We’ve never gone all the way, until this morning!

With good weather forecast and nothing vital on our calendar for today, Rebecca and I planned to bag a new peak this morning. Mount Qua Qua is a relatively easy hike from the Grand Etang visitor center. The funny thing about it though is that we’ve climbed 90% to the top countless times, but have never gone all the way.

It was time to see for ourselves!

A hike that we have done multiple times begins at Grand Etang but then drops down towards Concord Falls (search the word ‘Concord’ to see posts and photos from those hikes). Because the trail to the falls breaks off just before reaching the actual top of Mt. Qua Qua, and because we were told that the peak didn’t offer any particularly splendid views, we just never bothered with it. It was time to find out for ourselves though, and I have to say that on a clear day like today, the view was actually pretty nice. The trail ends at a large boulder, and if I could have found a way to climb up on top of it without risking life and limb, I bet the view would have been even better. As it was, it was a very pleasant hike, and I’d recommend it.

Breadcrumbs to follow:

• Take a bus or walk to the St. Georges bus terminal.
• Take the Number 6 bus to the Grand Etang Visitor Center (ask the bus driver to let you know when to get off if you don’t know exactly where this is). The cost for the bus is $5.00 EC per person. Be prepared to wait in the terminal until the bus is full. The driver will not depart until every seat is filled!
• The Mt. Qua Qua trail head is marked with the sign that you can see in the first image of the gallery below. It is just slightly back down the road that you arrived on, to the right.
• The trail is easy to follow, but steep and muddy in places. Be mindful of your step, especially when walking along the ridge line.
• We saw signs that suggest that the hike should take 1.5 hours each way. It took us exactly half that, but we do hike at a fairly rapid pace. Estimate your time to finish accordingly.
• Have fun!