Winter walks: discover snow-covered treasures
En Petite Nation remains an extraordinary place to enjoy winter.
Activities such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and skating are available at many locations in the 25 municipalities.
Tobogganing is always a must. The Centre touristique du Lac-Simon in Duhamel and a few other places, including Camp Air-Eau-Bois in Bowman, offer the chance to slide down snow-covered slopes.
And what about dog sledding? Year after year, these outings have grown in popularity. We're fortunate in Petite Nation to be able to count on the presence of Meute Tanwen, Chiens traîneaux Petite-Nation and Chiens de traîneau Gatineau Sled Dogs .
Another great way to enjoy winter is on a mountain bike. You can practice this sport directly at the Fairmont le Château Montebello thanks to Montebello Vélo de Montagne. A Fatbike festival is even planned for February 24. Here's a great opportunity to discover this sport and warm up after a beautiful day outdoors around a roaring fire, or even enjoy a new curling experience?
Other Petite Nation winter activities include the Fête des Semences on January 27 in Papineauville. Every year, gardening stars are invited.
Several carnivals will also be held in the villages in February. Slides, shows, film screenings, inflatable games and entertainment are all on the schedule. Ice fishing will be in the spotlight at the Féeries du chevreuil in Duhamel on January 27 and 28.
Numerous evening hikes are offered to discover different places. The torchlight hike in the Forêt Bowman regional park is a must on February 3. In Saint-Émile-de-Suffolk, the Forêt-La-Blanche Ecological Reserve in Mayo is a rendez-vous on February 24 and January 27.
For those who prefer to experience winter indoors, shows are held at Salle Desjardins in Papineauville, Pub St-André in Saint-André-Avellin and Coopérative Place du marché in Ripon.
You can also visit the Passe ton temps boutique in Saint-André-Avellin, where you can discover a range of board games.
The Canadian Ski Marathon takes place from February 9 to 11 in Montebello. This legendary adventure is worth experiencing at least once in your life.