Trip Report: Staying in a Mont Tremblant Treehouse for the Weekend

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We rented a Mont Tremblant Treehouse at the end of May this year, and it was so much fun! There were fantastic trails all around the treehouses, and an absolutely stunning lake to paddle on as well.

Les Refuges Perchés is the company that rents the treehouses. They can be found inside the Parc Eco Touristique de la MRC des Laurentides.

There are ten Treehouses available for rent currently, on the eastern shore of Lac du Cordon. Les Refuges Perchés is looking to build some new treehouses on the opposite shoreline in the next few years, and I totally support that idea!

The way the Treehouses are built seems to have been really respectful of the surrounding area- from the water, they’re barely visible. Three docks have been added to the shoreline of Lac du Cordon, but otherwise, it remains natural and uninterrupted.

Staff at Les Refuges Perchés also let me know that within the last five years, the Parc Eco Touristique de la MRC des Laurentides was considering closing. Considering how beautiful the area is, this would have been devastating. It’s fantastic that the two organizations have figured out a way to work together that’s mutually beneficial, and allows the park to stay open.

Dogs are allowed in the Treehouses, as well as on all the surrounding trails. I think that’s amazing, because there are so many places that don’t allow you to bring your pup along, so this was a nice change!

The park and the Treehouses are also open year round. It was beautiful staying there in the spring/summer, but I’m sure it would be stunning in the winter as well. And, with it being just over two hours to drive from Ottawa, it’s the perfect weekend getaway.

Reserving Online

We reserved our Treehouse online. They book up pretty fast, especially for weekends. Originally, we had wanted to rent the Treehouse that was furthest from the main office (more of an adventure that way!) But it was booked, and so we ended up renting Treehouse #5, “The Bee Treehouse.”

Rates are listed on the website, and change depending on the day of week and the time of year. We paid $144 per night, for two nights. At certain times of the year, like the summer, or around Christmas, they require you to stay for two nights minimum. Honestly, having explored the park, there’s so much to do that staying less than two nights would probably have you feeling like you were missing out.

Immediately after making the booking online, I received an email confirming that they had received our request. Not long after, I received an email confirming that our reservation had been completed, and The Bee was ours for the weekend (in May)!

In the confirmation email, there was a link that provided a ton of important info. We received contact numbers and driving directions (these came in handy, because the GPS signal dropped a LOT while we were driving there), as well as check-in times, and other rules (like paying a $190 damage deposit by credit card upon arrival). There was also a phone number provided, and the option to check in late if needed.

There were also details about how we could transport our belongings to The Bee. Visitors have the option of taking a canoe (for free) to paddle in, or two rolling carts to hike in when it’s summer. In the winter, plastic sleds are available to help pull gear.

The email provided a handy list of what the cabins already include, which was helpful when it came to packing up my own gear. Skip to the end of this trip report for the full list of what’s already included.

Checking In

Driving into the park, we first had to stop at the park’s main office. Park fees are not included in the Treehouse rental, and since we were staying for two days, I paid for both days upon arrival. Access to the park is only $10 a day, and it’s well worth it even if you’re just visiting for the day. They take cash, debit, or credit.

At this little main office, they had washrooms, as well as toiletries and food for sale. There was also stuff for sale that you might have forgotten, like beach towels and water bottles. Plus, there was beer and wine. I love Quebec.

They provided us with a map of the trails in the area, and pointed us in the right direction to get to Les Refuges Perchés.

It was really easy to tell when we had arrived, because the road ended at a parking lot. Behind the parking lot was a big main building, and that’s where we went to check in.

Check in was super quick, and we picked up the “extras” that we had to buy or rent for the weekend. We grabbed firewood and propane, as well as a 15 litre water jug (which was on loan for free). They only took credit and cash here. The staff walked us over a few feet to where we would pick up our carts. In this same spot, there are wooden boxes that each have a number on them. If you needed to check in late, the staff would leave whatever supplies you requested in these boxes for you to pick up.

We stopped to fill up our water jug with drinkable water, because there’s no running water at the Treehouses. Then, we wheeled the carts over to the car and filled them to the brim with our belongings. I packed pretty light, but my friends really came through in the over-packing (snacks!) department. It’s a good thing one big cart, AND one slightly smaller cart are included with each Treehouse rental.

Hiking In

We had chosen to hike in because there was three of us, and because the paddle in would have been so short that it didn’t seem worth it to load up a canoe for the trip.

The trail to our Treehouse was nice and wide, with enough room for two people to walk side by side. That came in handy when we were pulling the bigger cart up some of the little hills. The trail was mostly made up of gravel, but there were still some bigger rocks poking out here and there. We did our best to avoid those so that we didn’t tip over the carts.

Right as we started out on the trail, there was a little hill that we had to get up. And, right before we arrive at the split in the trail for our Treehouse, there was a little hill that felt much bigger that we also had to put behind us before things got easier. From the beginning of the trail to the steps of our Treehouse, we hiked in 0.6 kilometres. It only took us 15 minutes to get there, even though we were lugging too much stuff.

