Route description: Lac La Blanche
- Posted by
- cmkl
- Date posted
- Apr 5, 2003
- Date last travelled
Getting There
Cross the Portage Bridge. Take Highway 50 East, following the signs pointing towards Montreal. The four-lane highway crosses the Gatineau River and continues past the towns of Gatineau and Templeton. Near Buckingham, the divided highway comes to an end. WE WILL REGROUP AT THE END OF THE DIVIDED HIGHWAY.
Turn north on Highway 309 towards Buckingham. In downtown Buckingham, turn right onto Rue Joseph, route 315. There will be signs pointing to Mayo. Continue northeast along Highway 315. Pass through the village of Mayo, about 11 kilometers from Buckingham. The winding road continues northeast. Drive on for about 10 kilometers. You will pass two small lakes on your left, Lac Long and Lac Murphy. Eventually, you will see a large lake on your right. This is Lac La Blanche. The road will descend to cross an inlet on the far western extreme of the lake. The put-in spot is just before the bridge. Turn to the left, where there is a small parking area.
On the Water
Put the boats in the water. Go under the bridge and continue out to the lake. The inlet west of the road might be interesting to explore; some good wetlands.
Once you are on the lake, the route is fairly straightforward. There are some tiny islands on the southeast which have good swimming. The Centre Éducatif Forestier du Lac la Blanche lies on the east side of the lake. There are some interesting trails leading in from the lake. On the way back, there are some interesting marshes on the north side.
A word of caution is in order. This is a big lake with a large expanse of open water. Waves can get quite high. When you arrive in the morning, it may be fairly calm. However, high waves could arise during the day and you could have some tough paddling getting back across the lake. You will have the prevailing winds (westerly) against you on the way back. You should consider sticking close to the shore. The lake can get quite rough very quickly and novice paddlers could have trouble. If you are swamped, it can be a long swim into shore. This trip is therefore not recommended for the spring or fall, when the weather is unpredictable and the water very cold.
