It's hard to convey the sheer magnitude of Montmorency Falls (Chute Montmorency; sepaq.com/destinations/parc-chute-montmorency; adult/child $12.60/free). The cascade of water drops 83m into a nimbus of froth and mist, and vertical walls of sandstone and shale rise on either side, disappearing beneath curtains of forest. Even as you drive past on Rte 138 you can sense the falls' titanic power. The closer you get, the more jaw-dropping Montmorency becomes.
Luckily, the infrastructure around Parc de la Chute-Montmorency allows you to get pretty darn close. From the upper parking lot, you can walk along a path to an observation platform. Further down is a 23m-long suspension bridge, which spans the top of the falls and provides a bird's-eye view of the plummeting water. On the other side, a long staircase zigzags down to the bottom of the falls. If you'd prefer to avoid the long climbs, you can ride the cable car from the upper parking lot to the bottom of the canyon ($14.95 for unlimited same-day trips). For thrill-seekers, fasten on a helmet, hook yourself to a cable and soar 300m across the Montmorency canyon with the zip line (adult/child $32/24).
The falls are about 14km from Québec City. Montmorency is the terminus of Métrobus 800 from Place d'Youville.
