First Impressions of Gatineau Quebec
This summer we took our family on the road to Gatineau Quebec in the Outaouais Region. I honestly can’t stop thinking about it. Quebec never disappoints me and I often wish we lived closer to the province. It’s truly La Belle Province for so many reasons and the perfect choice for a family vacation.
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So How Big is Gatineau Park?
We started our visit early on a Sunday morning after driving for roughly 7 hours from our home in London, Ontario. First on the agenda was Gatineau Park. I knew Gatineau Park was massive, but I didn’t know if it was 361 square kilometres of breathtaking beauty to write home about.
There were many things on our itinerary that I was super excited to see but when we reached Gatineau Park I was transported to one of the most beautiful parks I have ever set foot in. I still can’t stop thinking about this space. Gatineau Park is a world class stunner. I wish we’d had more time to explore. We spent several hours in the park and I took some snapshots of the most incredible natural landscape.
A Busy Place
There are areas to camp in Gatineau Park and I saw dozens of cyclists there the day we visited. In fact the park was packed and there were swarms of visitors from all over. We made a stop at the Visitor’s entrance so we could inquire about where to park and how much time we needed to get to the highlights of the park that we had in mind. A staffer inside was taking down geographic locations of visitors and I heard many from the United States, Ontario and a few European tourists note that it was their first time visiting Gatineau Park as well.
Pink Lake
Despite the long drive from London I couldn’t stop myself from hiking around Pink Lake. It was one of the highlights I had been looking forward to. Pink Lake is a unique natural phenomenon and a meromictic lake. I was happy to share that information with my family, because hello..summer is not time to stop learning.
Meromictic means that it is a lake where the layers of water do not mix. In a regular lake the layers of water mix. Several years ago a restoration of the lake took place and now it is surrounded by gorgeous trail, walkways and boardwalks and lookouts that make this an event on its own. The Lake is stunning. Go see it for yourself.
A Memorable Setting
Gatineau Park is truly one of the most beautiful parks we have ever been to. There are 50 lakes in Gatineau Park. There are 165 kilometres of biking trails and 90 kilometres of mountain biking trails. 240 different species of birds can be seen here too. After spending several hours at Champlain Lookout and Pink Lake we were spent. We headed over to the beautiful Ramada Plaza Le Manoir du Casino which exceeded my expectations.
Where to Stay Near Gatineau Quebec
The Ramada was spacious and clean and located in a central location. There is a pool and hot tub and breakfast was included in our package. Service at The Ramada was very attentive. One of the things I love most about Quebec always is that they seem love and create family friendly spots in all their regions and cities.
In our room we had a giant loft area with a full bedroom and bathroom for the kids that was separate from us. It reminded me of a chalet we stayed in back in the winter when ski season was winding down for the year. The bed was so perfect, we slept like babies. And that was a great thing since the next day in the morning we headed off to an epic four hour zip lining adventure that was the coolest thing we have ever done together.
What Activities Are Nearby in Gatineau Quebec?
Arbraska Lafleche Cave and Aerial Park in Val Des Monts was about a 25 minute drive from the Ramada.
Arbraska was an adventure I will never forget. We worked hard together as a family to make the experience so rewarding.
The Canadian Museum of History
After our amazing adventure at Arbraska Lafleche we headed straight to the Canadian Museum of History. The setting is perfect and the museum exhibits are stunning. Located right on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River the museum has multiple displays right now.
Cultural Experiences
The Napoleon Paris exhibit captured our imaginations for a significant chunk of the visit. Then we also spent as much time as possible in the First People’s exhibit which was remarkable. It was hard to do this space in half a day which is all we had left after we zip lined. We did our best to cover a few key exhibits though before the museum closed for the night.
So is it Family Friendly?
There was so much to do in Gatineau Quebec and it’s all perfect for families. From tackling the great outdoors to soaring through trees and climbing higher at Arbraska, then visiting museums and retiring comfortably at night, Gatineau Quebec is more than worth the drive.
I highly recommend this destination and can’t wait to return.
Planning to visit Gatineau – Book a Stay at Ramada Le Plaza Manoir du Casino.
Disclosure:
We were guests of Tourism Outaouais while visiting the area. Our accommodations and all excursions were generously provided for us. This post also contains affiliate links as a service to readers at no extra cost to them. My opinion is all my own and it is also truthful.
26 Comments
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle
Gatineau looksk absolutely beautiful! I love the terrain. It sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Trips that are just full of great memories are the best.
Michelle Cantu
What a gorgeous area. I love the water it looks so inviting. I would love to visit Gatineau.
Gingermommy
Truly amazing! I have heard such great things about Gatineau. Looks like your family had a blast
Liz Mays
I’m definitely impressed with that natural view over the water. Ziplining and checking out those exhibits sounded like a blast!
Vera Sweeney
Everything there looks so breathtaking!! What an amazing place to vacation with family, looks like so much to see and do there.
ricci
Your pics are gorgeous!! I would drove to go to Quebec one day!!
Sara
What a lovely vacation you had! I went to Canada once and we had the best time!
Angela Harris
That looks like an amazing place to travel. Me and my hubby just started traveling more. Maybe this will be our next trip.
Gwendolyn Mulholland
Gatineau Park looks amazing and your pictures are beautiful. You looked like you had an amazing vacation and I will add this to my list of must visit places.
Carlee C
That is a beautiful location. We went to Canada when I was around 11 and I just couldn’t get over all of the natural attractions in the country.
Racquel Bregg
What a gorgeous place to visit. We’re hoping to travel outside the US for our family vacation next summer and this would be something I think we’d all really love.
Tatanisha Pitts-Worthey
It surely looked like you had a fun vacation! Beautiful photos of Gatineau Park looks like an excellent spot for a hike through nature.
Rebecca Swenor
It looks like you all had an amazing time as a family. I would love to visit here some day with my family. The zip lining I don’t know if I could do but may want to try it. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
lauren happel
Looks like a ton of fun!
Jasmine
Sounds like fun!! I’ve never been, looks like there so much to do!
Emma Spellman
Looks like you had a fabulous time. I could use a relaxing vacation like this!
Bonnie @wemake7
What a really pretty place. I have only been to Canada once in my life but would love to go back.
Lisa Rios
Summer is always going to be so much fun as we do travel a lot in this part of the year. Quebec sounds like a wonderful place to visit, the Gatineau park and the museum looks great as well!
alexandria
Looks really beautiful. I have never heard of it but I guess I dont really think to travel that way too much. Glad you had fun.
Lori Felix
Gatineau, Quebec sounds like a great place for a family vacation. I would have loved to do the 4 hour zip line adventure. It sounds like a fun time.
Courtneylynne
Omg gorgeous pics!!!! I just love Quebec. Would love to visit again one day 🙂
Toughcookiemommy
Pink Lake is really beautiful. I would love to spend some time canoeing and swimming in that clear and clean water.
Amber Killmon
Gatineau seems like the perfect place for a vacation. There’s a ton of stuff to do and the scenery is just breathtaking.
Carin Kilby Clark
This looks like a wonderful place to visit. I love all the pictures – thanks so much for sharing.
Rika
Gorgeous place! I’ll definitely take my kids to visit Quebec! Simply beautiful
Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen
What an amazing vacation! The place looks really nice and your room looks fantastic! I hope I can visit someday.