The Treehouse

Our Treehouse looked pretty cool as we approached it. Although, disclaimer: having looked at all the Treehouses online, there were others that I thought looked even cooler, but they were booked.

We headed down a small hill past the trail for Treehouse #10, and passed our fire pit as we got closer to our Treehouse. There were tons of little logs that could be used to sit on, and a grill that could be moved to rest over the fire pit, or to be outside of it.

The Bee was designed to be way up high in the trees- very cool. This also allowed space UNDERNEATH the Treehouse for hanging out and keeping dry, even on rainy days. There was a picnic table underneath that could also be used for meal prep and eating, although we didn’t use it for that purpose.

We climbed up a set of stairs to get to the front porch of The Bee. When we had reached the porch, we were literally as high as some of the leaves on the trees. This particular unit might not be the best for someone with a fear of heights.

We entered The Bee, and were immediately impressed by how clean and cozy it seemed. Being so high in the trees, there was some light that spilled in the (many) windows, but the cabin also stayed really cool because of all the shade.

We organized our things quickly, splitting them between the living area (with two long mattresses that doubled as couches and sleeping surfaces), the kitchenette, and the loft.

We quickly got right to relaxing, because we had hiked the longest trail in the park before checking in.

Hanging Out- No Electricity and No (Free) Lights

There was lots of space inside the Treehouse to hang out. There was also an outdoor dining set that we put out on the porch that we could have hung around next to.

However, there was a dock less than fifty feet from our Treehouse, so we headed in that direction to spend time by the water and get some sun. Our dock was shared with a bunch of the other Treehouses. Even though we knew they must have been nearby, they all seemed to blend into the forest. We really felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The view from the dock was absolutely stunning, and we set out our towels and camp chairs to relax for a bit before dinner.

We had the option to rent a battery pack in order to power the lights in the cabin, but I had chosen to bring along a few of my lanterns and some candles in order to avoid paying the rental fee. There were only two small lights in the cabin. There was one on the main floor, and one up in the loft. I honestly can’t say how much light they would have provided anyway. We were content to have the lanterns when we were inside and it had gotten dark outside. There was no electricity in the cabin.

Cooking

The kitchenette in the Treehouse was small, but it had absolutely everything we needed to make ourselves good meals for the weekend. One of the big bonuses (for me) of staying in a cabin, is the ability to bring and store a whole bunch of food that you can’t if you’re backpacking, backcountry camping, or even car camping sometimes.

There was a big 60 litre cooler in the cabin, and they also had ice for sale at the main pavilion, so that made it easy to keep our food cool over the weekend.

On the porch, there was a tiny little propane BBQ that we used to cook burgers the first night we were there. There were BBQ tools hanging underneath, like tongs, a flipper, and a brush for the grill. Inside the kitchen there were plates, utensils, cups and mugs, and other kitchen tools like knives, a spatula, and so on. We ate outside on the dining table that we had set up.

Inside the cabin, there was a propane grill that we used to make our eggs, toast, and tea in the morning. There was a camp stove toaster in the kitchenette that we used for the toast, and a frying pan that we used for the eggs. We made sure to keep the windows open so that the propane fumes weren’t an issue.

Our final dinner didn’t require any cooking, but we did need to use the cutting board they had there to cut up some strawberries. There was a ton of stuff that we didn’t end up using, including pots, a French press, a pasta strainer- you name it, it was there!

Cleaning Up

As I mentioned before, there’s no running water in the cabins. That’s why we filled up the 15 litre jug they gave us at reception with drinking water and brought it out.

There was a second plastic jug filled with lake water waiting for us in the kitchenette. This was the water that we used to wash our dishes in the single sink that was there. There was dish soap already in the Treehouse when we arrived. The sink drained into a bucket underneath it. This bucket needed to be emptied at the “grey water” station that was about 100 feet from the Treehouse. We emptied it about once a day so that it wasn’t too heavy to carry down the stairs.

Because we were so close to the water, dumping the dirty water into the forest would have been bad for the environment. Leave No Trace principles indicate that grey water should be disposed of at least 70 metres away from bodies of water. And if a grey water disposal station is provided, you should definitely use it.

The Outhouse

The grey water station was right beside the outhouse, on the main trail that we used to hike into the Treehouse.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this outhouse was the most beautifully decorated outhouse I’ve ever seen. It was also super clean.

Sleeping

We were pretty worn out by the end of the day, from exploring the park each day that we were there. In The Bee, there was a loft that was roughly half the size of the cabin. The loft was accessed by a big, sturdy ladder. Again, this particular cabin might not be the best for those with a fear of heights!

In the loft, there were two double mattresses. The pillows were also stored there when we arrived. The mattresses were pretty comfortable, and had durable plastic covers on them (I’m guessing for easy cleaning). We had brought our own sleeping bags, and my two friends set up camp up there.

The loft appeared really well built. There was a trap door that could come down and close up the hole that the ladder ran up into.

