Campgrounds and RV parks near Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, QC

The headline activity is canoe-camping inside La Mauricie National Park, which has a multi-lake backcountry circuit with roughly 40 paddle-in sites available during the summer months. Day-trippers paddle Wapizagonke Lake, hike to Les Cascades or Waber Falls, and drive the 63-kilometre Parkway between the Saint-Mathieu and Saint-Jean-des-Piles entrances. Cycling the Parkway is a common family outing, and canoe and kayak rentals are available at Shewenegan, Lac Edouard and Wapizagonke picnic areas. Fishing is regulated and permit-based, with a limited number of permits issued per day and angling allowed only on designated lakes and days. Off-park activities in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc include the covered bridge, a local sugar shack, the Mokotakan Indigenous site, and beach swimming at private campground lakes such as Camping Du Parc.

The camping season in this corner of the Mauricie is short and concentrated. La Mauricie National Park's main summer season runs from mid-May to late October, with a gradual start and end. The private Camping Du Parc operates from mid-May to mid-October, and other Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc campgrounds follow a similar window. Summer is peak season. The busiest dates inside the park are the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day weekend in late June, the Canada Day weekend on July 1, and Quebec's two-week construction holiday in late July and early August, when canoe routes such as Les Cascades and Waber Falls get crowded and front-country sites sell out far in advance. Early September brings cooler nights, fewer bugs and lighter crowds, followed by maple and birch foliage that typically peaks in late September and early October. Beginning in mid-October the park stages partial closures, and the Wapizagonke and Mistagance zones close after Thanksgiving weekend. Through winter only the section between the Saint-Jean-des-Piles entrance and Riviere-a-la-peche remains open, where oTENTik tents and the Wabenaki and Andrew heritage lodges stay bookable and snow generally covers the ground from mid-December through March.

Sites inside La Mauricie National Park are semi-serviced, with no sewer hookups at any site. At Riviere-a-la-peche, 98 of 222 sites have electricity, each pitch offering both a 120V 15/20-amp outlet and a 120V 30-amp outlet. Mistagance has 26 electrical sites out of 91, and Wapizagonke is unserviced. Each of the three campgrounds has a dump station and potable water taps. RVers needing full hookups, pull-throughs or big-rig length should book outside the park; Camping Du Parc accepts rigs up to about 40 feet and offers pull-through pitches, a heated pool and a lake beach. Park rules are strict. Bringing outside firewood into the park is prohibited; wood must be purchased on site and burned in designated fire pits only. Pets must stay leashed, and a single-pet limit applies per campsite. Cell coverage is patchy inside the park, so download maps before arrival.