Winter in La Petite-Nation, from cross-country skis to snowmobiles

Winter here isn't something you endure. It's the season when cottages fill up with skiers, Ontario sledders cross the Ottawa River, and deer stroll down the main street in Duhamel. You just need to know where to go.

We're publishing this in October on purpose. It's the right time to plan: pick out snowshoes, sort out your trail pass, and maybe lend a hand at a trail work day. Club Skira holds one every fall.

Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing

The free ones

We start here because there are more than you'd think.

• Montfort Fathers' trails, Papineauville: 8.5 km of groomed ski and snowshoe trail right behind Louis-Joseph-Papineau high school. Free, dogs allowed, park at the community centre.
• Parc récréatif de la Maskinongé, Lac-des-Plages: close to 20 km for skiing, snowshoeing and fatbiking. Free, dogs welcome.
• Allons au bois, Chénéville: 3 km of snowshoe and ski trail, a sliding area, and tubes and snowshoes lent out on request. Free.
• Saint-Émile-de-Suffolk snowshoe trail: an easy 3 km through the woods, starting across from the dome or the corner store.

The big networks

• Parcours Louis-Joseph-Papineau, Saint-André-Avellin: in winter, the extra loops add up to about 25 km of ski and snowshoe trail. The Club de ski de randonnée Montagnes Blanches runs it, starting behind the Auberge Petite-Nation at 35 rue Principale.
• Lac Croche, Montpellier: 30+ km of trail for snowshoeing, skiing, sliding and ice fishing. The wood-heated pavilion at the end of the road is open to day visitors.
• Club Skira, Duhamel: 40+ km of backcountry ski and snowshoe trail in the Papineau-Labelle reserve, from the Gagnon welcome centre 16 km north of the village. Volunteer-run. The annual contribution was $15 per person; sources disagree on where to pay, so call the club first.
• Lac-Simon trails: 16 km groomed across private land that owners lend out in winter only. No sleds, no ATVs. Stay on the trail, because that's what keeps it open.

With rentals on site

No gear? No problem.

• Parc des Montagnes Noires, Ripon: skiing, snowshoeing, fatbiking and sliding, with a rental centre. Paid parking.
• Auberge et Club de golf Héritage, Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix: in winter the golf course becomes a ski and snowshoe network, with rentals.
• Centre touristique du Lac-Simon, Duhamel: skiing, snowshoeing, sliding and ice fishing, with a rental centre.
• Air-Eau-Bois on the Poisson Blanc: skiing, snowshoeing, skating and sliding, open year-round.

And if you'd rather not buy, Circonflexe lends sports equipment for free. The Montpellier library is one of its lending points.

Fatbiking

Fatbikers are well served here too. In Montebello, Montebello Vélo de Montagne runs the largest fatbike network in the Outaouais, including the Fat Papineau. You start at the pavilion at the Château, and e-fatbikes are available to rent if you book ahead. The Montagnes Noires and the Maskinongé have fatbike trails too. In late February, the Montebello Fatbike Festival runs the Défi Fat Papineau, a loop of more than 15 km.

February's big outings

February is when everyone comes out. The Canadian Ski Marathon, 15 to 160 km of classic skiing, is being planned around Montebello for 2027. The Bowman Forest torchlight walk leads to the Cèdre shelter, with a bonfire at the end. And the Lac-Simon Winter Party wraps up with fireworks.

Snowmobiling

Four clubs share the trails in La Petite-Nation. When you buy your trail pass, buy it in the local club's name: the money stays in the trails you'll actually ride.

• Association des motoneigistes de la Vallée de la Nation: 130 km kept up by volunteers since 1975, from Plaisance and Montebello up to the Mulet entrance of Papineau-Labelle in Duhamel. Their trail across the Ottawa at Montebello is how Ontario riders come in.
• Club Les Maraudeurs (13-760): 150 km, mostly in forest, between Duhamel, Lac-des-Plages and La Minerve, about 90 minutes from the Ottawa area. More snow usually falls up there than down south. Keep your eyes open: deer cross often.
• Hill and Gully Riders (Les Voyageurs des Collines et Ravins): 155 km from Lac La Blanche through Thurso and Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette to Montpellier and Duhamel. Their relay north of Lac La Blanche is open on weekends, with gas, snacks and free parking.
• Association des motoneigistes de l'Outaouais (794-13): 195 km of marked trail from Gatineau to Val-des-Bois, through Bowman and Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette. This is how you ride up from the city to the Lièvre.

To sleep near the trails, the Refuge Boréal in Montpellier has a big trailer lot and direct trail access, and the En Piste cabins in Lac-des-Plages sit right beside them. The Marché des Plages general store, with its SAQ counter, keeps sledders supplied.

ATVs, winter included

• Club Quad Petite-Nation: 315+ km of trail, from the Ottawa River up to Duhamel and from Thurso to Montebello. Most trails are open year-round, for quads and side-by-sides.
• Club Quad de l'Outaouais: 90 km in the west end of the MRC, from Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette to Bowman, with two heated relays. Their website posts trail conditions.

No machine? Biffrentals Aventure in Duhamel runs guided side-by-side outings, gear and briefing included.

The rest of winter

• Dog sledding. Gatineau Sled Dogs in Saint-Sixte, with Seppala Siberians; Meute Tanwen, where every able person drives their own team, night rides included; La Meute du Wendigo, by appointment. Book ahead everywhere.
• Skating. The forest skating trail in Lac-Simon, lit at night, with a heated cabin. The covered rink in Montebello, open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Saint-Émile dome, often the first outdoor ice in the region.
• The Duhamel deer. In winter they wander through the village, mostly in the morning or around 4 p.m. Drive slowly.

Cross-country skiing around here runs on volunteers. If a club asks for a contribution or invites you to its fall work day, that's the best money and time you'll spend all winter.

Ice fishing gets its own coverage in our hunting and fishing section. And if the snow is late, there's always our favourite hikes.

Saint-André-AvellinPapineauvilleRiponMontpellierDuhamelLac-SimonLac-des-PlagesChénévilleNotre-Dame-de-la-PaixMulgrave-et-DerryPlaisanceMontebelloVal-des-BoisBowman

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