The books published by Ulysses have hikes in Quebec. Tremblant is not particularly good - it is a ski area in all directions and so its tree cover is removed for slopes. The best hikes in Quebec are in the Gaspe in the Parc de la Gaspesie in the Chic Chocs, the end of the Appalachians. This is a long day's drive east of Montreal. The Gite du Mont Albert is a great place to stay. The Saguenay fjord has a nice trail system. However, I think the best hikes near Montreal are in Vermont, NH and New York. You could get to Mt. Washington or Mt. Marcy in about 3 hours, Mt Mansfield in 2 hours. If you go to Toronto, head up to Algonquin Park and do your "hike" as a canoe trip or drive up to the Bruce Peninsula and do the norhtern end of the Bruce Trail. I've done some decent mountain biking near Tremblant but I've never enjoyed the hikes. It goes without saying that there will be bugs to bite you.
Yep, I just ordered a used copy of the Ulysses Quebec hiking guide...I'm thinking right along with you. I appreciate the heads up about Tremblant...I'm not as concerned about the removal of the tree cover along the trail given the scenic viewing opp'ys that apparently exist along the way (got any comment about that particular aspect of it?). Still, the overall experience is a decision factor so I truly appreciate your feedback so that I can consider other options. Time will be short which is what makes Tremblant an attractive option to us (I STRONGLY considered Gaspe etc but it looks like the timing wouldn't work for us). Oh, and we also plan to explore/hike Mont Royal while in Montreal proper.
Got any specific suggestions near Toronto or Ottawa...we might use either of those as our rendezvous point if there are strong options within reasonable driving distance...that's why Montreal became our first choice so far.
Cont'd thanks.