This highly-organized national park (pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/qc/mauricie; $9) covers 550 sq km, straddling northern evergreen forests and the more southerly hardwoods of the St Lawrence River Valley. It's one of just three Parks Canada–managed parks in Québec. Mauricie covers roughly a third of the size of Mont-Tremblant National Park, and doesn't have mountains as steep.
The Canadian government created the park in 1970 to protect some of the forest that the paper industry was steadily chewing up and spitting out. At one point, two sawmills were operating in the park's current territory, but that's all in the past now.
Mauricie has 110km of hiking trails, 150 lakes and affordable equipment rentals, including oTENTik (a mix between a tent and a cabin) campsites. The most popular winter activity is cross-country skiing.