This Water Hole In The Woods 90 Mins From Montreal Has Cascading Water & A Wicked Name
Deep in the woods of Sutton, Quebec lies one small place where summer and Halloween intersect — at least in name. This nightmare before Saint-Jean is called the Witches' Cauldron, a place where water cascades over seemingly twisted, jagged rocks into a small pool under the emerald green canopy.
It may just cast a spell on you. Swimming is not allowed, but you can dip your feet in the water.*
The little pool sits at the foot of the mountains just under two hours outside of Montreal. It's accessible via hiking trail and, thankfully, by car.
If you'd rather brave a full hike, several sites estimate the Village-Montagne trail, on which the Cauldron is located, will take a leisurely two to three hours one way. Leashed dogs are welcome to this part of the Parc d’environnement naturel de Sutton (PENS), but be sure to check before you take your pet elsewhere in the park — some trails have further restrictions.
Otherwise, the PENS trail map suggests the Cauldron is just a short walk from the intersection of chemins Bernier, Réal and Maple. There's a parking lot further down chemin Maple, which appears to be an approximately four-minute walk from the entrance to the swimming hole.
If you can't get enough of walking around, there are plenty of beautiful winding trails throughout the PENS, many of which are as short as an hour or two. To access these other hikes, you'll need to make advance reservations at $7 per person during the summer months.
Witches' Cauldron Natural Pool
Price: Free
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekends between May and September
Address: 900, chemin Réal, Sutton, QC (Parc d’environnement naturel de Sutton welcome centre)
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your trip.
*UPDATE: An earlier version of this article, citing the Tourism Eastern Townships website, stated that swimming was allowed at the Witches' Cauldron. A PENS spokesperson clarified that visitors may only dip their feet in the water.
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Elevated wooden trail leading to a spiral tower.
Slide in the middle of the spiral tower trail.
Trailside activity.
Illuminated wooden path through a forest.
Adult and child walking down an elevated wooden trail.
Person in a wheelchair on a wooden path.
Walkway and lookout atop the Pic-de-la-Tête-de-Chien in Quebec's Parc national des Monts-Valin.
