Gatineau Park
Sector
A 361 km² federal park inside the Ottawa commuter belt, which makes it the most heavily winter-used terrain in this guide. The park grooms about 200 km of ski trails and leaves the rest to snowshoers; the Eardley escarpment gives it 200 m of relief in a single step.
Luskville Escarpment
The western block of the park, where the Eardley escarpment drops into the Ottawa valley in a series of rock steps. Short, steep, and the only place in the park where a fall matters.
La Pêche Lake Block
The northern lakes block: a string of shallow, spring-fed lakes connected by short portages that double as snowshoe links in winter. Ice thickness is the single variable that decides whether a route here goes.
Deepest base recorded in this sector: 79 cm. Sector centre %.