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As you travel south from Ste-Anne-des-Monts on Hwy 299, the snowcapped Chic-Choc Mountains - which make up most of the Parc de la Gaspesie - can be spotted in the distance, a stark and forbidding backdrop to the coastal plain. The Chic-Chocs are the most northerly protrusions of the Appalachian Ridge, which extends deep into the US, and the serpentine road reveals the full splendour of their alpine interior. The sequence of valleys framed by thickly wooded slopes culminates in the staggering ravine that lies at the foot of the towering Mont Albert . In this ravine, 40km from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, the park's reception and interpretive centre (early June to late Sept daily 8am-8pm; tel 763-3181 or 763-7811, www.sepaq.com ) rents out hiking equipment and has details and maps of half a dozen well-signposted hiking trails ; most are about a day's duration though a couple around the base are shorter. Prospective hikers should come equipped with warm clothes, food and water, and log their inten-ded route at the centre. The trails ascend to the summits of the area's three highest mountains - Mont Jacques-Cartier, Mont Richardson and Mont Albert - and are remarkable in that they climb through three distinctive habitats. Herds of Virginia deer thrive in the rich vegetation of the lowest zone, while moose live in the boreal forest, and caribou in the tundra near the peaks. This is the only place in Quebec where the three species exist in close proximity. The park has four campsites , one of which, Camping Mont Albert (tel 763-1333; $22.75), is conveniently situated near the interpretive centre. Close by, too, is the smart and modern Gite du Mont-Albert (tel 763-2288 or 1-888/270-4483; $100-125), which offers the only fixed lodgings in the park; room prices rocket during the summer and skiing seasons, but you couldn't wish for a handier location. The Gite also controls a number of chalets ($60-80) around the park, offering simple but reliable facilities.
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