Ultra-Trail Harricana: A Runner's Guide

Every September, for one weekend, La Malbaie becomes Canada's trail-running capital. The Ultra-Trail Harricana of Canada — UTHC to those in the know — draws thousands of runners to test themselves against the mountains of Charlevoix, from families finishing a first 5K to ultra-runners swallowing 125 kilometres and more than 4,600 metres of climbing. It is one of the most demanding and best-loved events in eastern Canada. Here is everything you need to live it fully — as a runner, as a team, as a family.

The Ultra-Trail Harricana, in brief

The 2026 edition runs September 11 to 13. The race takes place at the heart of the Charlevoix UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the protected territory where the mountains plunge towards the St. Lawrence. The flagship course starts in the Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park and finishes at the Mont Grand-Fonds resort, north of La Malbaie.

The signature 125 km is a qualifier for the biggest races on the planet — the Western States 100 in the United States and the UTMB in the Alps. But the Harricana is far from elite-only: it is a genuine trail festival spread over three days, where national-cup runners share the course with children crossing their first finish line. Mid-September also falls at the very start of the fall colours: running in Charlevoix at that moment means running through a landscape just beginning to blaze.

Eleven courses, from a family 5K to 125 km

The UTHC offers eleven distances, making it one of the most inclusive races in Quebec:

• 125 km (~4,600 m of climbing) — the signature ultra, Western States and UTMB qualifier
• 80, 65 and 60 km — for seasoned ultra-runners
• 42 km (Classic and Saint-Siméon versions) — the trail marathon distance
• 30 km — a stage of the Quebec Trail Cup
• 20 km (plus a night duo) — the ideal entry into longer distances
• 10 km and 5 km — accessible, to discover trail running
• Kids' races — 1.5 km, 1 km and 500 m

This pyramid of distances explains the weekend's unique atmosphere: within a single family, one parent can aim for the 65 km while the children run the 1 km and the crew cheers everyone on at the aid stations. There is a bib for every level.

The course: from Hautes-Gorges to Mont Grand-Fonds

Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park, starting point of the long courses. Photo: Tourisme Charlevoix.

The Harricana's playground is what sets it apart. The long courses set off from Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park, one of the most spectacular in Quebec, where glacial walls drop sheer to the river. Runners then take part of the legendary Traversée de Charlevoix, a long-distance trail winding along the backcountry ridges, before descending towards the finish.

The Mont Grand-Fonds resort, fifteen minutes from La Malbaie, hosts the finish. Photo: Tourisme Charlevoix.

The finish at Mont Grand-Fonds, an outdoor resort about fifteen minutes from La Malbaie, adds a festive dimension: a finish area, families gathered under the arch, medals and reunions. The elevation is serious — this is a mountain race, not a rolling course — but the panoramas over the river and valleys reward every climb. For anyone wanting to scout the terrain beforehand, our guide to the essential hikes of Charlevoix lists the region's accessible summits.

Harricana or TransCharlevoix? Two adventures, one organizer

The two flagship races of Événements Harricana are sometimes confused. They are, in fact, very different.

The Ultra-Trail Harricana (UTHC) is a mass-participation festival: eleven distances over one weekend, thousands of runners, a fixed start and finish (Hautes-Gorges → Mont Grand-Fonds), and runners who lodge in the region and return to a warm bed each evening.

The TransCharlevoix is something else entirely: a linear stage race of 100 km over three days, in a small group, in an "authentic all-inclusive camping" format. The tent village — the athlete camp — moves with the runners from stage to stage, from the Hautes-Gorges to the outskirts of Baie-Saint-Paul, by way of Mont Morios and the ZEC des Martres. It is total immersion: you run, eat and sleep in the wild for three days. (Exact dates for the coming edition are to be confirmed on the organizer's website.)

In short: for the TransCharlevoix, lodging matters mostly before and after the event — to arrive fresh and recover once the line is crossed. For the Harricana, it matters every evening of the weekend.

