Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: Fortune Pkwy, Champlain Pkwy, #1 (green) (#2 - #24), #24, #1 (blue), Glide Wax: , Grip Wax:
Skate ski to wolf. Overall rating of "fair" but spring-adjusted rating of pretty darn good. Let me unpack:
Parkways: icy where exposed to sun (1st 600m of Fortune - don't let those discourage you -, flat stretch along Fortune lake, good chunk of Champlain) but some really good skiing in between those sections. Ventured from T just past Lac Bourgeois, and that stretch is also very good.
Portages: Huron-Etienne Brule (can be avoided via 1). Bench at 24 (can be avoided via 24. CAUTION on 24: deep water channel at the bottom of hill)
Debris: still there and not going anywhere.
Once you factor all this in, there is a lot of very enjoyable skiing to be had.
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#1 at Wolf looking west
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#1 at Wolf looking east (notice bare patch)
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).
