Rather than following the highway back to the visitor center entrance, I chartered a course through the grounds of the Gite du Mont Albert, through a little neighborhood of rental cottages. The street through the rental cottages connected up with the visitor center's parking lot, allowing me to complete my loop.
A start time of 5:30am and a finish time just before 2:20pm meant that it had taken just under nine hours - including a 1+ hour break waiting for clouds to clear on Mont Albert and a 1-hour side trip to Mont Olivine.
As far as eastern Canadian hikes go, this is one of the most scenic, and I highly recommend it. I suggest that you attempt on a day when the visibility is good, otherwise you'll be missing a lot!
Note: the park closes access to certain parts of Mont Albert during a certain period of the year to help avoid disturbing the Caribou herd. I believe this is from October 1 to June 15 - but I'm not positive. Please be sure to check the
park's website for more details.
