Holiday
Saint-Jean at Lac-des-Plages
Lac-des-PlagesJune 23 or 24 · 2027 dates to be announcedLac-des-Plages' take on the Fête nationale, in the village. Lineup on the Facebook event.
Town · MRC de Papineau
Cottagers named it after the beaches, and they had a point.

Lac-des-Plages sits on Route 323 at the edge of the Laurentians, about half an hour from Mont-Tremblant one way and Montebello the other. Just over 400 people live here year-round and roughly 1,000 cottagers show up when the weather turns. The post office was called Lac-Rond, then Des Ormeaux, before taking the current name in 1933.
The lake runs everything: cottages, the campground, and the contractors who dig, pump and renovate for owners from Montréal and Ottawa. In winter the Parc récréatif de la Maskinongé trails switch to cross-country skiing and fatbike, and a 10 km forest road on public land is used by ATVs and snowmobiles.
Families like the municipal park with its pirate ship, the only one around, and the pump track behind the town hall. Watch for deer and moose on the road, especially at dusk.
Holiday
Lac-des-Plages' take on the Fête nationale, in the village. Lineup on the Facebook event.
Market
About thirty artists, makers and growers from Petite-Nation and the Outaouais at the campground, plus a food truck. Fourth edition in…
Community
Vintage, modified, sporty or high-end: anything out of the ordinary is welcome. Run with the Outaouais antique vehicle association (AVAO).
IllustrationRestaurant
The campground's food truck, with a pizza oven, open to passers-by as well.
IllustrationGrocery
The village general store with an SAQ outlet, serving cottagers and snowmobilers.
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IllustrationCampground
191 sites, 70 of them for overnighters, with a private beach and pool. From May to October, propane and a food truck on site.
IllustrationLodging
Cottage on a flat acre with 220 feet of frontage on Lac de la Carpe, dock included.
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Three-bedroom cottage right on Lac des Plages, in a bay with a gently sloping sand beach. Kayaks, pedal boat and canoe included.
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Twelve two- to four-bedroom cottages lined up on a private sand beach, with a shallow swimming area for kids.
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Renovated village buildings, including the old 1886 post office, plus cabins by the municipal park, right on the trails.
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IllustrationPark
Kids head straight for the pirate ship. The bigger ones go lap the pump track behind town hall.
IllustrationTrail
Close to 20 km of trails starting next to the cemetery, for walking or riding in summer and skiing in winter. Free, dogs welcome.
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IllustrationLake
The lake that shares the village's name. It's on the list of lakes closed to fishing from December 20 to March 31.
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IllustrationLibrary
Generous hours for such a small village: six days a week, at the town hall.
IllustrationAttraction
Dog sledding, bush-survival lessons and a night in a rustic shelter. By appointment.
IllustrationService
Next to the town hall. Mostly open on weekends from April to November, and one Saturday a month in winter. Check current hours with the municipality.
IllustrationService
Town hall on chemin du Tour-du-Lac, with the library in the same building. Open weekdays.
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Submersible pumps and water filtration with 24/7 emergency service, plus renovations.
Sports & recreation · Duhamel
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.
Health & support · Chénéville
Mutual-aid non-profit for the northern Petite-Nation, listed in Chénéville's directory of local groups.
Sports & recreation · Saint-Émile-de-Suffolk
Tuesday-morning walking club that rotates its start between Saint-Émile, Namur and Lac-des-Plages, with carpool outings further afield (Montebello, Mont-Tremblant). Walk whatever distance suits you.
Tuesdays 10 a.m. (fall), leaving from the Saint-Émile or Lac-des-Plages town halls, or Au Moulin du Temps in Namur
Community · Lac-des-Plages
The group that keeps Lac-des-Plages busy: Wednesday morning pétanque at Parc Desormeaux, a book club, travel film screenings, a fundraising bingo and CPR courses. Annual membership gets you member pricing.
Pétanque Wednesdays 10 a.m. to noon at Parc Desormeaux (weather permitting)
Lake association · Lac-des-Plages
Volunteers protecting the shoreline and water of Lac des Plages: tracking and controlling Eurasian watermilfoil, sampling for the provincial lake-monitoring network and keeping tabs on bylaws with the town. Always looking for help.

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.

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.

Kayak sentinels on Lac Gagnon, water samples on Lac des Plages, an old guard on Viceroy since 1973. Who watches over our lakes, and how cottagers can pitch in.
Nearby: Saint-Émile-de-Suffolk · Namur · Boileau · Duhamel · Chénéville