Hi there
we are a family of six (2 adults and 2,6,9,13) going for a two week trip in May (starting May16).
We will be going from Ottawa to Parc jack Cartier for two nights, from there to Parc Bic for two nights, from there to Perce for two nights and Parc gaspesie for one night (all nights booked). Then we have two nights we havent booked (victoria day wknd) and then two nights booked at Parc Saugeni, one night in Parc Hautes Gorges and two nights in Quebec C.

we have two nights in the middle we havent booked, mainly because i am not sure which Ferry to cross with and where would be the best to stay.
i would love to hear any suggestions you have for places to see.
we LOVE nature and wildlife. dont like museums too much. mostly like to leave the car in the morning and come back after many many hours exploring the outdoors.

thx for any suggestions

Keren

May is early. Some parks might not be fully operational with some snowy or muddy trails. I remember turning back in Gaspésie park at the end of may because I had snow up to my waist. But I doubt you'll be hiking those kinds of trails with young kids.

That said, I highly recommend Forillon park in Gaspésie. It's small with a good variety of wildlife. You can also visit the tallest lighthouse in Canada.

In Gaspésie park, the "Lac aux Américains" trail is very easy with spectacular scenery. It looks best in the evening. The next morning, hike mont Ernest-Laforce for a 360° view of the park and the early light over Mont Albert. It's also a good spot for Moose. The trail is only marginally more difficult than Lac aux Américains.

As for ferries, I'd take Trois-pistoles to Les Escoumins.

I think you may have booked things a bit too fast. I usually recommend doing the north shore slowly, then Gaspésie clockwise and finish on the south shore. That's because the north shore (Charlevoix, Saguenay and North Coast regions) and Gaspésie is where the big nature is. Gaspésie is a good climax. The south shore west of Bic park isn't as interesting and has a fast freeway so it's possible to drive from anywhere in Gaspésie to Quebec City or Montreal in a single day.

Hi - I visited the Gaspe last June and can tell you some of the things we enjoyed. You don't mention Forillon National Park and if you like nature and wildlife there is excellent scenery and hiking in this park - enough for one to 2 days. We stayed in the nearby town of Gaspe while exploring this area. Another comment which you likely already know - I believe temperatures may still be rather cool in this region in mid May, and the tourist season will likely not be fully underway. Perce very much caters to tourists. The Rock can be seen in a very short amount of time but there are boat excursions to see ocean wildlife and bird colonies on Bonaventure Island offshore.
I am not familiar with Parc Jacques Cartier. We did not have time to explore much of Parc du Bic, but it appeared to be very scenic from the perimeter. We enjoyed a day at Parc Gaspesie and probably could have spent more time there as there are many nature trails and hikes.
There is a famous Botanical Garden near Rimouski called the Grand Metis Gardens which we also did not have time for. This is something to beware of - the drives around the Gaspe were longer than we had planned for (partly because there were many detours and closures due to road construction which you may not experience). You mention Parc Saguenay but there is a Saguenay Fjord Park and a Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. You might want to take the time to visit the Marine Park and maybe the Tadoussac area.

thanks both
i know it is VERY early, but this was the only time we could take off. hopefully with this early spring it won't be too bad...
Erik_L - i wanted to take Trois-pistoles to Les Escoumins but it is not operational yet. what would be second best?
thx
Keren

Matane > Godbout is a long and boring boat ride but you'll have a taste of the rugged North Coast when drive west towards Baie-Comeau. Don't cross to Baie-Comeau because it's basically the same ride without a hint of the rugged coast.

Rimouski > Forestville is a fast ride: http://www.traversier.com/

Since you'll have driven on the south shore already and finish the Gaspésie part near Ste-Anne-des-monts, I'd go with Matane > Godbout.

As to where to spend your extra two nights, I'd look around Tadoussac for the first and somewhere on the Saguenay river (Ste-Rose-du-Nord or http://www.capjaseux.com/-Home-.html comes to mind) or Lac St-Jean for the second. There's a big zoo in St-Félicien: http://www.borealie.org/index_hiver_en.php