Quebec Hike: Mt Gosford

Mt Gosford is part of Quebec's small but nice slice of the White Mountains. The Mont Gosford ZEC is famous to us New Englanders as being a fine site for an approach of Boundary Peak but it is a great park in itself. The mountain is one of the tallest in southern Quebec.

Mont Gosford is actually part of the same White Mountains that make New Hampshire famous

In the far corner of northwestern Maine lies a curiously drawn border which has the appearance of teeth. The Quebec-Maine border is a spectacularly rugged region of the continent that must have been laborious to scout and place at some point. The border runs through many of the highest mountains in the state of Maine and the province of Quebec. It also mostly follows the watersheds of major rivers. I've always enjoyed traveling and hiking on the Border Mountains. Driving up from the Maine side, the mountains get steeper and less populous until you crest on the border, then you cross into the lowlands and farm lands of Quebec's eastern townships. In Maine, it seems like the further you travel North, the more sparsely populated the area gets but this is only until you cross the Quebec border and then you run into farm country and the suburbs of Quebec. However Quebec has one fine section of the mountains though Mt Gosford ZEC. 

The Mont Gosford area is famous in Quebec for its hunting and hiking opportunities and the residents of the area are every bit as rough and tumble as the Mainers on the other side of the border. Mt Gosford is well hiked but remains as a wilderness. The Sentiers Frontaliers Trail of Quebec takes advantage of old logging roads, trails and the boundary swath as a long distance hiking trail which includes many of the tallest summits of the area. I suppose you could consider it a Mini-Appalachian Trail for Quebec. (although, the International Appalachian Trail of Quebec is also a good long distance hike)

The trails of Mont Gosford are very well maintained

I did hike the Boundary Peak that remains unnamed as a quest to hike New England's 100 Highest Mountains. After this, I headed back towards Mt Gosford for a nice afternoon hike. It is just 4,9 km to the summit on a well-maintained path. The summit itself has a quintessentially alpine environment with open stone paths and a summit tower with panoramic views.

I was able to make it to the summit in just under 1.5 hours. It was a little steep in some sections but nothing that any New England hiker is not accustomed to. I would recommend buying a map or bringing a map as all the distances and signs are in French (obviously) and it can be confusing to those of us who know not a lick of the language!

Looking directly across the border in to Maine

The summit and summit tower

A thunderstorm rolled in and prevented me from spending too much time on the summit

Many trails left from the summit which invited long-distance backpackers and thru-hikers. I would have liked to spent more time in the area. Unfortunately I missed the nearby Mont Megantic National Park which is an isolated mondadnock not unlike the Grand Monadnock in New Hampshire. Also, it is a dark sky reserve, for those who are astronomy buffs. This part of Quebec has as much appeal to us outdoorsy types as does Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. I hope to return someday.

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