This visit was to Lac La Peche, known as the largest lake in all of Gatineau Park. If you find Lac Philippe or Meech large, this lake is almost double the size. Upon arriving, the sandy beach is expansive and stretches across a large portion of the water. There is a fee that must be paid along the access road, however at this time of the year, and due to the beach being officially closed, access is free. For those arriving without their own kayak or canoe, rentals are available, in the same way as they are at Lac Philippe. The late summer's sun creates a vast landscape, just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. The entry point into the water is located approximately in the middle of the lake, so you are perfectly positioned to start exploring in either direction. I am not sure why but the sand along on the beach was brighter and softer than most of the other beaches in the region we have visited. Perhaps it is due to the slightly more remote location that it has remained relatively un...

Another beautiful day that warranted some kayaking. This time, the destination was Meech Lake in Gatineau Park. Camp Fortune was along the route leading to the lake, making me reflect on this summer and start looking forward to the winter coming up in a few months time. Located about 5 minutes drive past Camp Fortune's Skyline sector, Meech Lake offers a quiet beach setting, as well as several hiking pathways to enjoy and discover, including the Carbide Willson Ruins (perhaps next weekend's hiking adventure...) The beach is accessible from the paid parking lot ($11) by a short gravel path. This lake does not offer any rentals so you need to bring your own when visiting. The path to access the water is made up of a few small hills but is easily traversed if you have a set of wheels to roll your kayak. Once you reach the water, you are treated to one of the most picturesque settings of the region. Flanked all along one side of the lake are houses and cottages bordering the water. Despite...

Kayaking is such an enjoyable sport. Thanks to the abundance of lakes and rivers in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, there is no shortage of places to visit and discover. Kayaking is also an easy sport to get into and is less difficult than it may appear to be. What does help is lakes that are free of powered boats. One such place is Lac Philippe in Gatineau Park. Located about 35 minutes from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau, Lac Philippe is a large lake, featuring two beaches, pedal boat, kayak and canoe rentals, and campgrounds. If you are coming with your own kayaks or wish to rent, the best place to park is by following the signs for the boat launch, shortly after passing the first beach. From here, you are able to park quite close to the water and the launching point is not busy or crowded. Immediately you can see the vastness of the lake, which seems to extend indefinitely. On this visit, we decided to head to the left, in the direction of Breton Beach. Passing a well-built beaver lodge....

A trip out of town to view some fall colours was in order today so Mont Gleason was the destination. It was also a great reason to go take a peek at the progress of the new Quad. It was partly cloudy when we got there, I was with my son Lukas, and my long-time ski buddy Christian so it was a day out for the guys. We got there around 11:00 and there was a good crowd of people already there. At Gleason today the festivities included their ski sale in the shop, the local fire department was there with a couple of trucks for the kids to explore, bouncy castles, and chairlift rides. What I really came here for was the new Quad and the progress. Both top and bottom terminals are in place, and all towers have been installed. The crew was installing the comm cable today. The base of the new Quad does take up some of the parking areas. We decided to ride the Laurent-Lemire Quad to the summit to see what was going on up top, and for the view with the colours. Rides were one-way only with a multi...