Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: Champlain Pkwy, Gatineau Pkwy, Glide Wax: CH7, Grip Wax:
Quick skate run from P5 to Kingsmere. Gatineau and Champlain Parkways have been groomed for skating but classic tracks are on one side only and not very deep. The surface has quite a bit of loose powder but skating was silky smooth and controllable. The snow is probably still a bit warmer than the air, making the skating quite fast. There is a lot of debris from many fallen trees but it is not seriously interfering with skiing. No sign of grooming on Trail 1 going up Penguin. I was told the debris is much worse on the Fortune Parkway, where Demsis cleanup crews are still at work.
The park looks beautiful with a thick white coating on the trees- like skiing in Cypress Bowl!
Get out this afternoon if you can!
Gatineau Park is ski paradise! The network of ski trails offer machine groomed skate skiing and classic skiing as well as little groomed backcountry trails. Multiple access points allow skiers to access a variety of terrain and scenery.
The NCC offers season or daily pay rates.
For suggestions on where to ski, excellent trail descriptions, photos and maps checkout Michael McGoldrick`s website about recreational xc-skiing in Canada`s National Capital Region (with an emphasis on the Gatineau Park).
