I was very pleased to take advantage of some of the warm weather last week to visit this scenic forest park in Quebec a little northeast of Gatineau. The crag is small, with variable rock quality, but it has a nice variety of routes, a pretty location and very easy access on a well-built hiking trail. As the climbing area was developed by some FQME members in 2021, the development standards are very modern, with generally closely placed bolts and all routes having anchors.
The first section of the cliff has about 10 low-angle sport routes on fairly coarse rock, and we did a few of these. They are a bit uniform in character, but pleasant and well-protected. I managed to break a hold on one, so I would recommend stick-clipping, especially with most cruxes being low.
The next section of cliff has some slightly steeper and perhaps more interesting sport and mixed climbs, the cruxes of these being bolted. The rock here is still coarse, but a little less mossy, and the steeper angle suggests less of a cheese grater effect in the case of a fall... There are often non-climbers hanging out at the top of the cliff here, so be alert, and wear a helmet.
The further section of the cliff (the "Mur Cathédrale") has a good selection of cracks in the 5.10-5.11 range along with a few somewhat more difficult sport climbs. I climbed several of these crack climbs in September '23, and found them very enjoyable. The rock quality here too is a bit variable (but generally good).
All in all, a very pleasant crag, if not a "destination" spot. Will definitely return. If you are thinking of visiting when in the area, purchase a daypass from the FQME (unless you are a member), and download their excellent free guidebook. Both site and guide are in French. It's probably about an hour from Gatineau on the 307, close to Lac Poisson Blanc and Papineau Labelle Game Reserve (camping, etc.). Happy climbing!
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