Holiday
Saint-Jean in Duhamel
DuhamelJune 23 or 24 · 2027 dates to be announcedDuhamel celebrates Saint-Jean in the village. Details posted each year on the Facebook event.
Town · MRC de Papineau
Duhamel
Two hundred lakes, two Sépaq parks, and deer walking down the street in winter.
- Population
- 574 (2026)
- Area
- 478.53 km²
- Founded
- 1936
- Town hall
- 1890, rue Principale, Duhamel (Québec) J0V 1G0 · 819 428-7100
Duhamel covers almost 480 km² and more than 200 lakes, with only a few hundred permanent residents. It's the only municipality in Québec with two Sépaq sites: the Centre touristique du Lac-Simon, with a 2 km beach and 370+ campsites, and the Papineau-Labelle wildlife reserve. The name honours Joseph-Thomas Duhamel, the second bishop of Ottawa.
In winter, white-tailed deer wander through the village, mostly in the morning and around 4 p.m. Lovely to watch. Drive slowly, though, because they come out of nowhere.
Outdoors, it's all here: 50+ km of hiking including 17 km of the Sentier national, 10 km of bike path on the old Singer railway bed, tubing down the Petite Nation River, ice fishing. The Carrefour duhamellois is where you go to find out what's on.
Good to know
- Town hall: 1890, rue Principale.
- Centre touristique du Lac-Simon (Sépaq): 2 km beach, camping, trails in a 4 km² wood.
- Papineau-Labelle wildlife reserve: Gagnon welcome centre on chemin du Lac-Gagnon Ouest.
- Lac Gagnon old-growth forest: 58 hectares of ancient hemlock.
- Singer trail: a logging railway from 1925 to 1980, now 10 km of bike path.
- Carrefour duhamellois is the village info point.
Events in Duhamel
Sports
Lac Simon Crossing
DuhamelEarly August, a Saturday · 2027 dates to be announcedAn 11.5 km open-water swim from the Sépaq beach in Duhamel to the Lac-Simon beach, plus 500 m, 2 km and 4 km races and a family relay. It…
Places in Duhamel
Restaurants & cafés 2
IllustrationRestaurant
Carbo Barbecue
Maple-wood smoked meat in one of Duhamel's oldest houses: brisket, pulled pork, ribs. Vacuum-packed meals to take back to the cottage or campsite.
IllustrationRestaurant
Rendez-vous du chevreuil
Small chalet-style restaurant in the village serving Canadian comfort food. In winter you can watch deer and wild turkeys out the window. Closed…
Groceries, bakeries & butchers 2
IllustrationGrocery
Coopérative de solidarité de Duhamel
Duhamel residents took matters into their own hands: their co-op reopened the old Poliquin-Serjo station on June 24, 2026. Gas, convenience store…
IllustrationFarms, sugar shacks & drinks 1
Where to stay 10
IllustrationLodging
Au pays des chevreuils
Four-season cottage with access to Lac Gagnon. In winter, deer wander through the yard.
IllustrationLodging
Auberge Couleurs de France
Log inn and restaurant on Petit lac Preston. Deer come to feed a few steps from the dining-room windows.
IllustrationLodging
Chalet Domaine la Terre Neuve
A 4,200 sq. ft. luxury chalet on 45 acres with a private lake, six bedrooms and a heated pool.
IllustrationLodging
Chalet Preston Lac Simon
Cottage with a view of, and access to, the river that feeds Lac Simon, alongside a park and bird sanctuary.
IllustrationLodging
Chalets Colibri
Cottages on Lac Gagnon facing a big, gently sloping beach that suits small kids.
IllustrationCampground
Duhamel Camping & Chalets
Campsites and cottages for rent near Lac Gagnon, with a beach and pétanque.
IllustrationLodging
La Villa du Rocher
A villa modelled on a Colombian hacienda, on Lac Gagnon. Locals call it 'the Cathedral'.
