Parc Régional de la Forêt Bowman, a 4 km Hike

Every spring, the hills over on the Quebec side hold onto their snow just a little bit longer than the trails here in Ottawa. So this year in late March, I headed up to the Parc Régional de la Forêt Bowman with my son.

Quite a few places on the internet, including AllTrails, will tell you that this is an easy trail… I respectfully disagree. While it’s not SUPER challenging, there are definitely some steep hills, with equally steep descents. I was very happy to have my hiking poles! But overall, the trail wasn’t too bad, and the lookouts were awesome! Plus it clocks in at just over 4 km so it’s really not too long. It’s kind of a perfect mini challenge.

Quick Facts

Length: 4 km
Difficulty: Moderate (on a scale of easy-moderate-hard).
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.864347, -75.695161
Washroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Cell Reception: Spotty
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Parking: Right at the trailhead.
Cost: Free
Open: Year round (but advised not to go during hunting season, from October to November every year).

Getting There

Driving out to Parc Régional de la Forêt Bowman I was getting a weird sense of having driven the route before, despite never having visited this particular trail. It wasn’t until I saw the turnoff for Denholm that I realized I HAD actually driven this way before, in order to hike the Chutes de Denholm trail.

But this blog post is about the Bowman Forest! You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.864347, -75.695161. The drive there was along those windy, hilly Quebec roads that signal you’re getting somewhere that you might actually see a bit of elevation gain. The last kilometre or so into Bowman Forest was on a dirt road. But it was really well maintained and very driveable.

On the way, there was a sign by the side of the road announcing we had arrived. Then there was a big green sign beside the small parking lot. The dirt road continued on but hadn’t been plowed much further along, so I turned back to park in the little lot that I had passed.

There was only space for a couple of cars in the winter. Since I was the only one there that wasn’t an issue!

The parking lot was right above Lac du Brochet, and a short path to the right of the lot brought us down to a picnic area with a couple of tables and an outhouse. The outhouse looked like it hadn’t seen toilet paper in a while, so I’d suggest bringing your own.

The Trailhead

The Trailhead was actually a bit tricky to find, and if I hadn’t driven past the parking lot and then turned back around I would have had a harder time. Heading back this way, I was able to spot signs on the side of the road across from the lot that led me back down the road a bit to where the trail entered the forest. Here there was a sign that said Trail #1, so I took this as the trailhead and began there.

Almost immediately the trail began to climb gently uphill. And just as immediately, I began to spot yellow trail markers in the trees. This was a relief because the trail marking at some of Quebec’s regional parks is never guaranteed, and I hate the idea of getting lost hiking with my kids. Turns out I needn’t have worried, because the yellow trail markers were placed consistently along the trail, and didn’t steer me wrong once!

Petite Lac à la Truite

The trail was single track (and this would remain true for the majority of it), and began as just a pleasant walk through the woods. Albeit with some hills thrown in to keep it interesting! After 300 metres, we hiked past Petite Lac à la Truite. We hugged the shoreline of this little lake for just a bit before the trail brought us deeper into the forest.

After hiking 800 metres we passed our first trail split. A wider ATV trail branched off on our left hand side. This wouldn’t be the last time that ATV trails crisscrossed with the hiking trail, but it was no matter because the yellow trail markers stayed consistent, and at any turn I was easily able to determine which direction to head in. In some spots, additional marking had been added to the trail in the form of big green arrows. These were even easier to spot, and always pointed in the direction I needed to go.

We hiked past a swampy section that might have been a beaver pond in warmer months. We also crossed over a small creek, and walked beside a few more as we travelled along.

Heading Uphill, Again

At 1.3 kilometres, I crossed right over an ATV trail, and a few hundred metres later passed beside a small pond that I hadn’t seen on the map. Then the trail had me hike along one of the ATV trails for a bit, and this section was pretty steep! It brought me up to a full on logging road, where again, the trail marking was flawless and I immediately knew I had to turn to my right. I followed the road for about a hundred metres before it split in 3 directions. A “Trail #1” sign indicated that I should re-enter the forest instead of following the two wider paths on either side of me.

Here I found myself gaining even more elevation. Around the 2 km mark I traversed the steepest section of trail yet. Feeling a bit dramatic, someone had placed ropes in the trees to assist hikers with climbing this section of the trail. It was steep, but it wasn’t steep enough to need ropes! I was happy to have my hiking poles (when am I not?), but I was also able to hike it relatively easily with a baby strapped to me. So don’t let the ropes intimidate you! A couple of switchbacks along the way helped with the elevation gain as well.

Lookouts!

Soon after, I spotted the first of many signs warning of a cliff nearby. I carefully made my way out to the first lookout. Here, a couple of logs had been cut down to act as benches, so while this wasn’t the best view, it was probably the best spot to stop for lunch.

Carrying on, I continued to get great views through the trees (although this probably wouldn’t be the case in the summer). The trail brought me along another ATV trail. This one had been driven on recently, so just be careful of traffic up here!

The ATV trail came to a looped end, and the best view along this ridgeline was here. Again, warning signs were posted, and it would absolutely be a catastrophic fall from the edge of one of these cliffs, so keep kids and dogs close while you enjoy the view!

Turning away from the view, the trail continued on my right hand side. This descent was quite steep and I relied on my hiking pole for stability the whole way down. If I hadn’t had my poles, I might have actually been inclined to sit down and scooch to the bottom- but I’m a bit on the cautious/nervous side when I’m carrying my babies so fear not! There was another rope here to assist as well.

The Last Lookout

Just after that descent I started seeing some signs with blue arrows pointing rock climbers off to the right. As much as I was curious, I decided to stick with my hiking trail. At the 2.6 km mark I came to another amazing lookout. This one was just a quick glimpse through the trees but the landscape was so gorgeous that I think this was my favorite one!

After this it felt like I just meandered through the forest heading downhill for the next 400 metres. After hiking 3.2 kilometres, the trail basically spat me out onto the road. I walked this back the rest of the way to my car. There was a little parking sign with an arrow, so despite the road heading off in both directions, I knew where to go.

Trail Thoughts

By the time I had arrived back at my car, I had walked just under 4 km. Because of the hills, and how slow I am when it comes to going down a step decline, it took me about an hour and a half to hike this entire trail. It was nice to walk the road at the end (versus hiking the loop counter clockwise). It gave my knees a bit of a break after the steep downhill I completed to get there.

All in all I really loved the hiking trail at Parc Régional de la Forêt Bowman. Just rugged enough to feel like a bit of a challenge, with some amazing views… what more could a girl and a baby ask for?

Map and Elevation Gain

Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.