La Flambee des Couleurs

Today is our last full day in Canada and what better way to acknowledge our excellent adventure in Canada then to go climb a mountain. Magog, where we are staying, and Orford, the adjoining town, are a sort of resort area and are located adjacent to the Par National du Mont-Orford, a provincial park of Quebec. 

We kind of got a late start and didn't arrive in the park until noon. We stopped at the Visitor Center to find out about trails and were directed to an intermediate trail, 11 km in length, called Mount-Chauve. Mount-Chauve is one of the three mountains in the park, but not the tallest one. This trail did take us to the top, at nearly 600 meters high (about 2 thousand feet), where the peak was bare.

Driving through the park to the trailhead we passed several lakes. The air was very hazy, but the colors shown through.

For the first kilometer the path follows a bike trail. Look at that gorgeous yellow/orange tree above Frederick.

As we ascended the mountain, there were a number of viewpoints.

You can see that the air is still quite hazy.

The colors up close are dramatic; I'm afraid the distant trees suffer from the haze.

I thought this rock, with a top-knot of ferns, was charming. Tall tree trunks with the tops of the trees trying to reach the sun. 

Higher and higher we go.

A view to the east.

That's a farm in the middle of the picture.

Almost to the top.

We made it! And time to eat our lunch; it was about 3  pm.

There were 360 degree views.

There was a sort of viewing platform at the top.

Still hazy to the west.

The north.

The south.

Nice red tree to cheer us on the way down.

The shelter at the trailhead. The Park is celebrating the fall season.

One final view at Park Orford with the sun shining on the fall colors of Canada.