IllustrationIllustrationLodging
Motel du Lac-Simon
A motel that's been on the 321 for more than 50 years, with air-conditioned rooms and pets welcome.
IllustrationOutfitter
Pourvoirie Légendes des Bois
An exclusive-rights outfitter north of Duhamel, open all year. Trout in summer, ice fishing in winter, and deer, moose and bear come fall.
Outdoors 8
IllustrationPark
Centre touristique du Lac-Simon (Sépaq)
Sépaq's centre at the top of Lac Simon. In winter it runs a ready-to-go ice-fishing package on Lac de la Ferme: you show up and the holes are…
IllustrationSnowmobile club
Club de motoneiges Les Maraudeurs (13-760)
150 km of mostly forest trail between Duhamel, Lac-des-Plages and La Minerve. Keep an eye out, deer cross all the time.
IllustrationSki & snowshoe
Club Skira, sentiers de ski et raquette
Over 40 km of backcountry ski and snowshoe trails in the wildlife reserve, kept up by volunteers. $15 for the whole season is a steal.
Illustration
IllustrationTrail
La Route des Zingues (Sentier national)
Volunteers built this stretch of the National Trail between lakes and summits, and there's even a cable raft to cross the Preston River. Several…
IllustrationTrail
Piste cyclable familiale de Duhamel
An easy 10 km on the old Singer railway bed between Lac Simon and Lac Gagnon. The town even lends out bikes.
IllustrationZEC & reserve
Réserve faunique de Papineau-Labelle, accueil Gagnon
The reserve's northern gateway, at the end of chemin du Lac-Gagnon. This is where you check in to fish Preston, Montjoie or Marie-Le Franc.
IllustrationTrail
Sentier national Iroquois
Along the Iroquois River, with wooden bridges, a cave and falls where logs once came down the chute. The loop comes back to the village on the old…
Lakes, beaches & marinas 7
IllustrationBoat launch
Descente de bateau du chemin de la Grande-Baie
A municipal boat launch north of Duhamel, shown on the regional map. Check the sticker and access rules with the town before you go.
IllustrationLake
Lac de la Ferme (pêche blanche)
Two kilometres south of the village, and one of the few lakes around where you can ice fish for brook trout. Bring folding chairs; the log shelter…
Lake
Lac Gagnon
North of Duhamel, right at the wildlife reserve's door. Same deal as Lac Simon: lake trout 55 cm minimum, closed from December 20.
IllustrationLake
Lac Iroquois
Northwest of Duhamel village. Closed December 20 to March 31, so this one's a boat lake, not an ice lake.
Lake
Lac Preston (Réserve faunique de Papineau-Labelle)
A 770-hectare lake inside the reserve, open for day fishing through the Gagnon check-in. Lake trout and walleye in spring, with bass added from June…
IllustrationLake
Petit lac Preston
A small Duhamel lake with big-lake rules: lake trout 55 cm minimum, closed in winter.
Lake
Rivière de la Petite Nation et rivière Preston (Duhamel)
Check before you cast in Duhamel: two stretches of river, on the Petite Nation and the Preston near the Route 321 bridge, are closed to fishing all…
Culture & heritage 5
Illustration
IllustrationLibrary
Duhamel Library and Carrefour duhamellois
The town library and the Carrefour duhamellois share one roof: services and activities for residents and visitors alike, and the place to ask what's…
IllustrationHeritage
Duhamel history trails
Panels along the trails mark Duhamel's historic spots. The Au fil de l'eau trail adds village history, a bit on the deer, and the Peuples des bois…
IllustrationAttraction
Observation des cerfs de Virginie à Duhamel
In winter, deer wander right through the village. Mornings or around 4 p.m. are your best bet. Slow down when you drive.
IllustrationAttraction
Peuples des bois (art public)
Eight works from 2015 on the town hall grounds, including Caroline Monnet's Homo Sylvaticus and Normand Ménard's Les canots du ciel.
