More New Gatineau Park Snowshoe Trails

Snowshoes are cool! Or at least, you use them when it is cool outside. In either event, because there has been an ever increasing demand for snowshoe trails in Gatineau Park, the National Captial Commission has responded by adding even more new snowshoe trails.

Trails 64, 65 and 66 start in Gatineau, from the Relais Plen Air, which is tucked behind Ecole Secondaire Mont Blue on Boulevard-de-la-Cite-des-Jeunes. The ecole is on the edge of the urban area, and can be easily reached by transit.
Relais Plen Air is home to the Skinouk cross-country ski club, but it is open for the use of all park users as well.

These new snowshoe trails cross quite challenging terrain, and feature constant movement up and down the rugged hillsides. They are organized as a stacked loop, permitting snowshoers to choose a short, medium, or longer hike. There are even a few good lookout places, especially for those willing to complete the entire circuit.

So get outside and enjoy these newest trails. They will not be open in the non-snow months.

Second Printing Required

The first print run of Hiking Trails of Ottawa , approximately 4,000 books, has been exhausted, and a second printing needs to be done so there will be copies on the store shelves next spring.

I noticed a few errors in the first printing, and these will be corrected for the second. But this is your chance to point out any mistakes that you might have noticed so they can be changed when the book is reprinted.

The publisher will undertake the second printing in March/April, so if you have any changes you think should be made, send them in right away!

Snowshoeing = Hiking in Winter

As the old saying goes: "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing." With today's quick-dry and wind-proof materials, waterproof footwear, and using proper layering/venting techniques, no temperatures, no matter how cold, cannot be managed in relative comfort. And with the snowshoes and trekking poles now available, winter hiking has never been easier.

The good news is that many park systems in the Ottawa area have recognized the increasing interest in snowshoeing as winter recreation, and have made efforts of increase the number of trails available. Cross-country skiing has long been popular on many of the region's trail systems, but in the past few years it has been snowshoe trails that have been increasing in number.

An excellent example of this is in Gatineau Park. Less than 10 years ago there were only one or two routes open to snowshoeing, such as the popular Wolf Trail. However, with the recent explosion in interest in snowshoeing, more paths have been opened for their use.

The Wolf Trail, now numbered Trail 62, is still available. However, now there are also two major separate systems, one of which works its way around Lac Phillippe and even accesses the Lusk Lake Shelter and the Wanakiwin Cabin, the other - even larger - that reaches the Healy and Herridge Shelters, and the Lac Brown Cabin. More than 50 km of separate snowshoeing pathways are maintained in Gatineau Park alone.

There may never been a better time for Ottawa residents to venture ourdoors, especially in Gatineau Park, for a winter hike. Despite the cold and even in deep snow, you should be able to trek around in comfort and with confidence in your footing. And be honest, doesn't a meal of poutine taste better after a few hours of exercise in the cold air? It does for me. See you on the trails.