Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: #50, #54 (green), #55 (green - shared), Glide Wax: CH7, Grip Wax:
Just returned from a very pleasant overnight stay at a cabin in the Lac Philip sector. This morning I skated up 54 to the Lusk Lake cabin. Grooming was fresh, and conditions were excellent. There were a few patches of dirt under the pine trees in the steepest sections, but nothing to worry about. Classic tracks were deep and well-set.
Yesterday afternoon I skated from P19 through to Herridge. Again grooming was fresh (I put down the first set of skate tracks) and greatly improved from the weekend. It looks like heavy equipment has finally been used to level Trail 50. The bumps/ridges have pretty much gone. I would say the skate lane was as good as we had five or six years ago. Classic tracks were also firm.
It seems the NCC is finally responding to the reports/complaints regarding sub-standard grooming. I strongly suspect they are monitoring this site. It's too bad it took so long, but the Lac Philip sector is now in very good to excellent shape. Enjoy it before the thaw hits!
Caption #0
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).
