The Station piscicole provinciale of Saint- Faustin – the provincial fish-farm operation of Saint-Faustin (now Mont-Blanc) – educated and delighted generations of visitors from 1933 until its closing in 1992; it hosted more than 100,000 visitors in its good years. The 90-hectare site then became a park where, by walking the trails, guests could learn about forests, aquatic ecosystems and wetlands.

The Sentier des cimes Laurentides – Treetop Walk – rising on this heritage site will provide a unique view of the land. Visitors will be able to achieve the dream of being like a bird as they walk, not on the ground, but on an aerial walkway at treetop height. Let’s find out what it feels like to fly!

The project is by EAK, a German company that already has 12 sites of this kind in Europe; Mont-Blanc’s Treetop Walk is its first step in North America.

The combination of EAK and our region happened almost by itself; the MRC (regional county municipality) and several regional individuals had, for some time, been looking for a project and financing to revive the former fish-farm site.

The MRC and the municipality of Mont-Blanc took care of access and the site and the EAK signed a 20-year lease to manage the aerial structure.

EAK’s mission is to integrate itself into the region to make people aware of the area’s historic, heritage and nature-related value. The aerial tower and walkway, which is the Sentiers des cimes brand, have been built with the greatest possible respect for nature. In short, says Kathy Poulin, marketing communications and human relations manager, “the deforestation has been minimal and only as needed, and some places will be replanted. We give preferential treatment to local products and companies and to ecological materials: the pillars of untreated wood were preassembled by Art Massif of Saint-Jean-Port-Joly and the installation work had a minimal impact on the ground.”

A few metres from the starting point, a small tower raises the visitor to a height of 18 metres by staircase or elevator. From there, the walkway runs through the forest and gradually rises. Because the ground is uneven, the visitor is sometimes above and sometimes below the treetops. After 720 metres, the walkway rises in a spiral to reach the big observation tower, 40 metres in height. The return is done in the opposite direction; the walkway is accessible to wheelchairs and strollers, the old and the young.

Kathy talks about the programming to come: “guided activities, observation points and educational panels about the forest, wildlife, vegetation and biodiversity will help visitors achieve a greater understanding of what they see. Eventually there will be activities like wine-tasting at the top of the tower, a classical music concert on the trails, and a fun park for children with wooden equipment. In the next few years, we’ll build an adventure park for the youngsters.

“From the past, we’ve kept the ponds and the channeled streams. It’s also a project that will add value to the adjacent linear park. And in the fall, from the top of the tower, the view will be absolutely spectacular.”

treetop-walk.com/fr/laurentides — 737, rue de la Pisciculture, Mont-Blanc

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