page_title: Gatineau Park
section_title: Sites and activities
hierarchical_section_title: Gatineau Park / Sites and activities
caption_attribution_description: English: Wilder Mendez
context_page_description: Gatineau Park is a federal park located in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. Administered by the National Capital Commission as part of the National Capital Region, Gatineau Park is a 361 square kilometres wedge of land extending north and west from the city of Gatineau. With a perimeter of 179.2 kilometres, the park includes parts of the municipalities of Chelsea, Pontiac, La Pêche, and the City of Gatineau. The main entrance to the park is 4 kilometres north of downtown Ottawa, Ontario.
  The park's area has a long history of human inhabitation and usage predating the arrival of European settlers. Its more recent pre-park history includes various forms of human exploitation such as farming, logging, hunting, and industrial activity. The idea of creating a park in the Gatineau Hills for recreational purposes was proposed as early as 1903. In 1938 money was allotted for the acquisition of Gatineau woodlands and the construction of a parkway.
  The Government of Canada maintains a conference centre at Meech Lake, known as Willson House, the site of meetings leading to a failed attempt to reform Canada's Constitution in 1987, the Meech Lake Accord.
context_section_description: Gatineau Park is a recreational destination offering public facilities including beaches, campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, and parkways. There are 165 km (103 mi) of hiking trails and 90 km (56 mi) of trails for mountain bikes and the Trans Canada Trail passes through the park. The park is also popular with cyclists where many routes are quite steep and very demanding on legs, heart and lungs.
  Beaches are located at Meech Lake, Lac Phillipe and La Pêche Lake. While no camping is allowed at Meech Lake, there are campgrounds at the other two lakes. All three lakes are open to canoeists, but gas motor boats are only allowed at Meech Lake due to the presence of many private properties.
  Cross-country skiing is one of the park's main recreational activities. Nearly 200 km (120 mi) of cross-country trails criss-cross the park, which hosts the annual Gatineau Loppet ski race (formerly known as Keskinada Loppet). Downhill skiing and snowboarding are engaged in at Camp Fortune.
  During the summer months, Camp Fortune offers an aerial experience including ziplines and treetop obstacles.
  Although the practice is not formally permitted in the park, some of the more secluded corners are popular with nudists. In particular there is an unofficial nude beach that has been in use since the late 1930s. Located northwest of parking lot P11 on trail 36, the beach is extensively used by members of Ottawa's gay community.
  The Mackenzie King Estate, the former summer home of William Lyon Mackenzie King, the tenth Prime Minister of Canada, with its 231 hectares of landscaped green space, is located south of Kingsmere Lake. The cottages, including Kingswood and the primary residence, Moorside, were recently restored and now feature interactive exhibits about Mackenzie King's era. There is a café and tea room at the estate. The estate also features the picturesque collection of stone ruins and a small waterfall that runs down the escarpment near Moorside. Mackenzie King donated his estate to the people of Canada at his death in 1950.
  Located at Kingsmere, the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada since 1955, and known as The Farm, was part of William Lyon Mackenzie King's estate. This rural property consists of a renovated farmhouse and five outbuildings surrounded by 1.74 hectares (4 acres) of fields and forests. The residence is closed to the public, but a virtual tour is available.
  Also located inside the park is the Prime Minister of Canada's country retreat and official summer residence Harrington Lake, also called Lac Mousseau.
  At the end of the Gatineau Parkway, Champlain lookout provides views of the Ottawa Valley from high atop the Eardley Escarpment. When leaves change colour in fall, tourists and locals are drawn to the park's lookouts, roads, and pathways to enjoy the autumn scenery.
  Pink Lake is a meromictic lake found in the park. Tiny algae in the lake give it a bright green colour. The lake's name comes from the Pink family who originally owned property in the area. The park includes many other lakes.
  King Mountain, the highest peak in Gatineau, rising an almost vertical 345 m (1,132 ft) from the Eardley Escarpment, was the first triangulation point in Canada. Also, the mountain's unique positioning provides an interesting spectrum of vegetation ranging from evergreen and deciduous forests to windswept savannas. The mountain is also home to a number of trees which are rare in the area, including some that are nearly 600 years old. For many years, a 30-foot-high (9.1 m) red-coloured cedar cross was located on top of King Mountain. Originally erected by Old Chelsea's parish priest, Father Maguire, it could be seen for miles around. It eventually rotted and fell over the cliff.
caption: Ziplining in the park
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