Gatineau Park is the National Capital Region’s conservation park. Thank you to my geologist husband John for penning this blog and to Ottawa Tourism for hosting us. In my opinion they are two of the best places you could visit in Gatineau. My target was Pink Lake, about 8km inside the park boundary and that made for a 30km round trip. A family-friendly outing in Gatineau Park. That sea called the Champlain Sea deposited sediments called the Leda clay in respect of the small marine clams it contains. Not Pink Lake right away because the Pinks still had not emigrated to Canada. Fall colors at their best around Pink Lake, Gatineau Park in Quebec. Despite having the name “Pink,” the lake is actually green. A few weeks ago I cycled up into Gatineau Park, just outside of Ottawa in Quebec. And if you’ve never been to Ottawa these are 10 things you must do on a visit to the city. It’s nice having wilderness this close to the city, even if I don’t use it enough! Pink Lake Trail Loop is a 1.4 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Gatineau, Quebec, Canada that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. Given Ottawa is only about 35 metres above sea level that means – you guessed it – that Ottawa and what is now Pink Lake in Gatineau Park were under the sea. This pothole which was  filled with seawater rose above sea level and has now become a lake. Then hike on the Pink Lake hiking trail (LEFT SIDE TRAIL IS QUICKER). Once the glaciers melted and meltwater ran off, the earth’s crust started rising in a process known as (you’ll impress your friends with these words) isostatic rebound. Pink Lake is a popular photo spot in Gatineau Park and features a number of picture ready lookouts along its shores. The Pink part relates to the name of the family that settled nearby and “loaned” their name to the lake. The parking lot for Pink Lake lookout remains open. These commissions help reduce the ever-increasing costs of keeping this site active. The surface of the waters are a deep green during the month of August and September due to the abundance of algae in the water. Ottawa, Old Chelsea and even the town of Wakefield are both close by. Discover Canada: 100 Inspiring Outdoor Adventures, Exploring the Magdalen Islands in Quebec by Bike, Quebec Road Trip: Quebec City to Havre-Saint-Pierre, A Trip to Mingan Archipelago National Park in Quebec. [1], For lakes containing carotenoid-producing algae, see, "Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand by Fred Vargas, trans. Tiny algae in the lake give it a bright green colour. Pink Lake in Gatineau Park, located less than a half hour drive from downtown Ottawa, is not what you think it might be. Your email address will not be published. Gatineau Park is a 363 square km natural area, just a 15 minutes drive from Parliament Hill Ottawa. Pink Lake is named after a family of Irish settlers who in 1826 cleared a farm in the area. This post includes some affiliate links. It, personally, has one of my favourite beaches in Gatineau Park and you can easily road trip to this long, winding lake in less than an hour by car. WARNING: do not enter through the fenced holes. The lake's name comes from the Pink family who originally owned property in the area. The lake is in danger of eutrophication due to anthropogenic activities. Length 1.4 miElevation gain 209 ftRoute type Loop It took over 3000 years for the lake to turn from salt water to fresh water (generally a lake of this size shouldn't take over a few decades) and as a result some of the salt water fishes adapted to fresh water. Pink Lake is a typical shield lake. It’s the one leading up to Pink Lake, and it is fairly long and definitely one of the steeper hills on the Gatineau Parkway (a climb of 220 ft or 67 m). Pink Lake – it actually isn’t a pink lake but it is named after the Pink Family who settled here in the early 1800’s. The park includes many other lakes. I love the Moulin Wakefield Mill Hotel & Spa – great food, lovely hot tub and a pretty setting. Pink Lake in Gatineau Park, located less than a half hour drive from downtown Ottawa, is not what you think it might be. What is really cool about Pink Lake is that it actually contains two lakes in one. however it must be reported that not all patrons were equally excited. So what you might say. The surface of the water dark green in August and September due to the abundance of algae in the water. ★ Pink Lake (Canada) Pink lake is a meromictic lake located in Gatineau Park, Quebec, Canada. The Pink Lake Trail is in Gatineau Park. A couple of outlooks have seats and you may want to linger awhile. Thank you very much. Pink Lake Lookout Gatineau, Quebec Short and sweet hiking trail Pink Lake Trail Gatineau, Quebec One of the lookouts over Pink Lake, in Gatineau Park near Ottawa, Canada. Leigh McAdam is an award-winning, Calgary-based writer, photographer and social media enthusiast with over 61,000 followers. Crazy eh! All in all it’s a very pleasant short hike, likely to be shared with a lot of young families like we did on a weekend. Lots of hiking trails, Mackenzie King Estate, the scenic drive, picnic areas, etc. Well we didn’t really learn much about them so let’s talk about the experience. Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest board. First off, the only thing pink about it are the colourful visitors ambling around the lake on the Pink Lake Trail. Pink Lake Pink Lake is a meromictic lake located in Gatineau Park, Quebec, Canada.The surface of the waters are a deep green during the month of August and September due to … This hike primary trail can be used both directions and has a moderate overall physical rating. I’ve lived in the National Capital Region for most of my life, so I get to hike beautiful trails like this one whenever I want to. The lake is in danger of eutrophication due to human activities. The unusual makeup of the lake makes it one of the most famous spots in the reserve in the Canadian capital region. Her blog: HikeBikeTravel is frequently cited as one of the top travel and outdoor adventure blogs in Canada. OK enough science let’s talk about the Pinks. Skiing and snowshoeing in winter. Pink Lake Review of Gatineau Park Reviewed August 10, 2019 via mobile Gatineau Park is a vast (139 square miles) recreational space to the north and west of Gatineau City Centre. There is a hiking trail surrounding the lake. Park management forbids swimming in the lake, walking domestic animals near it, straying from the wooden boardwalk for sight-seers, and throwing stones into the lake. It used to be a salt water lake as a part of the oceans. Pink Lake is a poorly rated 2,148 m blue singletrack trail located near Chelsea Quebec. Birders keep your eyes and ears open. Drive to the Pink Lake parking lot in Gatineau Park. Here are a couple of suggestions, mostly based on personal experience. It's hard work getting… The full ring around the lake will take between a 45 minutes to an hour depending on your pace. Distance: 4.4 km | Time: 1 hour | Difficulty: Easy | Parking Lot 11. And in Old Chelsea, Auberge Old Chelsea would be a great choice, especially if you have plans to visit the Nordik Spa. The Goat Lake Hike in Waterton Lakes National Park, Where to Go Snowshoeing in Banff National Park, Tonquin Valley Hiking Guide – What You Need to Know. It's nice having wilderness this close to the city, even if I don't use it enough! Pink Lake, Promenade de la Gatineau, Le Plateau, Hull, Chelsea, Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais, Outaouais, Quebec, J9J 1G8, Canada (45.46846-75.80801). The holes should be all fenced in. It is a rare meromictic lake, … These kind of lakes are very rare and it is the only one of its kind among Gatineau Park's 63 lakes. At the top of this hill is an outdoor interpretative centre about the ecology of Pink Lake. As mentioned in the Mer Bleu blog, they have also found beluga whale bones and notably humpback whale bones near Smith Falls in the Leda clay as well. If you want another interesting hike check out the nearby Carbide Willson Ruins. Because so little new water flows into the lake and the high rims protect it from the wind there is very little mixing of water in the lake, in fact so little that the lake is one of the few meromictic lakes in the world. Due to the meromictic properties of Pink Lake there are ancient forms of bacteria which use sulfur instead of oxygen to perform photosynthesis. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and nature trips and is best used from April until October. These bacteria form a layer about 7 metres from the bottom to avoid the oxygenated water and maximize sunlight exposure. I first…, Your email address will not be published. It has a three-season trail and a lookout. Gatineau Park: Gatineau Park : Pink Lake - See 1,036 traveler reviews, 608 candid photos, and great deals for Gatineau, Canada, at Tripadvisor. My target was Pink Lake, about 8km inside the park boundary and that made for a 30km round trip. First off, the only thing pink about it are the colourful visitors ambling around the lake on the Pink Lake Trail. My store contains affiliate links. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Dick Bell Park 5 Parks, Boating. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. From the lookouts, you can explore connecting hiking trails, such as the path that surrounds Pink Lake, another popular lookout spot in the park. Gatineau Park Trail 76 is a 2.5 mile loop trail located near Gatineau, Quebec, Canada that offers the chance to see wildlife and is good for all skill levels. It’s one of the most scenic trails, with stunning views of the lake at every turn. The lake is in danger of eutrophication due to human activities. A few weeks ago I cycled up into Gatineau Park, just outside of Ottawa in Quebec. A well maintained trail makes its way along the shores of the lake and a number of lookouts and other photo opportunities await. Gatineau Park has so much to offer just minutes from downtown Ottawa. That much weight actually sinks the earth’s crust about 175 metres. There are pretty steady views of the lake at water level and from some higher outlooks. Pink Lake plays a symbolic role in the novel Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand by Fred Vargas. Pink Lake is a meromictic lake located in Gatineau Park, Quebec, Canada. Leigh McAdam is a Calgary based writer, author, photographer and social media enthusiast with over 61,000 followers. The Pink part relates to the name of the family that settled nearby and “loaned” their name to the lake. Pink Lake Trail and the trail parking lot are temporarily closed until further notice, due to the thunderstorms on Friday. Walk until you see big openings in the ground (Approx 1KM IN). Personally, we love going up and down stairs as that is awesome conditioning for our adventures…. Well, this means the original saltwater trapped in the lake took a very long time to be diluted with fresh water…. Park management forbids swimming in the lake, walking domestic animals near it, straying from the wooden boardwalk for sight-seers, and throwing stones into the lake. Pink Lake Gatineau, Quebec Hiked around Pink Lake yesterday. © 2019 Hike Bike Travel | All Rights Reserved. And you can see lots of 3 spined stickleback fish milling about near shore. Pink Lake is Gatineau Park’s most outstanding lake, because of its unusual makeup. