Chemin Forestier de la Zec de la Rivière-aux-Rats — Mauricie Laurentian Plateau Circuit

The Zec de la Rivière-aux-Rats occupies a rugged chunk of the Laurentian Plateau northeast of La Tuque, straddling the headwaters of multiple Saint-Maurice tributaries. The main forestry road into the zone leaves Hwy 155 north of La Tuque and climbs steadily onto the plateau — within 20 km the pavement is a distant memory and you’re threading through second-growth balsam fir on a two-track that gets progressively narrower and softer. The Rivière aux Rats crossing at kilometre 44 is the gut-check moment: a ford that runs knee-deep in spring melt and drops to ankle-level by August. The road beyond it accesses remote lakeshore campsites that almost nobody reaches without a rig capable of handling soft shoulders and unexpected washouts.

Minimum requirement is a high-clearance 4WD with lockers or at least aggressive all-terrain rubber — mud tires earn their keep in this drainage. A Zec daily access fee applies; purchase at the checkpoint on Hwy 155. Best season is July through early October after the blackflies ease off. La Tuque is your last fuel and grocery stop — the town is 60+ km from the interior sites. Cell service disappears at the checkpoint. What you get in return: boreal solitude, brook trout fishing that people don’t talk about enough, and moose in the road at dawn like it’s their parking lot.