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Kenauk Nature has an amazing network of hiking and cross country skiing trails. There are six hiking trails in the area, and I had the opportunity to hike there when I stayed in Kenauk Nature’s yurt with my family near the end of February.
Despite the stunning accommodations and beautiful trails, it was clear that they weren’t hiked too often in winter. We were very lucky to have the Skymount Trail all to ourselves when we hiked it with our daughter. It was beautiful and very peaceful, but we had to do a lot of work to get through all the freshly fallen snow because nobody had gone before us!
The Skymount Trail winds its way uphill to a fire tower. When we took our daughter we turned back early because it had taken us longer than we anticipated to hike through all the snow. But a fire tower! I couldn’t NOT see it! So I returned at the beginning of March with my sights set on the tower.
The fire tower at Kenauk Nature! Well, one of them…
A friend and I left early on a Sunday morning, with me telling her the whole time that this was going to be an awesome workout and a tough hike. And then we got there, and the thaw/freeze cycle had put a nice hard crust on the snow. We made it up the hill and to the tower in no time flat!
The fire tower is about 20 metres tall, and you’re able to climb it, at your own risk. 20 metres is pretty tall! It was quite sturdy, but I was only brave enough to climb halfway up. Even at that height the view was stunning.
If you’re looking for views and a place to have the trail to yourself, Kenauk Nature is the spot for you.
My husband the last time we hiked the Skymount Trail- the snow was so deep!
Getting There
Kenauk Nature is right near Montebello, making it just an hour’s drive from Ottawa. You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.712189, -74.887706.
It’s a nice easy drive out to Kenauk Nature, and when you arrive there’s no missing the Welcome Centre.
In order to access the property for the full day, there’s a $17 fee that you need to stop in and pay. It’s only $14 for a half day. But in my opinion you should stay for the full day and check out more than one trail if you can! They also have snowshoes and cross country skis for rent at the Welcome Centre.
After stopping in, we were given a paper map to take with us. The Skymount Trail is at kilometre 1 of Chemin Kenauk, so after being buzzed through the gate we didn’t have far to go to get to the trailhead.
The Trailhead
There was a little brown hut at the trailhead with a posted map. There was no way we could have missed it.
We strapped on our snowshoes, and headed out. I was prepared to move through snow that was up above our knees, as I had done before. But with the changing weather, the snow had hardened a bit and was incredibly easy to walk on! The trail was quite wide starting out, and we began to head uphill almost immediately.
We spotted the first trail marker, a yellow arrow, after hiking about 200 metres. As we hiked along, yellow arrows continued to direct us, and we also began to notice trail markers with the number 1 on them.
The trail began to narrow a bit, and many of the trees were weighted down with snow, making the path sometimes hard to pick out. But we were always able to look ahead and spot a trail marker to keep us on track.
The trail markers made it easy to find our way.
The Beaver Pond
We continued uphill, passing a sign that let us know we only had 1.5 kilometres left until we reached the fire tower.
When we had hiked 0.8 kilometres, the trail veered sharply to our left. An arrow pointed us in the right direction, and to be extra safe there was a trail marker with an X on it to our right, making sure we didn’t get lost.
We got a bit of a downhill break, then crossed over a high knoll beside a lovely beaver pond after hiking 1.4 kilometres.
After the pond, it was back to uphill, and then we found ourselves hiking through an absolutely stunning section of the trail where evergreens had taken over the forest. They were covered in snow, and just beautiful.
This was my favorite section of the trail!
Fire Tower
After hiking 2.1 kilometres, we spotted the fire tower through the trees. Just a few steps further and we were right beside it, debating whether we would make it all the way to the top.
There was a sign on the fire tower announcing that we could climb it, but at our own risk. It was obvious that the structure was built quite well, but we were only brave enough to climb halfway.
Fair warning!
The fire tower was about twenty metres tall, which is pretty tall in my books! Even just halfway up the ladder, the view opened up for us and we each took a turn soaking it in (and trying to take pictures while still holding onto the ladder with two hands!).
A part of me wished I had made it all the way to the top, but a bigger part of me is a huge chicken, so after a bit we put our snowshoes back on to head down the hill.
The view from halfway up the tower was stunning, so I can only imagine how much better it would be if you got all the way to the top!
Trail Thoughts
By the time we got back to the car, we had hiked a total of 4.5 kilometres. We were able to cover that distance in just an hour and fifty minutes, which included our time spent climbing the fire tower. I couldn’t believe it! This trip was much faster and easier than the last time I had attempted the trail. So I think it could be really helpful to check in with the staff at Kenauk Nature to find out what the trail might be like before heading out.
I really enjoyed this hike (both times I did it)! It’s great to know there’s a trail network out there that’s kind of quiet in the winter and that I can head to if I really want to have the trails to myself. And I think Kenauk Nature’s fire tower is the closest to Ottawa that you can actually climb, so that’s a bonus. I have no doubt that this trail would be amazing in the summer as well. It’ll still be uphill so you’ll get a bit of a challenge, but it will be totally doable. And worth it!
I’m excited to head back to Kenauk Nature and check out Trail #10. Maybe I’ll make it all the way to the top of the fire tower on that one!
Proof that we were a little bit brave!
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
My GPS tracked route of the Skymount Trail.
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.
Elevation gain along the Skymount Trail.
A big thank you to Kenauk Nature for sponsoring this post! Like all of my trail reports, this was an unbiased and accurate description of the trail.
Gear I Brought
- Hiking Boots
- Wool Socks
- Base Layers
- Fleece Sweater
- Winter Shell
- Snow Pants
- Buff Merino Wool Headband
- Mittens
- MSR Evo Snowshoes
- Nalgene Wide Mouth Bottle
- Hiking Poles
- Mountain Warehouse Endeavour 30L Backpack
- SOL 2-Person Emergency Bivvy
- Compass
- Snacks
- Headlamp
