I'll likely travel to Canada this autumn and I would like to go on a multi-day hike. I have however no car.
Is there any park (national, provincial, ...) in Eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island) that offers long hikes (at least 2 days) and that is accessible by public transport during the first half of October?
Many parks seem to have a summer shuttle but it usually stops at the end of August.
The Algonquin Parkbus runs until at least October 13th - after that it switches to an as-yet-unannounced winter schedule. However it stops going to and from Algonquin the last weekend of September. On the matter of hiking, they say:
Highland Backpacking Trail (19 & 35 km loops) is easily accessible via our Lake of Two Rivers stop. Short 800m trail leads to Mew Lake office, where backcountry permits can be picked up. The Western Uplands Backpacking Trail (32, 56 and 88 km loops) can be accessed via West Gate stop, where permits are available (trailhead is 2km down the road)
If you're not familiar with your options around hiking in Algonquin, check the Friends site. You can certainly go for two days if not longer.
In October the bus goes to Killarney, which also has lovely hiking trails:
Killarney Provincial Park offer some great day hikes that are easily accessible directly from the George Lake Campgrounds. The campground also serves as the trailhead to the famous multi-day La Cloche Silhouette Trail (78km loop, 7-10 days), only recommended for experienced backpackers.
Grundy Lake has only day trails and French River doesn't have hiking. So this solution will carry you through September (but plan carefully to make sure you can get back home on this bus since it doesn't run every day) but not into October.
Greyhound runs to Marathon, Ontario at the gates of Pukaskwa National Park (17 hours from Toronto, twice daily). However, you still need to find a solution for the last 20 km or so. It seems there exists a local taxi service. The coastal hiking trail is 60 km, which Parks Canada claims to take a full week to hike.
The Can-Ar coach connects Moore Falls, Ontario (3½ hours from Toronto). From there, one can hike into the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park on the Ganaraska trail wilderness section. As this is a "regular" bus, it runs often and you don't need to book it a long time before, as might be the case for the Parkbus to Algonquin or Killarney.
The Fjord-du-Saguenay national park in Quebec, near Tadoussac, has a couple long hikes and in particular a hike starting from the bay Ste Marguerite to Tadoussac.
It is possible to access Tadoussac by bus with the company Intercar (from Montreal).
This is then possible to access the Ste Marguerite bay thanks to a private shuttle (by the so-called 5 star farm, and its cost is 74$) apparently run year-round but it should probably be booked ahead.
This is eventually possible to start a four-day hike with shelters along the way and as the hike ends in Tadoussac (on the road 138), there is no risk to be stuck on a deserted road at the end of the hike.
