Ange and her family walk the Grande Plée Bleue and enjoy Bleu Citron dishes

It looks like a color theme, but it’s an adon! June always signals that summer vacation is just around the corner! The end-of-school frenzy is upon us, and every beautiful weekend day is an opportunity to go on a mini-getaway in our region, so as not to miss a single minute of beautiful outdoor weather!

Spending time in nature is always a time of discovery and relaxation for us. However, the older the children get, the more we have to revisit our classics (“simple” forest hikes being a little less popular than when they were younger), but when we suggested they discover a little paradise teeming with carnivorous plants, it was enough to pique their curiosity and make them want to explore the Grande Plée Bleue.

A magnificent ecological reserve on a 15-square-kilometre peat bog, one of the largest wetlands in eastern Quebec. We’re lucky to be able to transport ourselves to a place full of ponds and sphagnum moss, which we wouldn’t be able to discover if it weren’t landscaped and crossed by a long boardwalk – designed for researchers, allowing us to turn it into an interpretation trail of rare flora and fauna.

With more than a hundred different varieties of plant, our eyes didn’t know where to rest. The children were particularly interested in the carnivorous plants, including the abundant Sarracenia purpurea. Its red bell-shaped flower at the end of a long stem stands out in the landscape, and it’s its closed leaf that traps insects and small invertebrates for a meal. In fact, we were lucky enough to observe one closing up before our very eyes (bye little dragonfly)!

It’s also a great place for birdwatchers (who provided us with an incredible soundtrack throughout our visit), reptiles and amphibians. It’s well worth taking a look at their site to see the bog’s immense biodiversity.

Since the summer of 2024, self-guided tours have been offered on Saturdays and Sundays. We move at our own pace, and interpretive guides wander along the trail, so we can ask them any questions we may have. Guided tours are also available by reservation on weekdays. We really enjoyed discovering this unique environment, and the 4-kilometre round trip was accessible to all.