Disclosure: I travelled as a guest of Tourisme Québec, Tourisme Outaouais and several of the businesses mentioned in this post. None of them reviewed this post and all opinions are my own.
As road trips go, the Outaouais is a pretty quick excursion from Ottawa. Yet when you’re cycling along a waterfront trail, enjoying an unusual aromatherapy “ritual” or sipping a glass of fine wine, it can feel like you are light years from home. Here are three ways you can discover something new in your own backyard.
Cycloparc PPJ: Hop on a bike
If you don’t mind dressing for the weather, it’s not too late in the year for a few cycling outings. One option is the 92-kilometre Cycloparc PPJ, a fairly flat trail built on the railbed of the former Pontiac Pacific Junction railway in the western Outaouais, partly along the Ottawa River shore. It’s best suited to mountain and hybrid bikes, since the gravel surface can be rough on road bike tires.
In downtown Gatineau, you can cycle along paved recreational paths beside the Ottawa and Gatineau rivers, Ruisseau de la Brasserie (Brewery Creek), and Lac Leamy. There’s also a wide network of cycling routes in Gatineau Park.
And in the eastern Outaouais, you can rent a bike at the Fairmont Le Château Montebello hotel (392 rue Notre-Dame, Montebello)—even if you’re not a guest—and pedal along the property’s waterfront and forest trails. Warm up after your ride with a hot chocolate at Chocomotive, a chocolate-making “economuseum” (502 rue Notre-Dame, Montebello). If you’re looking for something more substantial, Le Zouk Resto-Pub (530 rue Notre-Dame, Montebello) is a laid-back spot to enjoy a casual meal and great local beers. (Try La Reine du Mont Vinoy, a honey beer made by Les Brasseurs Montebello, just down the road.)
Nordik Spa-Nature: Breathe deeply in a sauna
Did you know that Nordik Spa-Nature (16 chemin Nordik, Chelsea) is the largest spa in North America? When you’re big, you have to come up with all sorts of ways to soothe the weary; this place takes things far beyond simple massages and facials. One of the quirkiest innovations is the Aufguss “ritual.”
According to the Outaouais spa, this experience is based on old German traditions. Regularly throughout the day, a gong summons the curious to Nordik’s Finlandia sauna. There, a staffer places snowballs scented with essential oils onto a bed of hot rocks, then uses a towel to flap the resulting scented steam all over the sauna, as a pop soundtrack plays. It’s probably 10 percent tradition and 90 percent modern showmanship, but it’s actually quite relaxing.
Three Gatineau restaurants: Taste a new-to-you wine
Have you ever wondered about those rare vintages on upscale restaurant menus—the bottles that go for hundreds of dollars each? If you’ve ever been tempted to try one, here’s a deal that might interest you. Every Tuesday, Arôme restaurant (Hilton Lac-Leamy, 3 boulevard du Casino, Gatineau) offers 50 percent off bottles of wine priced at $100 or more. Sure, it’s still not cheap, but it might be a memorable way to celebrate a special occasion. (A word to the wise: The restaurant’s dry-aged steaks are enormous, so you can easily split one between two people.)
Wine lovers exploring the Outaouais can also check out Soif Bar à Vin (88 rue Montcalm, Gatineau), where owner Véronique Rivest—one of the world’s top-ranked sommeliers—frequently gives wine-tasting workshops. Another spot with a deep wine list is Le Cellier (49 rue Saint-Jacques, Gatineau), an elegant restaurant tucked into a modest-looking older house. It’s known for its tartares, and the shrimp salad is outstanding. Both places are within a stone’s throw of les Terrasses de la Chaudière.
If you go
For more information on visiting the Outaouais, see the Tourisme Outaouais website.
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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.
