General description and other useful bits of information In terms of exercise value, kayaking and cycling are the perfect complementary activities. If you have the time, it is great to combine a cycling trip with kayaking trip – using this park as the starting point for both.

In fact, you cross one of the paths when you carry your kayak between the parking lot and the beach. Otherwise, there is another spot about 50 feet east of the beach, but it makes for a longer portage from your vehicle.Īs a final note on the facilities, Parc Lac Leamy is one of the hubs in the network of cycling paths throughout the Ottawa-Gatineau region. If the park is quiet you should not have any problem using the main swimming beach to launch but stay outside of the roped off area. There is a canteen and excellent washroom facilities right at the beach. Access to the park and parking lot is from the Lac Leamy Parkway which heads north off of Boulevard Fournier just before it crosses the Gatineau River (check your favorite map site). If you go on a weekday you can usually get a spot very close to the beach. During the summer months there is a daily fee for parking but it is less than $10.

The parking lot is paved and is part of the Parc Lac Leamy which is well maintained by the National Capital Commission (NCC). This point of entry is about as easy as it gets and the parking is fairly close to the beach. It is always easier to enter/exit a kayak from the calm waters of a gradually sloping sandy beach than from any kind of dock structure or rock outcropping. One of the things that makes this trip particularly good for beginners is the beach access. The point of entry for this trip is the beach at Parc Lac Leamy. If you do the full route, allow 1.5 to 2.5 hours so that you will have enough time to enjoy the attractions along the way. The round trip distance for the route shown on the map above is about 5.5 km, but there are a lot of opportunities to shorten it if constrained by time or stamina. … click on the image above for a full size map …

Casino lac leamy parking