Sutton Park
The Sutton mountain range is part of a reserve called the Green Mountain Natural Reserve. The reserve itself is of national importance because it holds one of the last un-fragmented pieces of wilderness in Southern Quebec and because it is a part of the Appalachian Mountain range. This reserve was only started with the help of a group called the Appalachian Corridor. They allowed the Nature Conservancy of Canada to buy up the land that makes up the Sutton Mountain range. After the conservancy had been started up, numerous other groups including the Canadian Government contributed generously to ensure that the entire surrounding area was protected. The last addition of land was made in 2004. The Road to the Esterie Inc. has been a large factor in making all of the various trails within the park after the land was acquired as a reserve. Their mission is to promote walking by installing and grooming mountainous trails in the eastern townships of Quebec and the group has done quite a bit to install and maintain trails on Mount Sutton.
Hiking paths include four different mountain peaks each with their own mountain lake. The highest, Round Top (968 meters), Mount Gagnon (855 meters), Dos d’Orignal (810 meters) and Abenaki (732 meters). Round Top is the most popular of the four summits and offers a breathtaking view of the Green Mountains. Check out the Abenaki summit for a trail less traveled and explore the beautiful Lake Mohawk. Also, nestled between the peaks of Round Top and Mount Gagnon is Spruce Lake which is a very nice place to rest and snack.
There are many different trails to try out in the area, distances vary from two to twenty kilometers. This is a great park to visit for beginner and experienced hikers because there are all different levels of difficulty on the trails. In total there is over 50 kilometers of marked paths for hiking and snowshoeing. Before leaving on your hike, make sure to pick up a Sutton Mountains Hiking Guide. All of the trails and paths will be laid out in this guide along with the locations where tickets can be bought to enter the trails. The park also welcome dogs on most of the parks trails, so if you’d like to bring your four-legged companion along on your hike, this would be the place to do it.
There are two different cabin sites open to visitors June through October. For groups of up to twenty people, there is a large refuge available. The refuge includes bathrooms and bunk beds. Tents are available for rent right at the park and there are even wooden camping platforms to set them up on. All accommodations are located at the summit of Mount Sutton.
Visiting the park will be a great adventure. There are numerous intersections in the trail system. However, the trails are very well identified with tags on the trees. Staying overnight is always an option with the comfortable accommodations that have been arranged on the summit. There is much to explore and it is the hikers dream to have access to such a wide variety of trails. Pick up a trail map to avoid any confusion with the many intersections that you will come across during your hike. The organization of the park and the trails is all thanks to the Green Mountain Natural Reserve and The Road to the Esterie Inc. Happy trails and good discovery!
