The day use shelters in Gatineau Park always make for a fun destination. These wooden cabins all have a wood burning fire place, picnic tables inside, and are just generally a great spot to warm up and relax during your outing in Gatineau Park.
There are 5 day use shelters that you can get to by snowshoeing- you can check out the full list here.
The Brown Lake Shelter is one of the easiest to get to, since it’s only 2 km out and 2 km back.
There’s also a lovely view over the river leading Brown Lake itself that’s worth the trip.
Looking out over the river.
Quick Facts
Length: 4.7 km
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.627940, -75.939443
Washroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs Allowed: No
Cell Reception: Good
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Parking: Right at the trailhead.
Cost: $11 for a day use pass.
Open in Winter: Yes
Getting There
The trailhead for Trail 72 out to Brown Lake is right at P17. You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.627940, -75.939443. There’s also a bus stop right beside the parking lot- on Google it’s list as “de Ste-Cécile-de-Masham | Stationnement P17 (Courtesy Stop)”
There are two outhouses at the back of the lot, and space for a ton of cars. My best guess is a hundred! There’s also a huge map posted near the trailhead.
Close by, there’s a cash box where you can pay for your daily pass, and get the actual pass. Remember to bring exact change! The cost for a day pass this year (2023) was $11 for snowshoers.
Trail 72
Starting out, we had to pass through a big open field. This spot can get really chilly at times because its wide open to the wind and other elements. We followed blue Trail 72 trail markers that the NCC had placed on posts throughout the field, since there were no trees to hang them on!
We only walked for 200 metres before getting closer to the treeline, at which point we turned to the left and walked beside the treeline. I accidentally snuck into the forest a little early, following the black and white summer signs for Trail 72 at the 300m mark. Once I had walked 600m I saw where the winter trail actually entered the forest. As you walk along the treeline you’ll see the blue winter markers placed occasionally, so it’s probably best to just follow them until you get to the true trail.
Winter markers up for Trail 72.
Uphill
At this point we started going uphill for the first time, but it was fairly gentle. The trail also transitioned from that big open field to a single track trail, where you’d have to hike behind one another if you were in a group. There was a bit of rocky terrain, but nothing too technical- and nothing that would remain once we had gotten a real snowfall!
I passed by trail splits on my right and then a little further along, on my left. The trail markers here were for Trail 58, but they were the summer markers. I didn’t see a single winter marker, despite Trail 58 being noted as a snowshoe trail on the NCC’s map.
What the summer markers look like.
For about a kilometre we hiked along gently rolling hills, switching from ascent to level terrain and then back again fairly often.
After hiking 1.5 km we passed over a series of short footbridges. Then at 1.75 km we reached a wider trail, and the split for Brown Cabin. It was well signed here, with one of the classic Brown Gatineau Park signs. Arrows let us know that Brown Cabin was to our right. To our left, Trail 72 continued on, looping and eventually connecting with Trail 71.
Brown Gatineau Park trail signs that can be found at many trail splits.
The Brown Lake Shelter
We reached the Brown Lake shelter after hiking 2 km exactly.
Brown Lake shelter from the outside.
There was another outhouse just outside of it, as well as spare firewood stacked up. I went past the cabin to get a look over the lake, and then we stopped in for lunch and to rest a while.
The Brown Lake Shelter is really big, with at least 12 picnic tables inside it. In the back, there’s a separate room with four picnic tables that’s a little more private, but not near the wood burning fireplace. Out the windows there’s a nice view of the forest, but not Brown Lake itself.
Brown Lake shelter from the inside!
Trail Thoughts
By the time I got back to the parking lot, I had hiked a total of 4.7 km (I added on quite a bit wandering down to Brown Lake, and took the proper route back which was a bit longer). It took me an hour and a half, including our break at the shelter.
Brown Lake is definitely one of the more accessible shelters in Gatineau Park in the winter (at least by snowshoe), and totally worth the trip! Especially if you bring along a treat or a nice drink. I actually went once with a group at night and we brought along a few games to play which was fun too.
Trail 72 is just a nice, easy trail for the winter time.
Map and Elevation Gain
My GPS tracked route along Trail 72.
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 on the trail- it’s not as bad as it looks!
Gear I Brought
(for me)
Wool Socks
Keen Hiking Boots
MSR Evo Snowshoes
Polyester Leggings
Mountain Warehouse Snowpants
Polyester/Merino Blend Base Layer
Fjällräven Puffy
Buff Headband
MEC Downlink Hiking Poles
Nalgene
(for the baby)
Fleece Sleeper
MEC Toaster Snowsuit
Jan & Jul Hat
Jan & Jul Mittens
Stonz Booties
MEC Shuttlecraft Kid Carrier
My son exploring inside the Brown Lake shelter.
