Near the end of January, a friend and I went out to Trail 72 in Gatineau Park. We were preparing for a long hike later in the month, and wanted to test out our gear. We also wanted to spend some time in the dark in order to feel more confident if we ended up in the dark on our longer trip. So we headed out late in the afternoon to make sure we wouldn’t be done before the sun set. What a smozzle it turned out to be! I definitely read the map wrong and we were out for longer than we had anticipated. There was a combination of rain and snow the entire time we were out, and more trail splits than were listed on the map (because of unofficial trails in the park).

All of this combined made for a pretty good test run. Having some curveballs thrown our way was a great way to practice staying calm and collected in the dark, so I really can’t complain. But fair warning, I probably will! It was also a really good reminder to carry the things that you MIGHT need, just in case. After what felt like a million trail splits, I brought out my compass (which I barely ever use) to help us feel confident we were heading in the right direction.

Trail Description

The NCC listed Trail 72 as being “difficult,” but it’s not really. The trail has a few hills here and there, but wasn’t too physically taxing. The length of the trail is what could make it difficult, if you’re not used to traveling that distance. And since I messed up the length, let me be very clear- Trail 72 is over 10 kilometres long!! When I looked on the map for Gatineau Park, the length of the trail was listed at 6.9 kilometres. Which is technically true. But since the trail is a loop with a 3 kilometre stretch that leads OUT to the loop, that means you have to add an extra three kilometres to the length. You’ll be hiking the first section twice. Got it? Good. Don’t make the same mistake I did!

Trail 72 doesn’t allow dogs, but it DOES welcome fat bikes.

Getting There

Now, if after all that bellyaching you’d still like to snowshoe Trail 72, you can use these coordinates to get to P17 in Wakefield, where the trail starts: 45.628083, -75.939593.

It was an easy drive out to the parking lot, and when we arrived there was tons of space to park. The lot was quite big, with space for at least a hundred cars. There was an outhouse at the back of the lot, near the pay station for trail passes.

Trail 52 and 53, cross-country ski trails, also left from P17.

We grabbed our passes, paying $10 each. Only cash is accepted at the trailhead, and unless there’s an attendant working, there’s no change.

The trail began right next to the pay station, and had a big sign announcing the trailhead. There was a map posted on a bulletin board nearby, but none available to take with us.

We headed out across the open field, spotting a trail marker posted not too far ahead of us. Then, we began to follow the tree line, keeping it on our right hand side. There were lots of trail markers in the trees too, keeping us on track.

After a short 350 metres of hiking, the trail brought us into the forest. We headed uphill almost immediately, and it felt like we were going uphill for a LONG time (but it was only 250 metres).

Brown Cabin

The trail was really wide, making it easy for us to walk side by side. After hiking 1.6 km., we reached a sign letting us know that Brown Cabin was off on our right, 250 metres away. We went to go check it out and were really impressed by how shiny and new it seemed! There were tons of picnic tables inside, as well as a wood burning fireplace. Outside, there was an outhouse, and lots of chopped wood ready to be used. Trail 52 could also be used to get to Brown Cabin, on cross-country skis.

We headed back the way we had come, and passed the sign for the cabin before continuing on straight to explore the rest of Trail 72. The trail remained quite wide, and when we had hiked 2.4 km. we came to another split in the trail. Here, Trail 72 veered off to the right. I wish I had taken a photo of the sign posted there, because at this point I originally thought this was where Trail 72 split to form its loop, probably our first mistake that resulted in us feeling turned around. At this point, there was a wide trail that continued off of the path we had come from. Don’t follow it, it’s not Trail 72 (turns out)!

Getting a Bit More Confused

The next section of the trail was nice and flat, not requiring too much work out of us. After hiking 3.4 km., we reached a sign that had arrows showing us that Trail 72 was splitting off to the left and the right. This was the true trail split for 72. We went to the left. This had us hiking the loop clockwise.

Since we had already confused a few turns, in my mind we were hiking the loop counter-clockwise. We had actually thought the trail marking at the previous split was a mistake and was actually where Trail 71 joined 72. Oops!

Fortunately, the trail marking was truly exceptional. There were lots of little blue guys spotted often in the trees, and many had the number 72 so we knew despite our confusion that at least we were still on the right trail.

The trail thinned out on this section of the loop, and wound gently through the forest, with the forest floor rising and falling on either side of us.

Hiking in the Dark

Darkness had started to set in, so we turned on our headlamps and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

At 5.75 km. there was another trail split, with #72 arrows pointing us off to our right. Further down the trail on our left hand side there was yet another trail marker with an arrow pointing to the right, likely to make extra sure we didn’t head in that direction. My best guess is that the trail to the left was an unofficial trail. Regardless, following the trail markers served us well!

Not long after, at 5.9 km., we came across a sign that was very clearly marked, and let us know that THIS SPOT was where Trail 71 joined Trail 72. Since in our minds we had passed this spot long ago, it was a shock to see that the parking lot was still five kilometres away.

Trail 71 travelled straight ahead of us, and we turned to the right to dutifully continue following trail markers.

We passed through a really neat section of trail with big rocks and boulders on either side of us, heading gently downhill. So far, the trail had been confusing (which was our own fault) but not too physically challenging. Thank goodness!

It’s Good to Be Prepared

At the 7.2 km. mark, we arrived back at the spot on the trail where it splits to form 72’s loop. This was the point where we felt the most confused. Here, I looked at the map and pulled out my compass. Looking back, it might have been wise to do that earlier…

Since the parking lot was northwest of us, we used the compass to sort out what direction that was in, and off we went (fairly confidently). From the way we had approached, we kept straight on the trail to head back.

After hiking 7.8 km., we were elated to arrive at the wide section of trail that would bring us back to either the Brown Cabin, or the parking lot. It felt fantastic to know that we had just a few kilometres left to travel. We turned to the left to hop back on the wider trail, and then made one final right turn at the junction for the Brown Cabin.

After hiking for 10.8 kilometres, and just over 3 hours, we were done!

Trail Thoughts

We had chosen Trail 72 for our night time hike because we wanted a bit of a challenge, and to spend some time getting comfortable in the dark. We certainly got what we were looking for! And our experience was a really good reminder of how easy it can be to get turned around, and how awesome it is to feel prepared.

Despite my bumbling around in the dark, I think this is actually a really great trail. For people who are looking for a longer hike, Trail 72 delivers! Not to mention that you could add on part of Trail 71 and stop for a winter fire.

It would also be fun to just snowshoe the short route to Brown Cabin and relax for a bit, if you’re newer to winter hiking.

Just don’t get lost (don’t worry, you won’t)!

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

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.

Gear I Brought