Doncaster River – Redux

Description

Located a mere fifteen minutes from Ste. Adele, the Parc is a well maintained series of trails that follow the Doncaster river through a valley. While there are many trails to choose from, my favorite is the yellow trail that follows the river upstream from the main entrance. There are so many vantage points, and very interesting terrain from which to photograph and hike. Part of the forest here is boreal due to the high humidity from the river and the cold. Lots of lichen, evergreen trees and mushrooms to photograph in the fall. For a more detailed trail map click here.

Prints

Prints of images in this blog are, or can be made available, in my on-line gallery through Pictorem here. Pictorem is a professional printer who offer a variety of media including Canvas, Acrylic, Wood and Metal substrates for printing and most importantly a money back guarantee.

The park also includes a not too strenuous climb to a lookout (trail 9) with a lovely view of the Laurentians, especially nice in during fall foliage season. The park is accessible by car with plenty of parking, and bathroom facilities at the entrance. Alternatively you can reach the park by bike, since there is an entrance on the Petit Train du Nord. This was my fourth visit to the park, which I originally discovered on the advice of a local. Fall is my favorite season to visit, the river is flush and the fall canopy is just spectacular. My last visit was with the Lakeshore Camera Club, on one of our field trips. Everyone enjoyed the day, partly because the weather was perfect for photography.

History

I have not been able to track down a detailed history of the area, or the genealogy (who was Doncaster) of the rivers name. But there is evidence of industry, and I do know the area was used for logging back in the late 1800’s. I wonder if any of my readers can help?

What I can offer is the following snippet from Wikipedia, that in the township of Doncaster, QC (not the park itself but an area about 30 km east of Mont Tremblant) there is an area that belongs to the Mohawk First Nations. I am amazed about how little my education included the true origins of the first populations, the arrival of the Europeans, and what happened afterwards. For a really interesting read, click here. I am not sure if this is connected with the river or the park itself, perhaps the river was named after that town in England (given the English settlements in Quebec), leading to the name of the park.

Photography

The day was spent photographing the river and the fall foliage. Luckily the lighting was perfect (a very light layer of clouds), very little wind (meaning sharp leaves during long exposures), and very comfortable temperatures.