Beyond Gatineau Park

BEYOND GATINEAU PARK A ton of varied snow action on the Quebec side

By Katharine Fletcher Photos: Eric Fletcher

When people in the Ottawa-Gatineau area want to go skiing or snowshoeing, they likely think first of Gatineau Park’s 200 kilometres of classic cross-country tracks, 45 kilometres of back-country trails, and 60 kilometres for snowshoes.

However, although just about everybody loves the Park, there are other wonderful spots to explore. These are some of our faves – including two that are new to us.

La Route des zingues

Northeast of Gatineau, and 110 kilometres from Ottawa, the village of Duhamel on the north tip of Lac Simon is gateway to an exhilarating network of trails called La Route

Snowshoe trails lead past ancient trees at Forêt La Blanche near Buckingham.

des Zingues. Its trails connect to la Réserve faunique de Papineau-Labelle.

In autumn 2015 we hiked here with trailblazer extraordinaire Richard Chartrand, as well as Duhamel tourism co-ordinator Martine Caron. Chartrand said the name of the trail is a play on words. “‘Dingue’ means ‘crazy’ in French. So, we thought, you have to be crazy to

Ski Out

M o u n t a i n , L a k e & L a n d

Trails groomed for the Gatineau Loppet can be enjoyed by skiers for the full season.

build trails, bridges and everything here! And the name evolved and stuck.”

We cannot wait to return in winter to snowshoe through this forest which offers sections of old growth. The vistas are breathtaking, so take camera and binoculars as well as snacks and water. No shelters here, so be prepared.

More info at www.municipalite.duhamel. qc.ca, and at www.baliseqc.ca/hiver/regions/ outaouais/route-des-zingues

Forêt la Blanche

My snowshoes make their familiar blend of swish, swoop and crunch as my moccasin lifts out and over the snow, then plunges into it. I’m not among the fastest athletes on the block, but take my time, pausing to breathe in forest scent, peering and crouching to compose and capture iPhone photos, and simply standing, listening to the rustle of last year’s beech leaves in the breeze or the rat-atat-tat of a downy woodpecker.

I’m in La Blanche Forest, a forest and ecological centre 10 minutes north-east of Buckingham, Que. Just getting there is inspiring, through undulating hills and villages that time has forgotten. Trails are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday the Interpretation Centre is open too.

Trees more than 400 years old grow here. There’s a magic to the towering old trees, and layman-language science in the interpretive signs along the trails, explaining this forest’s rare biodiversity. Check it out at blogen. foretlablanche.org.

Ski Pontiac, Bristol, Que.

When Connie Renaud and Shirley Russell in Bristol, Que. decide to do something, everyone who knows them anticipates their energy and organizational skills that will see the dream become reality. Ski Pontiac was their idea in 2011, and it’s now a network of roughly 15 kilometres of groomed, tracked trails for skiing and snowshoeing.

This place works for novices, because the network wends through sheltered woods and out onto the open and flat Pine Lodge golf course, so there’s almost no elevation change. But make no mistake, the forests and wild views are pretty.

Special treats include full-moon skis (the first one Dec. 26) community events where people end up at nearby Coronation Hall for hot apple cider or coffee, and apple-inspired desserts. Ski Pontiac trails connect Bristol and Norway Bay, villages on the north shore of the Ottawa River about 75 kilometres from the capital. – www.skipontiac.ca

Mont Chilly, near Fort-Coulonge

Deep in the heart of the Pontiac region of l’Outaouais find Mont Chilly’s downhill ski and boarding runs, where six of them descend a 165-metre vertical drop. Owner Richard Hernberger calls it “skiing … all about the way it used to be, where the terrain, grooming and lift system are not all shined up and polished. It’s a great experience and the opportunity to give people a way to get out and enjoy skiing at a reasonable price.”

This one is still on our to-go list, but aficionados call these runs “sweet,” with black diamond and double black trails aplenty for extremely challenging fun.

Get there for the Dummy Races where people make various sizes and shapes of figures that are towed uphill, then sent downhill. Hernberger says, “It’s a riot watching them!”

The Hernberger family built Laurentian Lodge in 1977, where you’ll find a hamburger-style menu. Gear rental is available, including repair, sharpening and waxing. No overnight accommodation. Try Spruceholme Inn, Fort Coulonge (spruceholmeinn.com).

Mont Chilly – 120 kilometres from Ottawa – is typically open weekends starting with the Christmas Holidays and on Wednesdays, but call 819-683-3595 for hours of operation and a snow report, or go to www.montchilly.ca.

More cross-country action

Head’s up! The Canadian Ski Marathon takes place Feb. 19-21. Check these races online. One on Saturday Feb. 20 goes 76.3 kilometres from Gatineau to Montebello. The Gatineau Loppet takes place Feb. 26-28 and includes a linear race (51-kilometre classic) from Wakefield to Mont-Bleu. Ski Tour Canada is held March 1 in Gatineau.

It’s winter. Grab the kids. Gear up. Go outside and play. ~ Katharine and Eric Fletcher are freelance writer-photographers. Contacts are fletcher.katharine@gmail.com or katharinefletcher.com