The Skyline Trail- A 5.6 Km. Hike in Gatineau Park

The NCC lists the Skyline Trail in Gatineau Park as difficult. But when I looked at the length and elevation gain, I thought to myself, no way! That doesn’t look too hard at ALL.

But then I sprained my ankle while I was out hiking it, so… Maybe they were right.

As I write this, I’m icing my ankle, but I’m going to do my best to be an impartial reviewer. That being said, the Skyline Trail was pretty great, even though there was tons of mud. It was absolutely perfect for a short Sunday afternoon hike. And as a bonus, there were some beautiful views!

Plus, dogs are allowed on this trail (as long as they’re on a leash!), so we got to see all kinds as we hiked along.

The “Skyline Trail” is also listed as Trail 6 on the Gatineau Park maps. And you have to take two different trails to get there: Trails 30 and 1. Trails 30 and 1 are actually “shared trails,” which means you might come across mountain bikers too. The Skyline Trail is strictly for hiking.

Getting There

Since we were starting out at the trailhead for Trail 30, we needed to park at P7. I love driving through Gatineau Park, because the roads are so wind-y and the forest is so beautiful. This drive was no exception, and it felt like I was there in no time.

You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.490653, -75.841600.

I didn’t know ahead of time, but there are actually two parking lots, P7A and P7B. And they were huge! There was TONS of parking. I parked in P7A, because that’s where the trailhead was.

The Trailhead

The trailhead was really easy it find. It was at the back of the parking lot. There was a map posted right beside it, and a wooden barrier across the trail.

The map that was posted was NOT helpful. There was a big “you are here” arrow, which was great… Except it covered all the trails that we wanted to hike! Fortunately, I had downloaded the trail map ahead of time, so I could refresh my memory using that.

There were outhouses near the trailhead, and they had hand sanitizer available in them.

I didn’t spot any picnic tables. But the drive there takes you past so many little cafes that you won’t go hungry anyways!

The Trail

After putting on our hiking boots, we set out on Trail 30. It was a super wide dirt path that made for really easy hiking… To begin with.

The trail was marked with really distinct trail markers, with the number 30 on them. That made it really easy to know exactly which trail we were on.

After hiking only 0.25 kilometres, the trail started to head uphill. We came across a well-established trail branching off into the forest on our right after hiking only half a kilometre. It had boulders on either side of it, which made it look kind of official. But, checking the map, there was no trail noted there. I’m guessing it’s a trail that was created by a bunch of people going off the main trail in the same spot.

The trail then began to head downhill for a bit (phew!). About a hundred metres later, it split where Trail 8 joined it. Trail 8 was well marked, with a numbered sign close to the split. There was also a “30” trail marker, so we knew we had to stay to our right to stick with the trail we wanted.

Lookouts!

There were lots of great little lookouts along this trail, and we came to the first one after hiking for only a kilometre. The lookout was on our right hand side. It was very official. It had a name and everything- Wattsford’s Lookout. There was a bench at this lookout, making it a great spot to stop for a little rest.

We stopped, but the blackflies were out, so we quickly decided to get moving again.

Adjacent to Wattsford’s Lookout was the split for Trail 1. We needed to hike Trail 1 in order to get out to the Skyline Trail, so we headed in that direction. We had been going up for a while, but the trail became much steeper at this point. Luckily, we only had to follow the number “1” trail markers for about a hundred metres before we reached the Skyline Trail

The Skyline Trail

We knew we had reached the Skyline Trail because there was a sign posted there with the name of the trail. We turned into the forest on our right hand side, and the trail immediately became skinnier and rockier.

Up until this point the trails had been as wide as a road, and we were easily able to walk side by side. Now though, we began to walk single file in order to avoid trampling the vegetation at the side of the trail.

The Skyline Trail splits to form a loop, and we arrived at this split after hiking for only 1.2 kilometres. We decided to complete the loop clockwise, because this meant we would get to see all the lookouts on the way back. We turned to our left, and headed out on a trail that was starting to become MUCH muddier.

