik camping area. The park lists GPS coordinates of 46.72687708, -72.76751985.
• Saint-Mathieu: Highway 55 exit 217 and the village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc. Seasonal, May to October, and the better start if you are coming from Québec City or Trois-Rivières. It puts you at the southern end of the Parkway.
• Saint-Gérard: Highway 55 exit 217, then left on route 351 toward the Saint-Gérard sector. It has no access to the Parkway, but it has an automated pay station, so you no longer need to buy a day pass at another gate and then drive back to Saint-Gérard.

For a one-way hike or paddle, the Parkway is the link between the two main gates. Tell us at booking where to start and where to be collected.

A practical itinerary along the Parkway

Parks Canada's own three-day itinerary for the park gives a useful skeleton. Adapted for one day with a chauffeur, it runs like this:

1. Early morning, Saint-Jean-des-Piles. Arrive by about 9 am, when the staffed gateway opens. Pay at the gate or at the automated terminals, which work at all hours.
2. Lac Édouard picnic area. The park describes a sandy beach, canoe rentals, a children's playground, mini soccer nets and a volleyball court. In 2026 the Lac Édouard and Shewenegan picnic areas offer rentals from 8 September to 12 October. It is the easiest place to get on the water.
3. Wapizagonke Lake. Paddle across to the Vide-Bouteille beach, where red chairs are placed for quiet viewing. The Wapizagonke picnic area has boat rentals over the same autumn dates.
4. Île-aux-Pins lookout. A Parkway stop with a view over Wapizagonke Lake.
5. Esker picnic area. Small beaches, a dock and a short trail with orchids and carnivorous plants.
6. The Cascades. Swirling water and a beach.
7. Hike option: Lac-Solitaire. The park's itinerary recommends this trail from the Rivière-à-la-Pêche base for its views.

One closure to note: the park's current notice says the "M" bridge at the Shewenegan picnic area, and the section beneath it, is closed for safety until further notice. Do not plan a photo stop on that structure.

Cyclists should know the 63 km Parkway road route has hills and slopes. If bikes are part of the plan, mention them when you book so the right vehicle is assigned.

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Where a car can and cannot stop: gates, payment, parking

Daily admission is charged per person or per vehicle group, and the Parks Canada fees page shows an adult at $10.00 in the regular season and $7.25 in the low season, seniors at $8.75 and $6.25, and a family or group of up to seven people in one vehicle at $19.50 or $15.00. Youth 17 and under are free. The adult Discovery Pass, valid year-round, is $83.50. These park fees are separate from our fare, and you pay them at the gate or at an automated terminal.

The park lists parking, bus parking and an electric vehicle charging station among its services, plus washrooms, showers and changing rooms. Dogs are permitted on a leash. Stop only in marked lots, keep the Parkway clear for cyclists, and expect the main lots at Lac Édouard and Shewenegan to fill on summer weekends.

A chauffeur will normally drop you at the trailhead, then park in a signed lot or return at an agreed time. If you plan a full-day hike with no fixed finish, agree a collection window and a fallback point before you set off, so nobody has to rely on a phone signal later.

Combining La Mauricie with Trois-Rivières, Mont-Tremblant or Québec City

Because the park lies halfway along the Montréal to Québec City corridor, it combines naturally with other stops:

• Trois-Rivières and the Forges du Saint-Maurice National Historic Site. Parks Canada's itinerary places the site 55 km from the Shewenegan picnic area. It shows everyday life in an early industrial community and fits a second-half-of-the-day stop on the way back to Highway 40.
• Mont-Tremblant. A different mountain and mood, covered in our Mont-Tremblant village guide. Do not combine the two in one day.
• Québec City. If you are staying in the old city, read our Québec City weekend guide and use La Mauricie as the nature day in the middle of the stay.
• Gaspésie. Travellers heading east to the Gaspé Peninsula can read our Forillon National Park guide for what that much longer journey involves.

Travelling with children, large groups or mobility needs

A family of four with luggage needs the Luxury SUV rather than the sedan, which seats three passengers. Child seats cost nothing when requested at booking. Groups of up to fourteen are better in an Executive Sprinter. Larger groups can use the fleet options for a mini-coach, which is quoted hourly.

The park publishes accessible services and accessible facilities, with details on a separate accessibility page, and offers first aid on site. Washrooms and showers are available at the main picnic areas. Heritage accommodation includes the W8banaki and Andrew lodges and Saint-Jean-des-Piles cabins, which are open from 15 May to 25 October in 2026 and again in winter from 18 December. If anyone in your party uses a wheelchair or has limited mobility, tell us which picnic area you plan to use so the drop-off point is the closest one with a level approach.

What to wear in La Mauricie

The park is forest, water and hills, so conditions can differ from the city you left. Bring layers in every season, a rain shell, closed footwear and insect repellent from late spring to early autumn. In September and October, expect cool mornings at the lakes even when the afternoon is mild. In winter the Parkway is a ski trail, with only a short section open to cars from Saint-Jean-des-Piles, and a chauffeur can take you to that end only.

Check the Parks Canada operating page on the morning of travel, since sectors close gradually.

Honest alternatives: shuttle, rental car, tour

The cheapest way to reach La Mauricie is not always a private car. Parks Canada states that the Navette Nature shuttle runs to the park from Montréal and Québec City, which suits a solo traveller or a couple on a budget. Check its current schedule and fares with the operator.

If the shuttle's timetable fits and you travel light, take it. The chauffeured car wins when you land late, travel with children or bags, want a one-way route between gates, or share the fare across a group.

Book your La Mauricie National Park chauffeur

Choose the pickup, the park gate and the date on LimousineCanada.ca and the booker shows the all-in fare for that exact route. Cancelling more than 72 hours ahead costs nothing. Within 72 hours the charge is 10 percent, within 48 hours it is 50 percent, and within 24 hours, or for a no-show, it is 100 percent, all counted from the scheduled pickup time.

A name-board meet-and-greet inside the arrivals hall costs $100–$150 extra. Arrival pickups are described on the airport limo service page, and private aviation at YUL covers arrivals by jet.