Trail 73- A 12 km Snowshoe in Gatineau Park

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Trail 73 was, hands down, the most challenging snowshoe trail I’ve ever done in Gatineau Park. But it’s also completely stunning in places, and well worth the hike. If you’re looking for a hilly hike, with gorgeous views over Lac Philippe, then this is the trail for you.

Plus, it has two of the four open air fire pits that can be found in Gatineau Park in the winter!

Quick Facts

Length: 12 km
Difficulty: Somewhere between moderate and hard (on a scale of easy-moderate-hard).
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.614132, -76.010434
Washroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs Allowed: No
Cell Reception: Spotty
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Parking: Right at the trailhead.
Cost: $10
Open: In winter (typically November 15th to April 15th depending on snowfall).

Getting There

The trailhead for Trail 73 started right of off parking lot 20, which has been newly opened in winter. You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.614132, -76.010434. Every time I have driven down Chemin du Lac Philippe to get to this trail, it’s always been really well maintained and easy to drive, even in winter.

The parking lot was huge, with spaces for hundreds of cars. Near the entrance to the lot there were porta-potties set up.

The Route

There were two spots where we could have started our ended our hike. There was a trailhead at both the northeast and southeast sides of the parking lot. We decided to start at the northeast trailhead, and were able to pay our trail fee there. It cost $10 per person. You can also pay online.

Setting off, we walked down behind the washrooms at Breton Beach to get to the shoreline of Lac Philippe, and headed off to our left to hike the trail clockwise. This is the route I would definitely recommend, because the east side of the loop is MUCH hillier, making it much more challenging. In my humble opinion it’s best to do this while you’re fresh. On the other hand, if you were to hike it counter clockwise you would spend more time going down the hills on this side instead of having to hike up them, as the way we went had us going uphill for the most part.

After hiking just under a kilometre we came to a split in the trail. Off to our left there were trail markers up for Trail 73. This is the section of trail that would take us out to P19, where the trailhead used to be before P20 was opened up for winter. Following the brown sign posted (it said that the first rest area/fire pit was straight ahead of us), we carried on.

The Hills

About 400 metres later we arrived at our first steep hill and began huffing and puffing our way along (up!) the trail.

The snowshoe trails in Gatineau Park are always really well-marked, and Trail 73 was no exception. We were always able to spot a blue trail marker to keep us on track.

Just after the split, we had caught a few nice glimpses of Lac Philippe, but then the trail took us deeper into the forest and away from the lake. We wouldn’t actually get back to the shoreline until we had hiked about 4 km, and climbed a few more hills!

The First Fire Pit

Then, after hiking 4.4 km we came down a small hill and spotted an old set of ruins on our left-hand side. Just ahead of us on the right was the first of two rest areas along this trail. There was firewood stacked and covered, and an axe hung in the trees nearby. It was clear this firepit hadn’t been used yet for the day. Since it was a Saturday around lunchtime, this made us think that it would be a good bet if someone were looking to have a fire pit all to themselves.

There are some pretty cool old structures on Trail 73.

The Southern Shore of Lac Philippe

After hiking for 5.2 kilometres, we reached the south end of the lake. There was a new bench here, and we stopped for lunch. This spot has one of the most beautiful views down Lac Philippe, so we were lucky to be able to stop and rest there for a bit.

We crossed over Trail 50 (a XC ski trail), and set off on Trail 54, which Trail 73 follows for a little over a kilometre. Trail 54 is a backcountry ski trail, and I have to say, with the hill we were hiking up, there’s no way you’d ever catch me skiing this thing. But that’s just me.

Once again, we were headed deep into the woods and away from the shoreline of Lac Philippe.

Lusk Cave

At the 5.9 km mark we came across a split in the trail that could have taken us to the Lusk cave, if we had energy to spare. The caves were 500 metres away, so this would have added an extra kilometre onto our trip. Following the big brown sign posted at the split, we turned to our right to stick with Trail 73.

A little over a kilometre later, Trail 73 split from Trail 54. Again, it was so well marked that we were easily able to stay on Trail 73.

Around 9.2 km we crossed over another XC ski trail, following the signs to head slightly to our left. Almost immediately after we began hiking behind Smith Beach. From this point on the trail would be much flatter and easier to hike (although more exposed and windier).

Heading Back

The second fire pit along the trail was at the 10.3 kilometre mark (according to my GPS- the NCC’s signs said it was a shorter distance from the trailhead). This fire pit had a lot more wood, and also had an axe. There was a fire going when we arrived and a small group enjoying it. Given the much shorter distance from the trailhead, I’m confident that this fire pit is “busier” more often.

Nearby there was a covered veranda with picnic tables, and a little further, a playground.

The rest of the hike back to P20 kept us near the shore of Lac Philippe. This side of the trail didn’t grant us the feeling of being completely immersed in nature (there were washroom facilities, lifeguard stations, and so on scattered about), but we got a lot of gorgeous views over the lake. We found ourselves hiking through what would be campsites in the summer, and quickly arrived back at Breton Beach where we had begun our hike.

Trail Thoughts

All together, we had hiked just under 12 km on Trail 73. We were hiking for a total time of three and a half hours, but that included our lunch breaks, and other short breaks. We actually saw someone trail running this trail while we were out, and we were in AWE.

Despite it’s challenges, Trail 73 really is quite beautiful. It also has enough variation when it comes to the terrain to keep it interesting. Trail 73 is absolutely worth the effort. But if you’re thinking of doing it, make sure you’ve gotten some good winter hikes under your belt before heading out on this one. It’s long, it’s challenging, and it’s not for those who are just starting out snowshoeing.

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 I Brought

• Hiking Boots
• MSR Evo Snowshoes
• Base Layers
• Fleece Sweater
• Winter Jacket
• Snow Pants
• Mittens
• Buff Merino Wool Headband
• Wool Hat
• Sunglasses
• Cell Phone
• Backpack
• Hiking Poles
• Nalgene 32-Ounce Bottle
• Lunch (in thermos)
• Extra Snacks
• SOL 2-Person Emergency Bivvy
• First Aid Kit
• Compass
• Hand Warmers