At different points along the Skyline Trail, there was water trickling across the trail, with little streams on either side of it. At some points, there was water running downhill ON the trail, or water and mud pooled the entire width of it.

This is clearly a trail that’s best hiked after it’s been dry and hot for at least a few days.

Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace “rules,” which are designed to help protect the environment, ask that people “travel and camp on durable surfaces only.” That means it’s important to stay on the trail, even when it’s wet or muddy. If you walk on the edge of the trail, and then a bunch of people do the same thing, trails get wider and wider. This ruins vegetation, destroys homes and food for little creatures, and generally messes around with the intricacies of the ecosystem.

We stuck with the middle of the trail. My brand new waterproof hiking boots did a GREAT job keeping my feet dry even as I walked through puddles and mud.

Unfortunately, I also rolled my ankle on a root covered by the murky water. I think it would have been a LOT worse if I didn’t have hiking boots on. Thanks boots!

Trail 34 and More Unofficial Trails

When we had hiked 2.1 kilometres, we noticed that Trail 34 was off to our left. It was well marked with a “34” trail marker, and there was a “6” trail marker nearby as well, so it was really easy to figure out which trail to stick with. There were also a few more unofficial trails that we spotted along the way. These were always easy to identify because they were much thinner, and looked like fewer people had used them. And there was usually a trail 6 trail marker to keep us on track too.

More Lookouts!

After hiking 2.8 kilometres, we arrived at the lookout! The trail passed over a big open rock face, and the treeline split open, affording us a slight view of the valley below. We thought to ourselves that this lookout wasn’t all THAT impressive, and carried on.

A few hundred metres down the trail, we arrived at the REAL lookout. Here, there was a little plaque, and a bench where you could take in the view. This lookout was beautiful, and we stopped to enjoy the view for a bit. But, with my ankle reminding me of my foolishness, we didn’t stop for too long.

At the 3.64 kilometre mark, there was a final view of the valley through the trees. Here there was another huge rock at the lookout, serving as a great place to sit and relax. Or sit and play on your phone, like the guy we saw there.

Heading Back

The trail continued to alternate between dry and rocky, and completely soaked and muddy. At one point, we passed over a little creek flowing over the trail. Then, after hiking 4.6 kilometres, we arrived back at the original split on Skyline.

We hiked back the way we had come, traversing familiar terrain.

By the time we arrived back at the parking lot, we had hiked a total of 5.6 kilometres. There was a total elevation gain of roughly 100 metres on the trail (which is enough elevation gain to get you winded at times!).

We were able to cover this distance in an hour and forty minutes. This didn’t include very many long breaks, but it DID include hiking half of it with a sprained ankle. The NCC says that hiking this trail should take about two and a half hours, and I think it definitely could take that long if you’re new to hiking.

Thoughts on This Trail

The Skyline Trail is a great one for getting some beautiful views. It’s also good for anyone who is looking for a bit of a challenge. Trail runners would probably love it! While I think bigger kids could do well on this trail, it’s not one that I would expect toddlers to be able to walk. Although, walking from the parking lot to the very first lookout is much less technical terrain and can be done by just about anyone who’s okay with a little uphill battle.

The amount of mud on the trail made it a little less enjoyable for us, so waiting until later in the summer when things have dried up a little more is probably a good idea. Unless you love mud that is. Plus, the black flies were out in full effect when we went in May, which was to be expected. But don’t forget your bug spray!

I hope this trip report has enough info to get you there too. Let me know in the comments, or share and tag a friend to start planning your next adventure!

Map and Elevation Gain

Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.

Gear We Brought

• New Hiking Boots (yay!)
• Wool Socks
• Leggings
• Tank Tops
• Cell Phones
• Sunglasses
• Mountain Warehouse Day Pack
• Coghlan’s Bear Bell
• Snacks
• Nalgene 32 Ounce Bottle
• First Aid Kit with Tick Removal Tool *
• SOL 2-Person Emergency Bivvy *
• Compass*
• Bug Lotion
• Bug Jacket

*These things might seem silly to bring on a short hike. Until you sprain your ankle and remember that ANYTHING can happen on a hike.