During late September and early October, the rich hues of red, orange and gold set the hills of Gatineau Park in western Quebec Canada ablaze. A short drive 15 minute from Canada’s capital city, Ottawa , Gatineau is a 361 square kilometer wilderness area that comes alive with color during the fall months.
Gatineau is ayear round outdoor enthusiast’s paradise offering a wide variety of biodiversity. There are over 1,000 plant species, 50 different types of trees, 230 bird species and around 50 types of mammals, including black bears and beavers. Hikers, cyclists and skiers populate the park seasonally but it is the fall colors that attract the most visitors.
Possibly one of the most beautiful places in Canada, Gatineau is located “at the junction of the Canadian Shield and the St. Lawrence Lowlands”. Created in 1938 as a wilderness sanctuary today the park is also home to a well known heritage site, the Mackenzie King Estate. The estate was donated to the park by former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and one of his former cottages is now a quaint teahouse. King also collected ruined building facades and they can be seen on his estate giving the park a strange mythical feel.
A fall drive through Gatineau will reward visitors with a bouquet of color along the picturesque hills and valleys. Drive up to one of the view points and observe the fall colors of the valley from the either the Champlain, Huron or Etienne-Brule lookouts.
The colors are at their best beside many of the small lakes and ponds that can be found in the park. Here beavers make their dams and remind us of Canada’s heritage which was built on the fur trade, primarily the beaver pelt. Today we hunt beavers with our cameras and take home photos instead of hides.
Have afternoon tea at the MacKenzie King teahouse also known as Moorside. Enjoy a traditional afternoon tea or a light lunch. The walk from the parking lot to the Victorian teahouse takes you past the ruins and through the gardens along forest paths designed by King himself. King collected the facades of historical building that were being torn down and they have been preserved on his estate as a little piece of Canadian history.
If the fall colors, quaint teahouse and fantastic outdoor environment are not enough, then visit on the small towns in the area such as Old Chelsea and partake in some Quebec culture and atmosphere before you make the short drive back to Ottawa.
Gatineau Park is one of the most colorful places in Canada during the fall. The large variety of trees and vegetation make the Gatineau hills come alive with fantastic hues of color. The park is scenic any time of the year but it is in late September and early October that this wilderness really shines. It is no wonder that artists love to paint and photograph this truly colorful scenery and visitors return year after year to this magical place.
Photos by Diana Ellis
