Measuring 83 meters high - 90 feet higher than Niagara Falls - the Montmorency Falls are an amazing attraction for all ages. Take the short 15 minutes trip to see this natural wonder. The Montmorency Falls are located in front of the Island of Orleans and were named by Samuel de Champlain for his patron, the duke of Montmorency. Though higher than Niagara, they are far narrower.

The waterfall is surrounded by the provincial Parc de la Chute-Montmorency, where you can stop to take in the view and perhaps have a picnic lunch. The park and falls are accessible year-round. In winter, the plunging waters are particularly impressive: The freezing spray sent up by the falls builds a mountain of white ice at the base called the pain de sucre (sugarloaf), which sometimes grows as high as 98 feet!

On summer nights the falls are illuminated, and toward the end of July and into August, there is an international fireworks competition overhead, Les Grands Feux Loto-Québec. You’ll note that the yellow cast of the waterfall results from the high iron content of the riverbed.