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. The Carbide Wilson Ruins is technically more of a… That secret I was talking about; everybody that walks around Pink Lake and reads the great information panels will know the secret too! Gatineau Park: Pink Lake - See 1,036 traveler reviews, 608 candid photos, and great deals for Gatineau, Canada, at Tripadvisor. Morrison's Quarry and Pink Lake is at least a 30-40 minute drive from Ottawa. Thanks for reading! Sian Reynolds", Pink Lake, an Important Paleoclimatic Record, Pink Lake in Gatineau Park's photo gallery, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pink_Lake_(Canada)&oldid=989507462, Articles using infobox body of water without alt, Articles using infobox body of water without pushpin map alt, Articles using infobox body of water without alt bathymetry, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 November 2020, at 11:16. so long in fact that a fish trapped in the seawater in the rising lake called a 3 spined stickleback has evolved from a saltwater fish into a freshwater fish. 3259 Carling Ave. “A nice, scenic park along the Ottawa River, this … It all started about 9,000 years ago when the continental ice sheet which was over 1.6 km thick had retreated from the Ottawa-Gatineau area. The bottom seven metres of this 20 metre deep lake have virtually no oxygen. The largest green space in the region, the Park occupies an area of more than 361 square kilometres, and … Pink Lake Review of Gatineau Park Reviewed August 10, 2019 via mobile Gatineau Park is a vast (139 square miles) recreational space to the north and west of Gatineau City Centre. The trail goes up and down a lot but none of the climbs will pose any problems for anyone able to walk. Author of Discover Canada: 100 Inspiring Outdoor Adventures Co-author of 125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta, The Magdalen Islands or their French name - Îles de la Madeleine are an archipelago…, If you're looking for a Quebec road trip that's a little different, why not drive…, For years the Mingan Archipelago National Park has been on my bucket list. In Ottawa I have enjoyed a stay at the Andaz Hotel perfectly located in the Byward Market area. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching. Its rare beauty makes it one of the most popular sites in the Park. Pink Lake also has a desalinized variant of the three-spined stickleback fish. Required fields are marked *. Take some time to read the educational signs that explain what type of lake it is and why it is so important that we help preserve it. To facilitate climbing and descending the steep little bluffs on the trail there are several well constructed stairways. Located in the breathtaking Gatineau Park and surrounded by mountains and trees, this lake will exceed your expectations. Yet, only one lake in a thousand is meromictic. There is more geology that is interesting but that would be pushing my luck especially after I snuck in the mica mine in the previous paragraph. The surface of the waters are a deep green during the month of August and September due to the abundance of algae in the water. Lots of “normal” algae grows in the upper water and so Pink Lake is actually more greenish than not. The Westin Ottawa – just a stone’s throw from the Rideau Canal is also a very good choice. No description for Pink Lake trail has been added yet! One can walk 2.5 km around Pink Lake in Gatineau Park on a well-maintained trail but fair warning – it is not wheelchair friendly. Pink Lake is a meromictic lake located in Gatineau Park, Quebec, Canada. Her blog: HikeBikeTravel is frequently cited as one of the top travel and outdoor adventure blogs in Canada. So serene. This small (one km long) rising lake is special because it has a high rim not much bigger than the lake itself so its catchment area is small and no rivers or creeks flow into it. Gatineau Park is the outdoor playground for Canada's National Capital Region (Ottawa and Gatineau).It offers amazing possibilities for outdoor recreation, within a 20 minutes drive of either city. Gatineau Park provides habitat to many mammals typical of Canada’s wilderness, such as river otter, snowshoe hare, red fox, moose, coyote, wolf, beaver, raccoon, white-tailed deer and black bear. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Lac Pink and a sweaty Englishman. Submit one here. At that time Pink Lake wasn’t a lake at all but rather a big pothole in the sea floor. This is a short loop trail that wraps around Pink Lake in Gatineau Park. In 2006, research was in progress to identify the patterns of atmospheric conditions over the past 10,000 years by examining the annual deposits of sediment in Pink Lake. Wolverine and Eastern Cougar occur here, but are rarely seen. The largest, furthermost lake from downtown Ottawa in Gatineau Park, but it's certainly worth the mission. It can be a bit tricky to figure out where you’re going, because when you type Pink Lake into Google Maps, there are a few different spots that pop up (like the lake itself, and a lookout off of the Gatineau Parkway). Learn how your comment data is processed. The trail is wrapped in Mother Nature’s arms so it is peaceful and soothing. In fact, there is algae in this oxygen poor zone that photosynthesizes with sulfur not CO2. If you make a purchase via one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You’ll walk by some old pits where they used to mine mica. Pink Lake is a beautiful trail in the Gatineau Park, in Canada, with a fascinating history and unique ecosystem. One thing of note in the summer – or perhaps we just lucked into accidentally going at the wrong time – is that the road will be full of cyclists, most of whom seemed to have little interest in sharing the road. This includes: skiing (cross-country and downhill), hiking, canoeing, camping, rock-climbing, mountain biking, roller-blading, wildlife watching and leisurely strolls. It may be called Pink Lake but its water is the most beautiful shade of turquoise you have ever seen. Pink Lake is a meromictic lake found in the park. The lake is an ecological treasure of the Park. 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