Our tips for visiting Parc Oméga

Everyone's been to Parc Oméga at least once. Usually with an aunt, on a rainy summer day, with a bag of carrots on your lap. And still, we see plenty of people drive the loop, snap three deer photos and leave. There's more to it.

Here's what we know, and what we'd tell a friend.

Where is it, exactly?

The mailing address says Montebello, but the park is in Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, a municipality of fewer than 300 residents that, according to the MRC, sees more than 300,000 visitors a year. You get there by Route 323, north of Montebello. If your GPS gets confused, search for the park, not the village.

The drive-through: slow down

The heart of the visit is a 12 km route you drive in your own car, among about twenty North American species. Elk, bison, deer, wolves and bears, among others.

Twelve kilometres takes twenty minutes if you hurry. Don't. The animals aren't always by the road, and the elk stepping out of the trees just as you pass is exactly what you'll miss at speed.

The carrots

Yes, the deer come right up to the window, and a carrot in hand works wonders. What you can give, and to which animals, is the park's call. Check their rules on their website before you go and follow them. They know their animals.

Get out of the car

The most important tip in this article. Parc Oméga also has walking trails, a heritage farm and picnic areas, and plenty of visitors never see them.

• The trails take you through the woods, with wooden walkways above the enclosures. You see the animals from above, which is a different experience.
• The old farm, red wood with a porch and green awnings, is a hit with younger kids.
• The picnic areas: bring a lunch. It's the easiest way to stretch the day.

A different park every season

The park is open year-round, and January is nothing like July.

• Summer is the classic, all families and rolled-down windows.
• Fall: the elk lie down in the dead leaves and the deer wander through orange woods. Our favourite season for photos.
• Winter adds snowshoeing in the forest and tube sliding. Wolves curled up in the snow, caribou walking across a white field: it's another world. The Sentier des Premières Nations follows a frozen lake on a boardwalk.

The animal checklist

A list to hand the kids so they can play detective: bison, elk with the big antlers, grey wolf, black bear, red fox, Arctic fox, caribou and deer. The lucky ones see them all. Everyone else comes back.

Accessibility

Parc Oméga is rated accessible by Kéroul. The drive-through needs no walking at all, which makes it a good outing with grandparents or anyone with reduced mobility. For details on accessible trails and buildings, call the park.

Before you go

• Hours and prices change with the season. We won't print them here and risk being wrong: check parcomega.ca or call 819 423-5487.
• Gas and lunch: the park is out in the country. Plan ahead.
• Binoculars and a good zoom lens, if you have them. The wolves don't always pose.

Our advice: drive the loop once, then park and walk the trails. That second part is usually what the kids remember.

Nearby

The park is minutes from Montebello, so it's easy to make a full day of it:

• The village, the Château and the Manoir-Papineau. Here's our day-in-Montebello guide.
• The Plaisance falls, a bit further west on Route 148, with a 2 km return trail.
• Montebello Vélo de Montagne, if you have teenagers to tire out.

For more ideas, see 20 things to do with kids and the Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours town page.

Notre-Dame-de-BonsecoursMontebello

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