Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: Fortune Pkwy, #1, Glide Wax: , Grip Wax:
ROUTE: P10 to Ridge (1) and then east (left) toward Kingsmere. Turned around at 31 and headed back the same way.
SKATE: Conditions were really good. Lots of snow in most places with a couple of icy spots. The grooming was excellent but the snow was getting scraped off on the steeper downhills, especially at the bottom of Fortune Lake Parkway near the parking lot.
CLASSIC: Looked solid and well-formed.
TRAFFIC: Lots of people out because it is March Break for the Quebec Boards and Ottawa's French schools (I think). Still lots of room at P10. P8 was about half full.
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).
