Sherbrooke, Quebec surprised me – it was a lot more dog-friendly than I thought primarily because it’s a lot more outdoorsy than I expected. Dog-friendly Sherbrooke, in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, was a mid-point stop on a road trip I took with the dog, last year, between Ontario and New Brunswick, Canada.

I chose to stop here for two reasons: First, Sherbrooke was the last Canadian destination where I could find a dog-friendly hotel before we crossed into Maine – a desirable shortcut between the province of Quebec and New Brunswick. Second, it had a leash-free dog park.

While not everyone is a dog park fan (for good reason – caution is necessary), I am – particularly on long road trips. My high-energy spaniel is off the charts in her need for speed, and asking her to sit still in the car for hours is a lot. So, I always pre-book one of our overnight stops in a town where I knew she could run off some steam.

Sherbrooke, Quebec turned out to be a good pet-friendly choice to take a break when travelling between Ontario and New Brunswick.

Is Sherbrooke, Quebec dog-friendly?

Yes, for the most part, Sherbrooke, Quebec is a desirable place to stop with your pup, especially if you arrive early in the afternoon, allowing time to experience the outdoor options. Thanks to some reasonably priced pet-friendly hotels, such as the Quality Hotel & Suites, two leash-free dog parks, and kilometers of looping walking trails along the river’s edge, Sherbrooke, Quebec scored a two-paws up as a dog travel road trip stop.

But I wasn’t certain at first.

The main thoroughfare into Sherbrooke, Quebec is a wide busy road that screams ‘this is a commuter city’ for many residents living here but working in nearby Montreal. It’s also a main route for motorists heading east from Quebec or Ontario. Therefore, the road is wide and well-travelled but lined with all the amenities you might need for a road trip: fast food outlets (including Restaurant La Belle Province de Sherbrooke where you order no-frills hot dogs and poutine at the counter like a 1970s roadside stop), pet supply stores, gas stations, and hotels.

If a busy central street is all of Sherbrooke you see, you might think it’s not worth the stop.

But look again. Yes, there’s a steady stream of traffic through the city, but a notably high number of cars are sporting bike racks – so many cyclists head to Sherbrooke, thanks to an extensive walking, biking, and hiking trail system along the central river.

Riverside Dog-Waking Trails in Sherbrooke

Sherbrooke is located at the confluence of the Saint-Francois and Magog Rivers – fortunately, the city has reserved most of the land along these rivers for public use. Views from trails along the river are postcard perfect – trees frame the Quebec churches dotting low rolling hillside. On a perfect day, clouds look painted into the sky.

The Magog Loop, for instance, is a 13 km paved path connecting Parc Jacques Cartier and Parc Lucien-Blanchard. The recommended access – a recommendation we followed – is to park at Parc Lucien-Blanchard (Lucien Blanchard Park, 755, rue Cabana, Sherbrooke Quebec) and then access this trail along the Magog River via a paved former train bridge that leads from the park to the waterside paved path.

Stroll the Magog Loop with your dog

One side of the path is for cyclists, or other wheels like rollerblades, and the other for walkers including those with leashed dogs, and there were many. Stay to one side, or you’ll be dodging wheels that don’t slow down for anyone, two-footed or four.

Find the park with a dock for peddle boats and kayaks, and you’ll find the trail. Simply follow the endless flow of people heading over the train bridge. Everyone in Sherbrooke or nearby apparently spends a sunny spring, summer, or fall day along the Magog River.

We didn’t walk the entire Magog Loop trail – 13 kilometres was a little long after an hour in the dog park, and far more hours in the car getting here. But apparently, if you do complete the whole trail you’re rewarded with the opportunity to indulge in a popular gelato or ice cream from the Marche de la Gare along the route.

There are other spots along the river to pick up the trail system – there are several other trail loops to walk or ride – that aren’t as populated. Two we found were beside the Victoria Leash-free Dog Park and behind the Quality Hotel & Suites, both stops on our visit.

Dog-friendly Sherbrooke Hotel

There are many dog-friendly hotel options in Sherbrooke, and one of the easiest to locate a few is by using Kayak or Expedia’s ‘pet-friendly’ filters. That’s how I found the dog-friendly Quality Hotel & Suites. The hotel staff was very helpful – printing out a map so I could find the dog parks – and it was good value for comfortable clean rooms.

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A surprise discovery, while I was taking my young dog out for her third jaunt of the early evening, was half a block behind the hotel. Another access point to the Magog Loop, this time the trail was less traveled because it was further along the route.

Leash-free Dog Parks in Sherbrooke, QC

Sherbrooke has one dog park per 60,000 people in town – in other words, the city of Sherbrooke has a population of approximately 180,000 people and three dog parks. Arguably, dog-friendly considering the per capita concentration.

We didn’t visit them all during our short visit but headed to the dog park closest to the hotel: Victoria Park, or Parc Canine Victoria. Plus, my dog’s name is Victoria, so it seemed like kismit.

Victoria Dog Park is located a bit off the beaten path, but that situates it far from busy traffic and close to a wooded area. There’s a tiny small dog enclosure, but the bigger one is preferable – there are large flat rocks and logs for increased stimulation and half the park is grass and half is rough dirt. A covered sitting area for people might be my favourite feature – after a long drive, I wasn’t as energetic as my pup.

Dogs need to be leashed outside the park, and as we were walking away, I noticed other dogs and their people walking past the fenced park toward the forest. Turns out, there was trail access here too, but this time to a hard-packed hiking trail along the Saint-Francois River. The narrow rocky trail is dog-perfect, and so are the scattered benches offering even more views of a wide still waterway seemingly miles away from the congested main streets of Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Writer bio: Sherri Telenko has been a professional writer for decades and a travel writer for the last two. She’s a member of TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) and Dog Writers Association of America and travels almost weekly with her canine companion, Victoria. Contact Sherri at dogtrotting.net here. All written content is original, written by a person, and based on experience and research. Please subscribe!