I chose to sleep downstairs on one of the two single beds. It would have been easy to sleep four people upstairs, and two downstairs, although it would have made for close quarters for people who weren’t very familiar with one another.

Safety

Inside the cabin, there was a carbon monoxide detector, as well as a smoke detector. I wouldn’t normally cook with propane inside, so that made me feel a little uncomfortable, but we left the windows open and I was happy that the detectors were there.

There was also a wood burning stove in the unit, although we didn’t use it on this trip. For everything that could have potentially been unsafe, like the wood stove or the propane grill, there were good, clear instructions provided on how to use them. There were also two fire extinguishers- one in the cabin, and one underneath the cabin outside.

Activities

There was a ton to do, and explore, throughout the Parc Eco Touristique de la MRC des Laurentides. On the first morning that we were there, we hiked Trails 5 and 7, which made for the perfect half day hike. The next day, we unstrapped our kayaks and paddled Lac du Cordon. We had brought two of our own, but there are both canoes and kayaks for rent that you could try out.

We stopped at the main office for Les Refuges Perchés in order to arrange for the kayak rental. They provided us with a paddle, and it was actually pretty nice (it was light, and had a good curve through the blades of the paddles. They had lifejackets available as well, but we each had our own already.

We got a rental ticket instead of paying because the rentals are ACTUALLY through the park, but since the staff for Les Refuges Perchés is right there, they help facilitate it. You have to pay for the rental at the main park office when you leave.

The canoes looked great. Most of the kayaks were tandem kayaks, although they had one single kayak (that we took out). They were all sit on top kayaks. The single kayak wasn’t very heavy. It was also quite stable and easy to move through the water.

Lac du Cordon was truly stunning, and since it’s a small lake, we still had time to go hiking in the afternoon! We hiked Trails 4 and 5, and then hit up Trail 6 on our way back to the Treehouse. I can honestly say that Trail 6 has some of the worst maintenance I’ve ever seen, but that the view at the top of it is the best in the park, and well worth the hike.

Amenities at the Main Pavilion

Before leaving at the end of the weekend, we stopped back off at the main pavilion to check out, and use some of the amenities.

At the main pavilion, there were washrooms, and showers, that are open 24 hours. There was also wifi! The password was posted on the wall next to a lounge area that had a few comfy looking chairs, a dartboard, and some books and board games that were available to borrow.

There are “emergency kits” stored in the lounge (which is also open 24 hours). So, if you ever ran out of propane, or your battery died, or something like that, you could come and pick up a spare.

We tried out the showers before checking out. We can confirm that they were nice and clean, and had lots of hot water.

What to Bring

We brought a lot of stuff. A LOT. In our defense, most of it was snacks! And you know how a friend weekend can get- everyone packs just a little bit too much and then you look like you’re trying to prepare to survive an apocalypse, not just hang out for the weekend.

I’ve tried to organize the gear below by how it was used. Some stuff, like bug lotion and sunscreen, could really fall into every category though.

Gear We Brought

For the Treehouse:

• 55 Litre Backpack
• 2 x Bungee Cords
• Chinook Superlite Mummy 45-Degree Synthetic Sleeping Bag
• 2 x Dry Bags (to organize gear and keep it dry inside pack)
• Coleman Rechargeable Lantern
• Mini Lantern (for reading at night)
• Pillowcase (pillows were already there)
• Headlamp (for visiting the outhouse)
• Cell Phone
• Olympus TG-4 Waterproof Digital Camera
• Powerbanks + charging cord (for charging cell phones)
• Book
• Cards
• Toiletries (deodorant, contacts, toothbrush, etc.)
• Bug Lotion
• Sunscreen
• First Aid Kit (with Tick Removal Tool)
• Paper Towel
• Plastic Bags (for garbage)
• Compost Bag
• Soft Cooler (to bring food in)
• Sponge
• Dishcloth
• Camp Chair
• Fire Starting Kit (with Lighter)
• Clothing

For Hiking:

• Hiking Boots
• Hydration Pack + 2 Litre Bladder
• Nalgene 32 Ounce Bottle
• Hiking Poles
• Sunglasses
• Coghlan’s Mosquito Head Net
• SOL 2-Person Emergency Bivvy
• Coghlan’s Bear Bell
• Hiking Clothes

For Kayaking:

• Kayak
• Paddle
• Kayak Locks (to lock kayak to roof rack)
• Life Jacket
• Bailing Bucket
• Waterproof Backpack
• Coghlans Waterproof Pouch (for cell phone)

Gear We Forgot

• Hatchet (although they did supply kindling)
• Extra Bungee Cords

What We Ate

• Breakfast x 2: Eggs and toast, with strawberries and blackberries.
• Lunch x 2: Crackers and tuna, chocolate almonds, granola mix, protein bars (lunch had to travel on the trails/in the kayaks with us)
• First Dinner: Veggie burgers with side salad
• Second Dinner: Strawberry and spinach pasta salad with balsamic glaze, almond slivers, and feta
• Snacks: Too many snacks to mention!