Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: Gatineau Pkwy , Champlain Pkwy, #1 Penguin Climb, #1, Gatineau Pkwy, Glide Wax: LF7, Grip Wax:
The portions of the parkways that I skate skied today - from P5 to the intersection with 1, Fortune from 1 to the T junction and up to Champlain lookout - were in great condition and conditions were fast. Climbing Penguin was a bit uneven and loose; coming down later after a fair bit of traffic had passed, it was quite worn and icy. Many in our group opted to take another way back. Ridge Rd. was disappointing in that depending on the location, it was either uneven, rutted with loose snow/ice, littered with chunks of snow/ice or somewhat concave. Classic tracks were icy. Could definitely use another pass of the groomer.
My partner skate skied from Gamelin to past Mica and describes the conditions up until Mica as lumpy and uneven, and then good past Mica on the Gatineau parkway where more grooming had been done.
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).
