Nakkertok North has gorgeous, hilly snowshoe trails. As I sit and write this, it’s above 0°C outside and everything is melting. But after a winter of hiking entirely in Ontario it was just so glorious to find myself hiking up a hill that I can’t help but share. Plus the Quebec side tends to keep their snow a little longer, so you still have time to get out there.
Nakkertok is actually a cross country ski club, so they have beautifully groomed cross-country ski trails as well, but we weren’t there for that!
Previously, we snowshoed the trails at Nakkertok South which are great as well. They’re slightly less hilly, and only 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa!
There are porta-potties at the parking lot in Nakkertok North. Dogs are allowed on the trails during the winter season, but it’s a special pilot for this year to see if all goes well. Next year the rules may be different!
Loving and dreading the hills at Nakkertok North all at once.
Getting There
The trails at Nakkertok North are in Val-des-Monts. Even driving there it’s hilly! J’adore!
You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.661820, -75.724442.
When we pulled into the parking lot at 9 a.m. on a Sunday, there was only one other car there. The parking lot was nice and big though, with room for at least fifty cars.
We crossed the short bridge at the back of the parking lot, and immediately found ourselves at a little bulletin board with a map and a spot to pay our trail fees. Please make sure you pay, because the ski club has had an unpredictable year, so this courtesy is appreciated.
Make sure you bring cash so you can pay too! It costs $7 per person. In exchange, we grabbed one of the paper maps that was available at the bulletin board.
The Trailhead
The trailhead was easy to spot because there was a small sign posted, with the trail number noted. So we headed off just to the left of the chalet, following a trail that skirted the fenced in field across from it, before entering the forest.
Right away, we crossed over the cross-country ski track a few times. On each occasion, there was a trailmarker posted at the side of the track that helped us know exactly where to go.
After hiking 630 metres, we arrived at the first split in the trail. There was a map posted here (and at each subsequent split), with a “you are here” arrow to help us orient ourselves. We turned to the left to hike the fullness of Trail 31. And we began to head uphill. Huzzah!
Some of the loveliest hiking we’ve had in a while.
The Trail
The trail was incredibly easy to follow because there were trailmarkers placed in the trees along the way. It was skinny for the entire length of it, meaning we had to walk single file. Only on a few occasions did we need to step aside to let other hikers pass, so the width of the trail wasn’t really an issue at all.
At this time of year the snow was incredibly compact, which made the trail easy to spot and follow as well.
The trail continued to wind through the forest, with a few switchbacks here and there, and we eventually headed downhill for just a bit.
At the 1.3 km mark we reconnected to the short route for Trail 31, and turned to the left to get to Trail 33 (after another XC ski trail crossing).
Just a few hundred metres later we came to the next split. Here, we could have turned right to get on Trail 35 and head back to the parking lot. Instead we turned left to stick with Trail 33 and go further into the woods. Just beyond this was another split with a trail heading off to the right. Since this was just an offshoot of Trail 33 that connected to the cross-country ski trail, we ignored it and crossed over the bridge right ahead of us.
Trailmarkers placed strategically along the way were very helpful.
A Bridge (Wow some of these headings are exceptional)
Immediately after the bridge the trail split again to form a small loop. Sticking with our clockwise style of hiking the loops, we headed slightly off to the left.
Crossing over yet another XC ski trail brought us to Trail 37, which was starting to feel VERY uphill.
Around the 2.15 km mark we passed the ruins (covered in snow so we didn’t get a good look). There was another split here as well with a map posted. Turning right would have brought us back to the parking lot so again we headed left.
Big trees, small people.
Le Sommet
Just 300 meters later we reached the trail split for the big loop of Trail 37. We turned left, heading towards “Le Sommet,” which was marked on the map. More uphill hiking brought us to the summit at 2.75 km. It felt very clearly that we had reached the highest point on the trail. But unfortunately, there were no views to be had!
Regardless, we continued along just enjoying being in the forest and feeling our legs work a little harder than they had all winter.
By the time we got back to the trail split for the loop we were on, we had hiked 3.6 km.
A lot of uphill for no views, but we still enjoyed it!
Heading Back
Heading back towards the ruins, we turned left just before reaching them, in order to bring us back to Trail 33. On the way back, we began to spot green signs pointing towards the parking, which we hadn’t noticed on the way out. These trails were REALLY well marked!
By the time we arrived back at the split where we had to make a decision about whether to take the short route back on Trail 31, or the longer route on Trail 35, we had hiked 5.16 km.
Decision Time
Originally we had wanted to take the longest route, but I could tell my daughter was getting ready to fall asleep on my back, and I wanted her to wait and fall asleep in the car.
“Sweetheart I need you to stay awake.”
“I’m just sleeping on you.”
So we decided to forgo the long route, and headed back the shortest way possible, along Trail 31.
By the time we had arrived back at the parking lot, we had hiked almost 6 km exactly. That distance took us a staggering 3 hours, but I like to think that was because of the toddler, not the hills. If we had taken Trail 35 back, I think it would have added another kilometre onto our hike.
Carrying my daughter on my back in the forest is one of my favorite things to do.
Trail Thoughts
These trails felt like something special. Maybe because we hadn’t been to Quebec in what felt like forever, maybe because of the hills, maybe it was just one of those days. Who knows! Either way, I can say that these trails are worth a little drive. For the most part we had them completely to ourselves, and we enjoyed them immensely.
Maybe if I get better at XC skiing I’ll come back to report on the ski trails.
I hope this trip report has enough info to get you there too. Let me know in the comments or share and tag a friend to start planning your next adventure!
Map and Elevation Gain
Our GPS tracked route of the trails at Nakkertok North.
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.
Elevation gain. It felt exactly how it looks!
