Gatineau Park

Trails Skied: Gatineau Pkwy , Fortune Pkwy, #1 Penguin Climb, #1, Glide Wax: , Grip Wax: Klister and fishscales

This is a \"qualified \" 4 stars. We were not expecting mid winter conditions and fresh (or any other kind) of grooming, but for spring skiing it was truly delightful. 4 of us started at P5, climbed Penguin, skied Ridge to the Fortune Parkway and then returned via Black Lake and the parkway. Conditions were variable, from crusty to soft, but generally surprisingly good all along Penguin and Ridge. The snow was cleaner and more uniform than on the parkway. The big surprise was that there were no bare spots whatsoever on Ridge, not even at the open area near the Wattsford Lookout.
We were out for hours, stopping frequently to play, listening to the creeks, trying to spot the pileated woodpeckers, taking photos and practicing headstands in the snow (at least my friends did this). Spring is such fun! (more photos of the silliness on musicianonskis.ca/blog)
On the parkways we encountered only two small, emerging bare spots: one at the flat open area south of the disappearing icefall, and one at Mica intersection.
I\'m hoping for one last beautiful ski before the next deluge of rain arrives!













Gatineau park map


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.

Gatineau park map

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).

Gatineau park map