Route description: Les Chutes de Plaissance

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.

Follow the signs pointing to Montreal, going south briefly, through Masson and then heading east on Highway 148 through Thurso.

Just after Thurso, you will see the Ottawa River on your right. There are a series of deep, sheltered bays and inlets here with some huge wetlands. This is an important staging area for migrating birds. The area is a wildlife sanctuary. Downstream of Ottawa, there are many large lagoons and deep, swampy bays.

At Plaissance, turn right at the main corner. There is a flashing yellow light onto Rue de la Presqu'Ile. Drive south one kilometer, paralleling the Petit Nation River on your right. You will notice a small parking lot on the left hand side.

Leave your cars here and put the canoes in the water.

Distances are as follows:

00.0 km - Boathouse
41.6 km - End of divided highway
68.8 km - Plaissance. Flashing yellow light
69.6 km - Parking lot

On the Water

Turn right and go north. The first stretch passes several cottages and there may be motorboat traffic. The route then passes under Highway 148 and the railroad. It follows a scenic gorge. About one-half kilometer from the railroad bridge, a small creek, Ruisseau de la Loutre comes in on the left (west) side. You can follow this winding, narrow route up for some distance. The water is a whitish grey colour from the extremely fine particles of suspended clay. You may see deep burrows extending into the clay banks; these are otter dwellings. If you are very lucky, you may also see a live otter. The area also supports a large beaver population. Other animals to look for include great blue herons and turtles.

Eventually, you will reach the Chutes Moulin Plaissance. There are some very inviting pools but there are lots of rocks, undertows and eddies. There is a small park here. It is well worth the effort to follow the trail up past the waterfalls. In the spring, the river, swollen by runoff, makes this a truly spectacular sight. Continue back downstream to Plaissance and the put-in point.

If you have time, it is worthwhile going downstream to the Ottawa River, about 1.5 kilometers. The Petite Nation has formed a long delta here. The banks on either side of the river are simply narrow fingers of land extending in to the Ottawa River. Just downstream from the parking area on your left is a bridge. The water under it leads to a huge, sheltered bay. The land to the east is a very long, curving spit.

As you continue downstream, the banks get increasingly lower and thinner; the vegetation younger. You will see that the soil is mostly light, sandy alluvium. Eventually, you will reach the open water of the Ottawa River. The area here is truly fascinating, for all sorts of processes are going on. The waves and current of the Ottawa River are trying to keep the delta from growing any more, while the Petite Nation is trying to extend it further. You will see areas where tree stumps have recently been undermined and drowned by the Ottawa River. At other places, new sand bars have been laid down by the Petite Nation. The deep bays and wetlands flanking the Ottawa River offer all kinds of canoeing opportunities for another time. To the northwest is a small island which may be worth visiting.

The Ottawa River once carried far more water than it does today. After the last ice age, 11,000 years ago, it drained large parts of Ontario. The St. Lawrence River was still blocked by glacial detritus and the Ottawa functioned as a glacial spillway. The main channel continued up the Mattawa valley to Lake Nipissing and what is now Lake Huron. On the drive to and from Ottawa, you will notice a series of long parallel bluffs on either side of the Ottawa River. These mark the old shorelines of the river. You can follow these for miles and find corresponding terraces (as they are called) on each side of the river. The sandy soil around the waterfall is similar to deposits near Ramsay Lake, Lac Lapeche, and along the Gatineau River. These soils are deposits from the old Ottawa River.

Returning Home

The simplest way is to go back the way you came. However, there are two alternatives for the nautically inclined. At two points, ferries cross the Ottawa River. This makes for an interesting trip back.

The easternmost ferry crosses the Ottawa River at Thurso. At Thurso, turn left at the centre of the town. The ferry is a few minutes down the road. It costs a few dollars and takes you to a point just east of Rockland, Ontario. The second alternative is the Cumberland-Masson ferry. At Masson, turn left, following the signs to the ferry. It will take you to Cumberland, Ontario. Either ferry puts you on Highway 17. Follow Highway 17 and the Queensway, exiting at Woodroffe to reach the boathouse.