With a Gatineau Park ski pass, Mont Cascades ski pass or other season passes, you can save on winter fun in the Outaouais, the Laurentians, Eastern Ontario and upstate New York in 2023 and 2024. You can even enjoy a lot of free winter activities in Ottawa! Here’s how to plan ahead.
Get a Gatineau Park ski pass and other park passes
Until Thursday, November 30, season passes for winter activities in Gatineau Park are available at pre-sale prices. Pre-sale prices for snowshoeing and snow biking only are $42.54 for youth (aged 13 to 17), $49.44 for students (aged 18 and up) and seniors (aged 60 and up), $58.64 for adults (aged 18 to 59), and $154.07 for a family (maximum of two adults and three youths).
Pre-sale prices for passes that include cross-country skiing, as well as snowshoeing and snow biking, are $106.93 for youth, $121.87 for students and seniors, $193.16 for adults and $439.20 for a family.
After November 30, passes are still available at full prices.
P.S.: Did you know that you can borrow day passes to Gatineau Park for free from libraries throughout the National Capital Region? The NCC website I’ve linked to above has details.
Even non-discounted passes can be a deal
If you visit a site frequently, look into the value you’ll gain by getting a season pass instead of day tickets. The more you go, the more you’ll save! Here are just a few examples. (Note that prices shown for adult ski passes and lift tickets are for younger adults; prices are generally lower for seniors, youth and children, so do check the websites. You can also often get deals if you buy weekday, shoulder season, half-day or night skiing tickets.)
- At the RiverOak Skate Trail on Ottawa’s southeastern edge, you can get a Black Friday deal on season passes until Friday, December 1.
- At the Patinage de fôret skate trail in Lac-des-Loups, Quebec, you can get a pre-season discount on season passes if you buy by Thursday, November 30.
- At Mont Cascades ski hill in Cantley, Quebec, adult (non-senior) full-day lift tickets range from $41 to $52, while all-ages season passes range from $219 to $519.
- At Mount Pakenham in Pakenham, Ontario, adult full-day lift tickets range from $43 to $48, but a regular adult season pass is $475.
- At Calabogie Peaks in Calabogie, Ontario, adult full-day lift tickets range from $51 to $61, and a regular adult season pass is $726.
Free winter fun in and around Ottawa
You don’t need a pass of any sort to enjoy these winter facilities (although some do encourage donations, and that’s a great thing to do if you can). Learn about them now, so you’ll be ready when the snow flies! (P.S.: These are just a few of the many free things you can do in and around Ottawa to get outdoors in the winter.)
- The Rideau Canal Skateway: The groomed surface of the world’s largest skating rink stretches 7.8 kilometres from the National Arts Centre to the Hartwell Locks.
- Rink of Dreams: This free, refrigerated skating rink at Ottawa City Hall is usually open from early morning until late evening.
- Skating Court, Lansdowne Park: Here’s another free, refrigerated rink in Ottawa’s central core.
- Kìchì Sìbì Winter Trail: This looping multi-use route includes trails on the south side of the Ottawa River, between the Canadian War Museum and Westboro. There are two track-set trails for cross-country skiing, and a trail between them for snowshoeing, fat biking, skate skiing, running and walking.
- Rideau Winter Trail: This cross-country trail meanders along the east and south shores of the Rideau River from Vanier to Billings Bridge.
- Ski Heritage East: Despite its name, parts of this 40-kilometre trail network are open to snowshoers, fat bikers, walkers and runners, as well as cross-country skiers. It connects the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Rockcliffe to Trim Road in Orleans, along the Ottawa River shore.
So whether you’re looking for Gatineau Park ski passes, skate trail passes or free winter fun, I’ve got you covered! For other winter fun inspiration, check out my posts about skate trails and easy winter hiking trails. And if you’d like to soak in an outdoor hot tub after (or instead of!) all that brisk exercise, here’s my guide to Quebec Nordic-style spas.
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.
As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.