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The
Park:
Oka has a great deal to offer the outdoor enthusiast. There is camping
available in any one of 5 large campgrounds with at total of 855
front country campsites. Good choices are the Dunes, near the beautiful
beach or the Meandre in the forested interior of the park or if
you need fully serviced sites book into the Refuge.. In the summer,
you can mountain
bike, hike, canoe and sea kayak, or you can just sit in the sand on the beach and watch
the fit, tanned bodies play beach volley ball.
The winter offers cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
Recently the park added lights to one of the
ski trails to let you extend your day and enjoy the park in the
winters evening hours. Of course bird
watching can be pursued year round. The
park rents snow shoes, skiis, kayaks, canoes and hybrid and mountain
bikes. There is no backcountry or wilderness camping in the park.
Location:
The
park is 55 km northwest of Montreal. Take highway 13 or 15 (the
Laurentian Autoroute) north to the 640. Then head west towards St
Eustache. The 640 takes you right into the park. |
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You can also reach the park from the Trans Canada Highway
(direction Ottawa) by way of the ferry from Hudson. The Lake of Two Mountains
ferry runs from Hudson in the west to the town of Oka. Turn right at the
ferry landing and the park is just a few kilometers down the road.
The park is located in the southwestern corner
of the *Laurentians
Region* map.
You can also reach the park from the Trans
Canada by way of the ferry. The lake of two mountains ferry runs from Hudson
in the west to the town of Oka. Turn right at the ferry landing and the
park is just a few kilometers down the road.
Front Country Camping:
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| La Crete Total Number of Sites:
251
Serviced Sites:
Swimming: Yes
Flush Toilets: Yes
Showers: Yes
Laundromat: Yes
Restaurant: Yes
Phone Reservations: Yes
Only open in high season, the beach is just a short walk away. Forested
area.
Le Meandre
Total Number of Sites: 95
Serviced Sites:
Swimming: Yes
Flush Toilets: Yes
Showers: Yes
Laundromat: Yes
Restaurant: Yes
Phone Reservations: Yes
Forested area.
Les Dunes
Total Number of Sites: 174
Swimming: Yes
Flush Toilets: Yes
Showers: Yes
Laundromat: Yes
Restaurant: Yes
Phone Reservations: Yes
The beach is just a short walk away. Most sites are well spaced in a beautiful
forested area. |
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L'Anse
Total Number of Sites: 211
Swimming: Yes
Flush Toilets: Yes
Showers: Yes
Laundromat: Yes
Restaurant: Yes
Phone Reservations: Yes
Forested area.
Le Refuge
Total Number of Sites: 301
Serviced Sites: All
Swimming: Yes
Flush Toilets: Yes
Showers: Yes
Laundromat: Yes
Restaurant: Yes
Phone Reservations: Yes
Forested area. |
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| Spring on Le Sommet surrounded by what seems
like trillions of trilliums blooming on the forest floor. |
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Mountain Biking: There
is a 7.5km long intermediate/expert trail just across the highway
in the north section of the park called Le Sommet. It's a loop trail
with some nice climbs, technical areas and single track. The trail
begins with a steep rocky climb and keeps ascending to the ski cabin.
From the cabin the decent is steep and loose with fast single track
to follow. You'll end the ride looping back to the steep rocky section.
This is a very nice ride. Note: They have recently plowed the rocky
sections at the front for unknown reasons, too bad this was the probably
best part of the ride. |
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| This
beautiful provincial park has a long sandy beach along its shores
with a bike trail that follows parallel to it for about 5 km. This
is a flat, easy trail with many side trails leading to and away from
the beach. If you take one of the trails into the interior of the
park you'll find a small lake called Lac de la Sauvagine which has
tiny beaches of its own and a sandy bike trail circling it. There
is also a paved trail that is part of Quebec's Route Verte that stretches
from Oka to St Eustache and is used by roller bladers and cyclists.
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| Along the beach trail, there are many small
trails leading to the sandy shores which stretch almost 8 km. |
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| Hiking: The park is 23.7 square km in size, with
about 30km of trail in all, providing great opportunities for bird watchers
and hikers. There are 3 main trails in the park. The 5.5 km Le Calvaire
d'Oka, a historic trail across the hwy from the beach which climbs the parks
prominent mountain. Le Sommet is a 7.5km multi-use trail (hiking, biking,
and skiing) also on the mountain which offers a fair bit of up and downs.
