Breton, Parent, and Smith beaches share Philippe Lake, three stretches of sand on one shore. You swim on that sand, then drive the Champlain Parkway along the Eardley Escarpment, where Huron, Étienne Brûlé, and Champlain lookouts look over the Ottawa Valley. The night is at the Philippe Lake campground, on that same water.
From Champlain the Ottawa Valley is the whole view below the ridge. Champlain is, in the NCC's words, the best-known and most popular view in Gatineau Park. Private-vehicle access on the three Gatineau Park parkways is limited by season and day of week, so check those days before you count on driving it. A free shuttle covers May through October, and in winter those roads close to cars and become cross-country ski trails.
Lac Philippe's campground has three sectors, Philippe Lake, Taylor Lake, and Renaud Lake. Trailers and RVs are capped at 21 ft in the Renaud Lake sector and 32 ft in the Philippe Lake sector. If you need more sleeping space or extra length, look at RVs for rent in Gatineau. The Renaud sector and most B sites in Philippe have electricity and running water.
Book the Philippe Lake site first. The van is the second booking. Camping at Philippe Lake runs mid-June through mid-October. Highway 5 north, then Highway 366 west to the Philippe Lake Parkway, is the road from Gatineau, and La Pêche Lake is canoe-in only.
Parc national de Plaisance on the Ottawa River
The Ottawa River opens into marsh at Plaisance, and the campground is on that water off Route 148. You paddle the marsh channels and sleep on the river. Book the Fer-à-Cheval Espace VR sector if you are in a campervan.
As of September 2026, SÉPAQ has swimming prohibited for a blue-green algae bloom. Registration buildings and washrooms close mid-October to the end of April.
Montebello is the nearby town for museums and other stops. Parc Oméga is the drive-through park near Montebello.
Canadian Museum of History
The Canadian Museum of History is on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River. The garage is for visitors, and overnight parking is not permitted. Sleep at Philippe Lake or Plaisance and come in for the day.
Ottawa's museums across the river and the Ontario parks are an Ottawa trip. Montreal is the road east, and the rest of the province is Quebec.