Train on site: the Mont Grand-Fonds Station Trail

Good news for those arriving a few days early: the very terrain of the finish can be run year-round. The Mont Grand-Fonds Station Trail (1000 chemin des Loisirs, La Malbaie) offers six permanently marked courses, loops from 5 to 31 km, plus a 40 km linear trail connecting the station to Saint-Siméon — over 100 km of maintained trails in all. Access costs $10 (plus tax), whatever the distance.

It is the perfect spot for a shake-out the day before, a terrain recce, or simply to give a run to the team members who are not registered for the Harricana. You will find both a technical 10 km and a 20 km accessible to beginners.

Optimizing recovery: heat, cold and treatments

A mountain race does not end at the finish line: it ends the next day, when the legs come back down. And recovery, for seasoned trail-runners, is as much a science as a pleasure.

The outdoor spa at Le Littoral chalet — hot-cold alternation, like a recovery centre. Photo: Charlevoix Chalets.

The principle is familiar to every endurance runner: heat (sauna, hammam, hot bath) boosts circulation and relaxes muscles; cold (a cold shower or plunge) calms acute inflammation; and alternating the two — contrast therapy — is the recovery ritual par excellence. Add a massage to release the tension, deep sleep and a good meal, and the body comes back new.

That is exactly what you can recreate in a well-equipped chalet, without booking a slot in a crowded public spa on race weekend. And for massage, there is no need to go out: regional massage therapists travel to the chalet by reservation (at your own cost), to work the legs over just when the body needs it most.

The hammam and the steam sauna: a private thermal zone

The thermal zone of Les Thermes chalet: hammam, dry sauna and spa. Photo: Charlevoix Chalets.

Where a dry sauna heats dry air, the hammam — or steam sauna — wraps the body in moist heat, gentler on the airways and reputed to relax muscles deeply. Coming back from a long day on the trail, the ideal is to have both on hand. The Les Thermes chalet lives up to its name: it houses a full thermal zone — hammam, dry sauna, a rest area with fireplace, and an outdoor spa — for your group's exclusive use. In La Malbaie, it is the closest thing to a private recovery centre: you move from moist heat to dry heat to a cold plunge at your own pace, with no queue.

For the runner: recover like a pro

The sauna at Le Littoral chalet. Photo: Charlevoix Chalets.

A short distance away, the Le Littoral chalet leans on its sauna, outdoor spa and heated pool — still open on race weekend, mid-September, for slow lengths that ease the legs.

The heated pool at Le Littoral chalet, open until mid-September. Photo: Charlevoix Chalets.

And for larger teams, the L'Embâcle chalet adds pool and spa in an intimate setting, with room for everyone.

For the family: the weekend becomes a holiday

Pool and spa at L'Embâcle chalet. Photo: Charlevoix Chalets.

While the runner sleeps, stretches or soaks in the spa, the rest of the family should not be left twiddling their thumbs. That is the whole point of a real base camp: the pool keeps the children busy, the spa waits for the parents, and the region overflows with ways to fill the hours between starts and finishes — easy summits to climb, the river to follow, farms and beaches ten minutes away. The race weekend turns into a genuine family holiday, where everyone finds their own rhythm.

For the crew: feed and gather the team

The gourmet kitchen at Le Littoral chalet. Photo: Charlevoix Chalets.

Behind every runner is a crew: the people who prepare the flasks, manage the aid stations and wait at the finish. That team needs a base: a large kitchen for the night-before carb-load and the next-day feast, a big table to gather everyone, common spaces to unwind. Our chalets offer tables for twelve to fourteen and fully equipped gourmet kitchens.

The dining room at Le Littoral chalet, facing the river. Photo: Charlevoix Chalets.

To lighten the logistics, a private chef can prepare the pre-race meal right at the chalet, and our grocery delivery on arrival means finding the fridge stocked when you arrive — no hour lost at the supermarket the night before the big day.

Because that is the heart of it: the Ultra-Trail Harricana is not only about the clock. It is a weekend of family and friendship, in one of Quebec's most beautiful territories. The runner finds a challenge; everyone else finds mountains to gaze at, a river to follow, a region to savour. The right base camp is the one that lets everyone win.

For the race weekend, discover our Harricana race offer: book 3 nights, the 4th is on us — before to prepare, or after to recover.