Thanks to guest author Dan Rubinstein for this great post and photos! – Laura
Every time I drive to the Laurentians from Ottawa, which is not nearly often enough, I’m struck by how close the region is to home—and how utterly, achingly beautiful it is, no matter the season. But as an obsessive cross-country skier, my favourite time to visit is winter.
Sure, we’re blessed with incredible trails in and around Ottawa. But when the undulating hills and rocky peaks of the Laurentians are swathed in a meringue of powdery snow, and the cozy cafés and pubs of charming towns that are just over two hours away beckon, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather go for a weekend.
I’ve taken two trips to the area this winter, a solo mission and a getaway with my wife, Lisa, and although there are myriad options for travellers, some of these tips could help you choose your own adventure.
Disclosures: This post contains affiliate links, which means Ottawa Road Trips will receive a small commission if you follow those links to book accommodations, at no extra cost to you. I received support during my trips to the region from Tourisme Laurentides, which neither reviewed nor approved this post. All opinions are my own.
Cross-Country Skiing
The trail networks in the Laurentians are paradise for an avid XC skier. At both Parc régional de Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and Parc régional Val-David–Val-Morin, where Lisa and I skied in early February, guests are welcomed in chalets with wood-burning fireplaces, cafeterias and friendly staff who can suggest routes and share info about grooming conditions. Day passes cost just $20 per person, providing access to more than 50 kilometres of trails in each park.
We skied for about three hours in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and four hours out of Val-David, hugging the banks of meandering rivers, crossing frozen lakes and climbing to the tops of high ridges for long, dreamy descents.
The park in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts has all-season camping pods near the chalet, which I’m keen to try during our next visit. The Val-David-Val-Morin trail network is dotted with small cabins with woodstoves, perfect for pitstops on cold days. The latter park also has some intense black trails for more advanced skiers; I did a quick, thigh-burning loop, while Lisa opted for some après-ski chai—and finished with a huge smile on my wind-burned face.
And though we didn’t ski there on this trip, the extensive trail system in Morin-Heights, a short drive to the southeast, is also excellent, with a range of easy, intermediate, challenging and ungroomed backcountry trails, as well as connections to the adjacent Viking Ski Club network.
Restaurant au petit Poucet
You need to fuel up for a day outside in winter. Restaurant au petit Poucet, on Highway 117 in Val-David, has been serving hearty, traditional Québécois breakfasts and lunches since 1945.
The massive, barn-like building is gorgeous, with rustic wood throughout and an enormous central fireplace. But the food is the main attraction here: I had two eggs, maple-smoked ham, beans with diced ham and giant slabs of country bread with homemade jam — plus smoked bacon and potatoes, of course. All this, with coffee and juice, for less than $20. Even Lisa’s “petit” breakfast, eggs with delicious grandma-style sausage patties and toast, was a belly-busting bargain at $13.95.
Don’t let the huge parking lot and customers streaming toward the door dissuade you—they’ve been taking care of hungry crowds here for decades. The food was so good, in fact, that despite how full we were, we picked up a tourtière for dinner at the deli counter on our way out.
Strøm Spa Saint-Sauveur
To soothe our sore muscles before driving back home, we stopped at Strøm Spa Saint-Sauveur, which straddles the Rivière à Simon on the site of Quebec’s first Nordic spa.
Strøm’s thermal baths, saunas and relaxation rooms are perched above the river, linked by walking paths sprinkled with firepits and Muskoka chairs (which would have been tempting if it wasn’t -20C). But the cold wasn’t a problem. I sampled all five of the spa’s thermal pools, where the plumes of wind-blown vapour made it difficult to see any of the other patrons and added to the sense of escape. I even managed to get some reading done sitting inside in an oversized chair in the sun.
Lisa decamped to the dry sauna and then a steam bath, which raised her temperature so much that she stepped down into the icy river to cool off.
We met after a couple of hours for lunch at the on-site Nord restaurant, a stylish space up a staircase at the far end of the property. Lisa’s crostini topped with roasted squash and stracciatella cheese, flavoured by an arugula emulsion, pear and sage chutney and hazelnuts, tasted as amazing as it looked. I went for the braised pork sandwich on brioche bread with corn butter and a whisky-buckthorn barbecue sauce, and used the last pinch of bread to wipe my plate clean.
As wonderful as Strøm is now, a major expansion scheduled to open next winter will add new features, including an Epsom salt-saturated floatation bath and lazy river. We can’t wait to return.
Les Routes Blanches
On my solo trip to the Laurentians in mid-January, I had an opportunity to immerse myself in backcountry Nordic skiing for the first time. With a pair of short, wide skis (rented from Expeditions Wakefield just outside Gatineau Park) that are basically a hybrid between cross-country and alpine touring skis, I spent two days doing the North Route of Les Routes Blanches, which is run by the Société de plein-air des Pays-d’en-Haut, or SOPAIR, and offers guided and self-guided trips on three different routes in the region (the North Route being the most challenging).
My adventure, which involved steep climbs and exhilarating descents up and down some of the highest peaks in the Laurentians, has convinced me to buy a pair of backcountry skis so I can explore more of these off-piste trails in the future. This historic network dates back to the 1930s, when ski-obsessed Norwegian Herman “Jackrabbit” Smith-Johannsen began blazing hundreds of kilometres of trails through the woods, popularizing the sport here and ultimately across Canada.
My trip also involved a couple of nights at Farouche Tremblant, a nature hotel just outside Parc national du Mont-Tremblant featuring gorgeous A-frame cabins, a hot tub with a panoramic view and a gourmet restaurant/lounge, Farmbar, where owners Geneviève Côté and Jonathan Casaubon serve meals with ingredients from their farm across the road.
More Recommendations
Lisa and I stayed at Oberge Inn in Val-David, a great little hotel with a gorgeous and well-equipped kitchen for guests. We were one of three couples sharing the table for pre-dinner drinks and board games a Saturday night; in the morning, deer looked into the kitchen from the lawn, and the outdoor space—barbecues and firepits overlooking Rivière du Nord—has us already planning a summer or fall stay.
We stopped for coffee at Couleur Café Signature in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and could have lingered in the warm, welcoming space all day (and though we didn’t have time for a drink next door at La Veillée Microbrasserie & Pub, we picked up a couple cans at a supermarket and they did not disappoint).
We had dinner one night at Val-David’s Le Mouton Noir, a boisterous bistro with a small but well-chosen menu (and live music on weekends). We’ve also visited both Le Général Café and the Val-David General Store for coffee and tea, and you can’t go wrong at either café.
Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to hit the MacTaverne Pub in Val-David, even though it was right across the river from our hotel, and even though we were very tempted by the Spruce Springsteen on their cocktail list. A la prochaine! And trust me, there will be a next time.
If you go
You can use the map below to find links to Farouche Tremblant, Oberge Inn and many other accommodations throughout the Laurentians.
There are lots of other posts on Ottawa Road Trips about the Laurentians, including one about the P’tit Train du Nord cycling/walking trail and another about the Sentier des Cimes observation tower.
For more information on the region, head to the Tourisme Laurentides website.
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to Ottawa Road Trips’ free weekly newsletter.
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