Shops & makers 1
Services 5
IllustrationService
Biffrentals Aventure
Sea-Doo rentals on Lac Simon from mid-June to September, and guided side-by-side tours year-round.
IllustrationIllustrationService
Écocentre de Duhamel
Free for residents, open May to October according to the regional plan. Official drop-off for some take-back products. Check current hours with the…
IllustrationService
Location Sport Duhamel
Pontoon, power boat, canoe and kayak rentals on the beach next to the Lac-Simon Sépaq resort.
IllustrationService
Municipalité de Duhamel
Municipal office on rue Principale, open weekdays. Start here for cottage permits and local info on Lac Simon and Lac Gagnon.
Groups & organizations
Seniors · Duhamel
Duhamel Golden Age Club
Duhamel's seniors' club, based at the town hall on rue Principale. Call to find out what's on this season.
Sports & recreation · Duhamel
Les Maraudeurs Snowmobile Club
The snowmobile club for the Duhamel area, with a clubhouse on rue du Parc. Trails run mostly through the bush, far from town, and this end of the region usually gets more snow than the south.
Sports & recreation · Duhamel
Club Skira
A volunteer crew that opens and grooms 40-plus km of backcountry ski and snowshoe trails around the Gagnon entrance of the Papineau-Labelle reserve, 16 km north of the village. Annual membership was listed at $15 a person, paid at the Gagnon entrance.
Annual fall trail work bee
Lake association · Duhamel
Lac Gagnon Property Owners' Association
Founded in 1968, the APLG is one of the oldest lake associations in Quebec, with about 350 members on Lac Gagnon. Every summer it trains some thirty volunteer 'sentinels' who patrol the lake watching for Eurasian watermilfoil.
Lake association · Duhamel
Lac Iroquois Property Owners' Association
Property owners' association for Lac Iroquois, listed by the Municipality of Duhamel among its lake associations.
Lake association · Duhamel
Lac Lafontaine Property Owners' Association
Lac Lafontaine's shoreline owners have their own association, on Duhamel's list of lake associations.
Lake association · Duhamel
Petit Lac Preston Property Owners' Association
Owners' association for Petit Lac Preston in Duhamel.
Lake association · Duhamel
Lac Doré Property Owners' Association
Lac Doré's shoreline owners' association in Duhamel, with a Facebook group for lake news.
Lake association · Lac-Simon
Lac Simon Property Owners' Association
Non-profit incorporated in 1995 for property owners on Lac Simon and Lac Barrière, with 100 to 200 members a year. Lately it has been front and centre in the fight against the proposed mine in the area. Membership is $25.
Health & support · Chénéville
Friends of Mutual Aid, North Petite-Nation
Mutual-aid non-profit for the northern Petite-Nation, listed in Chénéville's directory of local groups.
Sports & recreation · Mulgrave-et-Derry
Les Voyageurs des Collines et Ravins club
Trail club maintaining about 155 km of trails, from Lac La Blanche to Thurso and from Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette toward Montpellier and Duhamel. Featured on the Mulgrave-et-Derry town website.
Magazine
Our perfect summer day in La Petite-Nation, from market to beach
Ripon's Saturday market, a Chénéville picnic, a lifeguarded beach on Lac Simon, mini-golf, the lookout at golden hour and soft serve to finish the day.
Where to stay in La Petite-Nation, from inns to teepees
A log château, an 1898 Victorian full of artists, an old post office, teepees next to the wolves. Our rundown of the ways to spend the night out here.
Winter in La Petite-Nation, from cross-country skis to snowmobiles
Free ski trails behind the high school, 40 km groomed by volunteers for $15, hundreds of kilometres of snowmobile and ATV trail. Your winter guide, club by club.
Nearby: Lac-Simon · Lac-des-Plages · Chénéville · Saint-Émile-de-Suffolk · Namur