Watch seals from the shore

For families interested in taking a road trip to Parc National du Bic, this page provides some tips on how to prepare for your seal watching experience, as well as information relating to nearby accommodations. Covid-related updates are also provided. For dog owners, this page also provides some useful information regarding dog accessibility within the park.

Bas-Saint-Laurent. Parc National du Bic is approximately a 5 1/2 hour drive from Montreal.

This activity was part of our 3-Day Road Trip in Bas-Saint-Laurent designed for families interested in unique travel experiences.

Covid Update (taken from Sepaq website):

Before your visit to Parc National du Bic, you are required to purchase your daily access ticket online. For holders of the Annual Québec National Parks Card or an annual card for a particular park, you do not need to register online, but it's recommended that you arrive early. As of Sept 9 2020 (date we last checked the site), only nautical activities (with a personal watercraft only), hiking, biking, and day fishing are permitted. All other activities are suspended until further notice.

Conditions surrounding covid and safety are liable to change so for more updated info regarding available activities and the health and safety measures put into place, visit Parc National du Bic's official website.

Located in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Parc national du Bic proudly showcases the capes, bays, coves, islands, and mountains which has made it a popular destination. Its breathtaking sunsets are considered to be one of the world's finest.

In the summer and early fall, seal watching is one of the park’s major attractions. The harbour seal, also the park’s animal emblem, stays in the estuary year-round, while the grey seal arrives in about mid-July. The opportunity to watch the seals from the shore makes the experience accessible to everyone.

Seal watching at Parc National du Bic is on our travel bucket list and we were able to spot some seals - the park's emblem animal - from the shore as part of our trip to the region of Bas-Saint-Laurent.

Parc National du Bic is perfect for families interested in nature, camping, and wildlife, as well as families who have an appreciation for scenic views and natural landscapes. Young kids in particular will enjoy walking around, investigating, and playing on the park's sandy shores. We arrived at the park in the later afternoon and could only stay a few hours before heading out to our "tiny house" at Domaine Floravie. Although our time spent at the park was limited, we basked (kids included) in its beauty. It's almost as if spending time at the park had a lulling effect on the kids. We were also able to spot some seals albeit at a different location from where we first anticipated. All in all, we plan to one day camp at this park with our travel trailer in tow for a chance to experience its numerous trails, gorgeous sites, and wildlife.

1. Be sure to dress for the weather. When we visited in late August, it was a tad on the chilly side. When I was checking the weather while packing for our trip, I noticed the temperature tended to be colder in the region of Bas-Saint-Laurent than in Montreal. This slight temperature change is something to keep in mind when visiting the region if you want to dress comfortably.

2. Bring binoculars or a camera/camcorder with a significant zoom if you want a closer look at the seals. We forgot to bring our kids' binoculars but a nice lady at the park offered hers so the kids could take a closer look.

3. Respect the signs around the seals. The signs mark the nearest spot you can approach the seals without scaring them off. If you come any closer, the seals in fear may leave which will interfere with their ability to nurse their pups and thereby disrupting important life cycle stages. You can watch the seals, take photos, but do respect their space.

4. Get to know the park's map and hiking trails. There are two locations where you can find the seals depending on the time of day (from half tide to high tide at Pointe Aux Épinettes and at Cap Caribou during low tide). We were advised by the park attendant to visit the Pointe Aux Épinettes area when we arrived around 3:30 pm to catch the park warden-naturalist and the seals. The seals, however, at this point hadn't made it to this area of the park yet. We spent some time there, nonetheless, enjoying the gorgeous view, the shore, and ultimately decided to visit the other area - Cap Caribou - where we finally spotted the seals. Unlike the short walk to Pointe Aux Épinettes from the parking lot, be prepared for a steep downhill hike and uphill climb when visiting Cap Caribou. It was nothing the kids couldn't handle but don't expect a leisurely stroll towards the area either. We drove to both locations so it's something to keep in mind as well. Thus, I cannot comment on how long it would take to hike from one area to the next and the difficulty of the trail. I suggest checking out the Sepaq website (scroll down this page for the link) to obtain information regarding the difficulty levels of the various hiking trails in the park.

5. Don't forget to note the washroom locations. For those of you needing to know where the washrooms are before visiting the different areas of the park (yes, we can relate with young kids), there are pit toilets available at both seal watching locations. At Pointe Aux Épinettes, I noticed there were washroom facilities with flush toilets complete with sinks for handwashing. You can also find all the washroom locations and other facilities by obtaining a map of the entire park from the park attendant.

Looking for Nearby Accommodations?

We stayed in one of Domaine Floravie's tiny houses which was located approximately a 10 minute drive away from Parc National du Bic. Domaine Floravie offers “tiny house”-style mobile eco-cottages with stunning views of the St. Lawrence. Domaine Floravie’s “tiny house” is perfect for camping and nature enthusiasts, and even for the ‘non-camping’ types or those of you new to camping. It felt like camping in the sense that one remains connected with nature but never once did I feel I was ‘roughing’ it.

Camping is also available at Parc National du Bic. We have a travel trailer and have not yet had the opportunity to camp at one of Parc National du Bic's serviced sites. Thus, I am unable at this time to provide my thoughts on their camping facilities. I suggest checking out some reviews online - for reviews available on Google Business/Maps, you will have to sort through the reviews about the park vs. reviews of the actual campgrounds.

Is Parc National du Bic dog-friendly?

When we visited Parc National du Bic, we did not yet have our dog Sadhbh. Dogs are only allowed in certain areas of the park, and rules vary from one season to the next. It is best to visit the Sepaq website's rules on dog accessibility for current information regarding authorized access for your pup. 

Park is open all year round. For seal watching, the harbour seal, also the park’s animal emblem, stays in the estuary year-round, while the grey seal arrives in about mid-July.

3382, route 132 Ouest Rimouski (Quebec) Canada (approximately 5h+ from Montreal)

Children under 17 yrs old are free to enter the park. Daily entrance rate for an adult is $8.60CDN.

Parc National du Bic Website

Disclosure: All or a portion of this event was sponsored or provided at a reduced cost in exchange for coverage on our site. All opinions expressed on our site are our own - no pretenses here!

Photo: Jean-Pierre Sylvestre