Road Trip Ottawa to Gatineau Park – Loop
Ottawa
Parc de la Gatineau
60
km
1h
drive
All seasons
season
The Itinerary
Gatineau Park lies across the river in Quebec, but it functions as Ottawa's back garden and no account of driving out of the capital can leave it out. The park covers about 361 square kilometres of the Eureka hills at the southern edge of the Canadian Shield, begins roughly fifteen minutes from Parliament Hill, and carries some 165 km of trails. It is administered by the National Capital Commission rather than by Parks Canada or Quebec, an arrangement that dates from the 1930s.
The usual circuit starts at the visitor centre in Chelsea and follows the Gatineau Parkway and Champlain Parkway for about 35 km. Champlain Lookout is the destination, a broad terrace on the escarpment edge looking south over the Ottawa Valley farmland with the Eardley Escarpment dropping away beneath it. Pink Lake, on the way, is meromictic: its layers of water never mix, which leaves the bottom permanently without oxygen and gives the surface a striking green-turquoise cast. The lake is fragile, swimming is prohibited, and a boardwalk loop keeps visitors off the slopes.
Autumn is the peak season, with colour usually best in the first half of October and heavy traffic to match. From May to October the parkways close to motor vehicles on Sunday mornings and fill with cyclists. Meech Lake has supervised beaches for summer swimming and is also where the 1987 constitutional accord was negotiated. In winter the park becomes one of the largest cross-country ski networks in North America.
The usual circuit starts at the visitor centre in Chelsea and follows the Gatineau Parkway and Champlain Parkway for about 35 km. Champlain Lookout is the destination, a broad terrace on the escarpment edge looking south over the Ottawa Valley farmland with the Eardley Escarpment dropping away beneath it. Pink Lake, on the way, is meromictic: its layers of water never mix, which leaves the bottom permanently without oxygen and gives the surface a striking green-turquoise cast. The lake is fragile, swimming is prohibited, and a boardwalk loop keeps visitors off the slopes.
Autumn is the peak season, with colour usually best in the first half of October and heavy traffic to match. From May to October the parkways close to motor vehicles on Sunday mornings and fill with cyclists. Meech Lake has supervised beaches for summer swimming and is also where the 1987 constitutional accord was negotiated. In winter the park becomes one of the largest cross-country ski networks in North America.
Points of Interest
-
✦
Champlain LookoutPanoramic lookout over the Ottawa Valley.
-
✦
Pink LakeA meromictic lake with striking turquoise water.
-
✦
Sunday morning cyclingThe parkway closes to cars, May through October.
-
✦
Meech LakeSwimming lake, with access at Blanchet Beach.
Protected areas along the route
🌿
FITZROY PROVINCIAL PARK (RECREATIONAL CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
BURNT LANDS PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
Burnt Lands Provincial Park Addition
Recommended Provincial Park
🌿
Mountain
Provincial Wildlife Area
🌿
RIDEAU RIVER PROVINCIAL PARK (RECREATIONAL CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
ALEXANDER STEWART PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
WHITE LAKE CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
🌿
Area A
General Use Area
🌿
Kemptville District Crown Lands
General Use Area
🌿
Darling ANSI (Core Protection Zone)
General Use Area
🌿
Darling ANSI (Resource Management Zone)
General Use Area
🌿
DUPONT PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
Take this route offline
Cell coverage thins out fast once you leave Ottawa. Export the map as a geo-referenced PDF before you go and open it in BorealMaps — your GPS position shows on the map with no signal at all.
Try PDF Export How geo-referenced PDF maps workPractical info
- Departure Ottawa
- Destination Parc de la Gatineau
- Distance 60 km
- Duration 1h
- Category Short (< 100 km)
- Best season All seasons
Plan your adventure with our interactive map
Open the map