We are planning a trip to one of the most interesting places in the Ottawa River Valley. This place is called a Geoheritage Trail Walk (where you can see not only geological but also fossil artifacts of the Ordovician period). We will start our hike at the Bonnechere Museum, in the town of Eganville, where we’ll have a chance to know about the geological history of Ottawa Valley. During our walk along the Geoheritage Trail, we’ll pay attention not only to geology and fossils but also to the environment: birds, insects, and plants in the area.
We have two meeting options: in the parking lot of the Hazeldean Mall in front of Eagleson Road at 8 am (drive to Eganville about 2 hours) or near the Bonnechere Museum in Eganville at 10 am. Please let us know if you intend to join the tour and at what location. We’ll visit first the Museum (admission fees are 5.00$ per adult and 2.5$ per kid). After hiking along the trail, those who wish can visit the famous Bonnechere caves that are located nearby. The one-hour tour to the caves costs from 14$ (children) to 22$ (adults). Excursions are organized by the staff of the caves every 20-30 minutes.
Place and Subject of the Excursion:
This is a new area to explore in Ottawa Valley. Please, register in advance. We’ll have an opportunity to move into the geological history of Ottawa Valley and know about marine creatures that inhabited this area 430-510 million years ago. We’ll talk about evolution and the current challenges of nature conservation in Canada and in the World.
There is an opportunity for carpooling from Ottawa to Eganville (3-4 places).
Dress:
Watch for the weather forecast and be prepared accordingly: you need to have sports shoes to walk on the trails. If you plan to visit caves, you need to have a headlamp. Prepare sunscreen and mosquito spray. Take your sandwiches and water.
We invite families with kids for a spring hike in Gatineau Park. We’ll meet on Saturday, April 29, near the Visitor Center of the Park at 9:00 am at the address 33 Chem Scott., Chelsea, Quebec, J9B 1R5. If the Museum in the Visitor Center is open, we’ll explore its exposition and learn how to identify animals by calls, signs, and footprints. If the Museum is still closed, we’ll walk around the parking and explore the closest area looking for signs of spring: singing birds and other animal footprints. From the Visitor Center, at approximately 9:30 – 9:45 am we’ll go to the P6 (Parking 6) near Mackenzie King Estate. There, kids will have a chance to explore the ruins and to know about the history of this place. And then, we’ll visit a waterfall at a distance of around 500-700 m from the parking, stopping that to listen to birds and watch animal tracks. After the observation of the spring waterfall, we’ll go on the trail along the escarpment with a scenic view of the Ottawa River and farmland fields. We’ll stop on the trail to find and identify the first spring flowers and listen to birds coming back to our forests after wintering. The total length of our hike is around 3.5 km.
Place and Subject of the Excursion:
Gatineau Park is an amazing place to explore at any age. We select the simple trail this time, which should be interesting for kids and parents. If we’ll be lucky, we’ll have a chance to see some interesting birds, salamanders, and frogs near the trail. Chipmunks have already come out after hibernation and will watch us with curiosity, staying at a safe distance along the path. American red squirrels are also numerous in this part of the forest. We’ll talk about animals and plants inhabiting Gatineau Park. Kids will have a chance to play ecological games.
We’ll meet near the Visitor Center of Gatineau Park in Chelsea at 9:00 am on April 22 (Saturday). There is an opportunity for carpooling from Ottawa (2-3 places).
Dress:
It is expected that the real spring It is expected that there will not be much rain on this day. However, after abundant rains in the last few days, it will be good to have waterproof shoes and rainy jackets. Prepare snacks for kids, do not forget some seeds to feed nuthatches and chickadees near the trail. Take your sandwiches and water with you.
This is an excursion for everyone who wants to learn more about nature in the Ottawa River Valley in a small nature reserve located near the town of Pakenham. The High Lonesome Nature Reserve was created by local farmers, it is a very interesting piece of the wild area established on the site of a former farm, which attracts many different species of animals. There are many well-marked trails in the reserve, crossing different types of natural forest ecosystems. We will try to follow several trails to cover areas of forest and wetlands. During our trip, we hope to see slow-moving porcupines, sluggishly examining the crowns of trees with juicy sweet twigs and tender spring leaves, recently awakened chipmunks, and raccoons. We will hear many voices of various representatives of the forest fauna and will try to identify their owners. We will find the first spring flowers, which stand out as bright spots on the forest floor exposed after winter. We also hope to see the first eastern garden snakes basking in the sun after their long winter hibernation and to hear the invisible spring peepers who betray their presence with their collective singing. Barred owls live in the reserve, and if we are lucky, we will be able to see or hear them. The feathered inhabitants of the reserve, nesting in the forest and in wetlands, are just beginning to arrive, but we will be able to see and hear the resident birds of the forest who spend the winter here: several woodpecker species, ruffed grouses, brown creepers, nuthatches, American goldfinches, purple finches, and many other birds…
Location and Tour Information:
High Lonesome Nature Reserve is located near the town of Pakenham, surrounded by fields and farmlands. The reserve was created by local farmers – the Spencer family, who donated the land to a public organization – the Mississippi-Madawaska Land Trust – in 2012. Due to the efforts of this organization, as well as the involved enthusiasts and volunteers, the ecosystems of the reserve were restored to their original state. The nature reserve is open for visits by naturalists and nature enthusiasts in different seasons of the year.
We will meet in front of the entrance to the nature reserve, where there is a place to park several cars at 9:00 am on April 15 (Saturday). Possible carpooling from Ottawa (in my car there is a place for 2-3 passengers). Usually, we’ll wait for delayed hikers, but it is better to confirm your participation before our travel.
After our excursion in the reserve, we will visit one of the local maple syrup farms to look at and buy the local production: maple syrup and other items, prepared by farmers this spring from the maple syrup.
Dress and Equipment:
In the mid of April, the day temperatures are usually warm enough to dress in light jackets and light shoes. But nights and mornings are still fresh and chilly. Please, watch the weather forecast before your trip and wear the most appropriate clothes. We’ll walk on the trails near wetlands, therefore we recommend you wear waterproof shoes for the excursion. A walking stick also comes in handy on this route. Don’t forget water and light snacks.
Take also your binoculars and cameras if you would like to observe birds and other animals better and to bring back home the memorable photos from your nature observations.