Gatineau Park, where most Club outings occur, presents a variety of landscapes through which a participant can potentially pass. For outings classified as moderate and greater these can and often do include:
- rocky, uneven hiking surfaces
- wet or muddy conditions
- frequent rolling passages
- steep and long ascents and descents
If you are new to the Club or are planning on joining us on an outing as a guest we strongly advise choosing an outing that has been rated as EASY or MODERATE as your first outing.
Hike and Snowshoe Levels
Easy Relaxed pace - Typically 3 to 5 hours start to finish - About 3 hours on-the-move (lunch and breaks not included) - Trails will typically be fairly flat with a good surface.
Moderate Medium pace - Typically 3 to 5 hours start to finish - About 3 to 4 hours on-the-move (lunch and breaks not included) - Trails may have significant ups & downs and may have an uneven surface.
Challenging Medium pace - Typically 5 to 6 hours start to finish - About 4 to 5 hours on-the-move (lunch and breaks not included) - Trails will have steep ups & downs and an uneven surface.
Difficult Medium fast pace on trails - Typically, about 5 to 6 hours from start to finish - About 4 to 5 hours on-the-move (lunch and breaks not included) - Trails will have very steep ups & downs and uneven or slippery surfaces.
The Club emphasizes the above is only a guideline intended to frame the detailed outings descriptions authored by our leaders. You can find them posted in our public calendar and, if you're a member, in our weekly 'Upcoming Outings' email.
These detailed descriptions include outing length, route overview, key attributes and other valuable information.
We strongly advise contacting the leader of an outing of interest should you have any questions or concerns about it. The leader's email address is published in each outing description.
Typical Hiking / Snowshoeing Pace
On-trail medium pace (smooth, wide Gatineau Park trails): 4 km/h
On-trail relaxed pace (and on rougher, narrow Gatineau Park trails): 3 km/h
Snowshoeing pace: 2 km/h on well travelled trails but slower in deep snow
Ski Levels
Unlike hike levels, pace is not used as a factor in ski levels. Generally most classic recreational skiers ski at about 5-6 km/h, a rate that varies considerably due to snow conditions. As such level definitions are oriented more towards technical difficulty rather than energy expenditure which hike pace ratings are indicative of.
Easy Less than 12km on groomed / trackset trails - primarily on green (beginner) trails.
Moderate 12km-20km on groomed / trackset trails - Primarily on blue (intermediate) trails.
Challenging 12km-25km on ungroomed (back-country) trails - Includes black (expert) trails.
Group Size
The Club limits hike group sizes, to the greatest degree possible, to 15 participants but individual leaders may limit participation to less than this. When sign-ups exceed these limits, the Club will attempt to lay on one or more additional hikes to respect size limits.