Outaouais Region – Québec Road Trip

Here it is – the last leg of the Quebec road trip and I can’t wait to share this next region, Outaouais, with you. This entire region is perfect for families and lone wolf travelers. Everything is so fun and vibrant here – if you traveled here alone you wouldn’t feel like that for long!

This blog post is part three of my six day Québec road trip in the Outaouais region of Québec. You can read about days 1 and 2 in the Laurentians HERE and days 3 and 4 in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region HERE.

On this six day Québec road trip, I ventured to three regions of Québec – the Laurentians, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and Outaouais. I had the pleasure of taking this girls trip with Krystle, Isabelle, Brooke, and Julia. Also, a special thank you to Braedin who came along to take photos.

Québec has 21 regions, which all have unique character. From the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the province of Ontario and from the Arctic Ocean to the United States, Québec is a huge province with so much to see! Last fall, I went to Québec to visit two other regions – Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, and Côte-Nord (Quebec Martime). You can see that Québec road trip blog post HERE.

Outaouais Region – Our Route

We left the Abitibi-Témiscaming region and Opémican National Park early in the morning to start our five hour journey to the Outaouais region. Below you can see the route and stops we made on our journey with our final destination being Montreal to catch our flights home.

Watch my trip vlog below or watch on YouTube for better quality.

Biscotti & Cie

We made a much need lunch stop at Biscotti & Cie which is located in the center of Chelsea. While you may be drawn in by their mouthwatering baked goods, make sure you stay for a meal. I had a tofu chef’s salad and oh my gosh it was a feast for the eyes and taste buds!

The chef made a selection of pastries for us and a special gluten-free, vegan fruit tart for me. I think it was the best I have ever had. I wish I lived closer because I would be going there all the time!

Gatineau Park / Pink Lake 

After lunch we had a quick stop in Gatineau Park, which is located outside Ottawa–Gatineau. We hiked the 2.5 kilometers around Pink Lake. With an Instagram-worthy name, it does not have pink sand or water, but it is just as Insta-worthy! It is named for Mr. Pink who was one of the first settlers to the area.

The trail around Pink Lake is primarily on a boardwalk and stairs which were built to protect the natural area. The magnificent greenish tint to the water of Pink Lake is caused by the growth of microscopic algae. I would LOVE to come back to visit in the autumn to see all the colour on the trees.

Fairmont Montebello

After the short hike in Gatineau Park, we made our way to the Fairmont Le Château Montebello – the world’s largest log cabin! Actually it is more like a log castle than a cabin…you definitely need to see it for yourself.

The Fairmont Le Château Montebello is situation along the Ottawa River and between Ottawa and Montreal. It was a dream and would highly recommend staying at again! It was the perfect way to end our road trip.

There are many activities that you can do on the property, such as swimming in the indoor and outdoor swimming pools, biking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and tennis. For dinner we had Château Montebello’s famous barbecue on the terrace overlooking the Ottawa River. There was so much good food!

Parc Omega

The next morning we watch the sun rise over the Ottawa River, had breakfast and then name our way to the Montreal airport with one last stop at Parc Omega. Here you get to experience Canadian wildlife (like wolves, wapitis, foxes and bears) in protected spaces.

You can drive through the park or take a bus (which is what we did). We got an opportunity to get out and feed carrots to the deer (which were very cute).

Parc Omega also offers a fun overnight experience in their wolf cabins. Yes, you heard me right…you sleep in a cabin surrounded by a pack of wolves. Since we had to get to the airport, we didn’t stay overnight, but had an opportunity to take a peek. On the list for next trip for sure.

With my friends, new and old, we had such a blast exploring all of Outaouais and frankly, the other two regions that we visited, too. It was an extremely beautiful trip.

If/when you have the chance to stay in Quebec, I would highly recommend somewhat following the itinerary that we followed if hiking and the outdoors are your thing! Honestly, Quebec has something for anyone. It was a gorgeous trip and I can’t wait to get back there and do it all over again.

Looking for more places to visit in Quebec? Check out my Mauricie Region – Québec Road Trip.

This post has been sponsored by Tourisme Quebec. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the destinations that support me.