Chemin de la Zec Owl’s Head — Cantons-de-l’Est Highland Forestry Loop

The Zec Owl’s Head territory covers a rugged slice of the Appalachian foothills east of Magog, and the forestry roads that stitch it together give you a side of the Eastern Townships that the vineyard-and-cheese crowd never sees. You leave pavement on the south side of Route 243 and climb immediately into mixed hardwood and softwood forest on loose gravel that tightens into muddy double-track the higher you go. The road crosses several unnamed tributaries of the Missisquoi River — crossings that are innocent in late summer and genuinely dicey in May — before cresting the ridge above Owl’s Head ski area and dropping into the interior lake country where the Zec manages fishing access. The views north over Lac Memphremagog on a clear day are worth the scratched paint.

This is an approachable but honest trail — a capable stock SUV with good all-terrain tires handles it in dry conditions, but anything less than high clearance will struggle on the upper ridge sections after rain. The Zec charges annual or daily access fees; register online or at the Magog sector office before entering. Best season is June through October; avoid mud season entirely. Fuel in Magog. This is excellent moose and deer country in September, so share the road. No cell service past the first 5 km. Great two-day loop with riverside dispersed camping at designated Zec sites.