Campgrounds and RV parks near Saint-Irénée, QC

The village beach and the park along the Jean-Noël river falls are the main local stops, both within walking distance of most lodging. Domaine Forget hosts an international music and dance festival through the summer. A short drive west, Baie-Saint-Paul has art galleries, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and restaurants. East along Route 362, La Malbaie offers the Casino, Manoir Richelieu, and access to whale-watching cruises out of Tadoussac via the free Baie-Sainte-Catherine ferry. For hiking and paddling, Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie is reached via Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs and features the Acropole-des-Draveurs trail plus canoe and bike-camping routes. Parc national des Grands-Jardins, near Baie-Saint-Paul, has fishing, the Mont du lac des Cygnes trail, and dark-sky camping.

The camping season in Charlevoix is short. Most private campgrounds open in early to mid-May and close in October. Camping Chutes Fraser typically operates May through mid-October, and Camping Du Gouffre runs mid-May to mid-October. Camping Le Genevrier in Baie-Saint-Paul stays open year-round, with both summer and winter sites. SEPAQ campgrounds at Parc national des Grands-Jardins and Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie generally run from mid-May to mid-October. At Hautes-Gorges, the Acropole-des-Draveurs trail is normally accessible between the second Friday of June and the Monday of Thanksgiving weekend, subject to trail conditions. July and August are peak: serviced sites fill weeks ahead, and several Charlevoix campgrounds enforce a three-night minimum on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, and Thanksgiving weekends. Mid-September into early October brings strong fall colour and lighter crowds. Winters are cold and snowy, with most facilities closed.

Charlevoix terrain is hilly and Route 362 is winding, with steep grades between villages: drive larger rigs slowly and watch for switchbacks. Most private campgrounds in the area offer 30-amp service, full hookups, dump stations, showers, laundry, and Wi-Fi at reception. Camping Chutes Fraser has roughly 325 sites with pull-throughs and a pool; Camping Le Genevrier has about 180 fully-serviced sites and a swimming lake; Camping Du Gouffre runs around 150 sites along the Gouffre River with a heated pool and mini-farm. SEPAQ park sites range from semi-serviced with showers to rustic with pit toilets only. Cell coverage is patchy in the deeper Hautes-Gorges sectors. Black flies are active in June; bring repellent.