L'Erabliere another loop trail is 1.5 km in length starting just off the
highway in the middle of the park. In a slightly different vein, the Sentier
ecologique de la Grande Baie is a nature trail just above the Grande Baie
where many of the parks 187 species of birds have been recorded and where
many of the parks birds nest. There is a boardwalk leading into the marsh
as well as an observation tower. The trail is a 3 km loop and is an easy
walk. |
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| Sea Kayaking & Canoeing: The
park is located on the Lake of Two Mountains where you can kayak or canoe
on the confluence of the Ottawa and the St. Laurence River. You can paddle
along the park's shore for about 8 km. Perhaps the best kayaking or canoeing
is outside the Grande Bay, which teams with wildlife providing a pleasant
paddle along with some excellent nature observation. On the west
side of the park their is another nice paddling area, although less interesting
than along side the Grande Baie, which is also a good launch site to catch
the afternoon sun. If the winds are up this is a great place for wind surfers
but not at this point for a canoeist. The east end of the park is more protected
when the wind is howling.
In some areas of the park, like La Crete
and Les Dunes, you can camp close enough to the water to carry your boats
to the lake. This is especially interesting for someone using the park
as a stop over on an extended paddle trip. |
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| There are trails for every level of skier
in the park. |
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Cross
Country Skiing:
Oka has over 50 km of cross-country skiing, both track set and skating.
The trails include the Colline du Calvaire (part of which is the mountain
biking trail in the summer) which is made up of some really steep
climbs, along with excellent down hills; better left to the experts
. Intermediate skiers are well served by the Colline de l'Est which
takes advantage of the nature trails above the Grande Baie. For the
novices, or those that just want to have a relaxing days ski, kick
you way through the rolling trails above the beautiful beach. The
trails wind their way throughout the beautiful oak forests and have
endless side trails to explore. You can rent cross country skis as
well as snow shoes in the park. |
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| Snow Shoeing: Oka, like a lot of Canada's
parks has recognized the popularity of snow shoeing. As in most parks, you
can break your own trail and head off in almost any direction, but you might
want to try their designated trail which loops through the beautiful Oak
forests. If you lucky enough to visit on a windless sunny day, you can't
beat the beach for a great winter outing on your beaver tails. |
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| Birding and Nature:
Oka
is an excellent birding area given it's location at the base
of the Laurentian mountains. It has extensive Oak forests, wide
fields, swampy low lands and the whole parks follows the shores
of the St Lawrence. The Grande Baie is a large marsh inlet where
you might find Blue Herons, Red Winged Black Birds, and a large
variety of ducks. Hike through the Sentier de la Grande Baie
for the best birding in the park but this is best done in the
off season or a weekday when the crowds are thinner.
While your
walking, you might get lucky and see one of the parks foxes.
In the camping areas raccoons are plentiful so you should
keep a clean campsite. These wily fellows are ingenious in
their ways. Watch for them particularly around dusk but beware
of getting to close, remember they are wild. |
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| The Great Blue Heron
is still and majestic while hunting in the marshes. They
are common in and around the park. |
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Interesting Facts:
The park was the
setting for the movie Grey Owl, staring Pierce Brosnan, who you might know
better as 007, James Bond. For the movie, Hap Wilson (author, guide &
artist) taught Brosnan to paddle a canoe. Pierce said "If there's anything
I learned from this movie that I can take with me, it's the ability to paddle
a canoe".
You
can read the article by Abbie Allan in
Voyaguer Magazine Volume 3 |
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| Note: Like a lot of parks in Quebec and the rest of Canada you'll
find patches of poison ivy. Long pants are suggested in the forest. The
park has a display which identifies the plant to help you avoid it. Check
with the staff for more information. |
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Resources
Oka Provincial
Park is located in the southwestern section of the Laurentians Mountains
along the shores of the St. Lawrence River. The park is just a short distance
to the northwest of Montreal Quebec. For more information consult the
following:
Out-There's
Laurentians - The surrounding region
Out-There's Montreal - The city with a soul!
Out-There's Province of Quebec - North America's
most unique destination
Cities
Towns Nearby
Montreal
and Laval - Official Sites Laval
Deux-Montagnes
Town of Oka
Saint-Eustache
Bordering
Regions
Montreal and Laval
Lanaudiere
Monteregie
Accommodations
Nearby
Le
Clos des Lilas - B&B, Oka/ Deux Montagnes
Parks
in the Laurentians Regions
Mont
Tremblant Provincial Park
Official
Site: Oka Provincial Park
Laurentians Region Tourism|
Quebec Tourism
Map
of the * Laurentians Region*
Weather:
Montreal
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Oka Park
2020 Chemin D'Oka
Oka, Quebec, J0N 1E0
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