After another session of physiotherapy, I had decided to check out the long anticipated King Mountain Trail. My physiotherapist and I had determined that the sprains in my knees have been healing presumably well. I also purchased trekking poles to help, as I had read online that they can take off about 40% of the weight on your knees when trekking-- this, I can definitely vouch for. The trail takes about an hour to complete. If you stop to take photos and enjoy the scenery, it most likely will take about 1.5 hours. There are a lot of lookout spots here, so I suggest taking your time to check each one out. Also, climbing of the rocks are necessary to get a great view in some areas. Having a friend nearby helps, especially if you need a helping hand when climbing!
There is a split pathway before the pond. The pathway to the right is the one with stones and much easier to climb than the left. The left contains many wooden stairs and is quite steep at times. I recommend taking the pathway to the right since it is a gradual but steady increase. I tried to use my trekking poles here but it was actually awkward and more difficult for me than without them. The rest of the path, the trekking poles were very useful.
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| The pond right at the start of the trail |
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| My physiotherapist at the top, giving me encouragement! |
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| Looking downwards |
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| There are tons of rocks, so be careful, especially after a rainfall |
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| First great view |
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| Me, at the top :) |
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| Second great view |
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| Looking over the edge |
This Gatineau Park trail is one of the more challenging trails. Due to the presence of numerous rocks, I would not recommend running here since it's very easy to trip over the edge of a rock. The path is not smooth or even, especially when going upwards.
Going back down, the trail is much easier because there is a built staircase. There are also some structures along the trail, and the signs are worth a good read.
Remember to always take a moment to breathe. This trail definitely has some elevation to it. This trail may not be very high in terms of elevation, however, for future notice, the higher the elevation, the more important it is to take a breath with each step. In hikes on mountains that are much higher, altitude sickness can occur and is very serious. This will be covered more in depth in another section where higher elevation is more of a concern, however, if you are curious, you can check into altitude sickness here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness.
Check out King Mountain Trail in Gatineau Park if you're looking for a moderate-challenging hike that takes around 1-1.5 hours to complete and has great views!
2. Lime Kiln Trail
(Stony Swamp/ Greenbelt -P10)
Honestly, I really love this stony swamp area that the NCC has worked on. I really want to congratulate these people for preserving our wetlands and developing these wonderful trails outdoors. I find this area very authentic, and I've probably visited the trails in these areas more often, or maybe just as much as I visit Gatineau Park trails. These trails don't have much elevation as compared to Gatineau Park, actually, they're relatively flat. The animal interaction here is incredible though, and something quite special. So here, in the lime kiln trail are exactly that: remnants or ruins of an old lime producing oven. In earlier days, this structure was where lime was produced by heating limestone. Lime was used as a binding product for building blocks, such as stones or bricks, etc. It was also used as a stabilizing product in floors.
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| Second structure of Lime Kiln (essentially an oven) |
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| Looking into the kiln |
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| Looking down from the top |
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| Top of Kiln |
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Continuous trail after the kiln
So it was raining and my friend and I decided to continue walking for a bit. This trail wasn't as exciting as the kiln but it was a nice distance nonetheless. After reaching the main road finally, we decided to return back to lime kiln. As if that wasn't exciting enough, the weather started to ease up a bit and the rain stopped.
 My friend correctly identified them as chickadees. I used a whistle and seeds to entice them and pique their curiosity. Though the chickadees were the only birds to approach and interact, it was still tons of fun. Unfortunately, The birds were totally uninterested in the seeds.My friend had to be ready with the camera to take these pictures because the birds were quick to become frightened and fly away. It was a great experience overall :)
Lime Kiln Trail is definitely a great quick hike worth checking out in the Stony Swamp area. 3. Petrie Islands Petrie Islands is located in East Ottawa. Basically you head east on the 174, direction to Trim Rd. Turn left on Trim Rd. and continue for about 5 minutes and you will reach Petrie Islands. Keep driving to the very back, where you will eventually see parking lots. The trails are along the left side and the beach to your right. The parking is $2.00 for 5 hours. It's definitely an area that has more activity with people of all ages visiting. This is definitely a more commercialized wetland conservation area which is family oriented. The trails are quite short, where the longest is maybe about 30 minutes long. There are quite a few people fishing as well. This hike spot is definitely a flat area, but worth checking out if you haven't done so already. Plus there is a beach, so that option is great if you enjoy sunbathing and swimming. Check the online e.coli levels to see if it is safe to swim in these waters before visiting so that you are not surprised if it is closed to swimmers. Be mindful that e.coli levels are always higher after a rainfall. Here are some pictures along the trails of Petrie Islands:     For a nice family oriented hike area with short and fairly easy trails, Petrie Islands is a nice place to visit. Some great pictures can be taken here as well. 4. Waterfall Trail This trail is located in Gatineau Park. I really wanted to do this trail because last time I couldn't reach the waterfall due to the how steep it was (I was in the acute stages of my sprained knees). Apparently, the flow was very weak 3 weeks ago. I was extremely happy when I got to the waterfall. It was a great place to just meditate for a bit. I tried checking out the 1.3 km Lauriault trail to see if there was anything interesting but it just lead to a parking lot.
It's a relatively quick hike from Mackenzie King estate. Max 30 minutes. If you want to skip the estate, just continue driving straight past the entrance to the estate and park at the next stop which is the Waterfall trail lot. Go to the left side of the parking lot and use that entrance to quickly arrive at the waterfall. The other entrance to the right and front of the lot will lead back to Mackenzie King estate. I only realized this afterwards. Check out the waterfall trail when you get a chance! It's a great place to hang out and enjoy nature and the sounds of water flowing. |
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