Leamy Lake Park
The National Capital Commission created Leamy Lake Park in 1961; at 174 hectares it is the largest urban park in the capital region, wrapped by Leamy Lake and the Gatineau and Ottawa rivers. The entrance is on Fournier Boulevard in the Hull sector, and walkers and cyclists reach it along the Leamy Lake Pathway. In summer the beach is staffed: in 2026 lifeguards worked from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. between 12 June and 7 September, and the water was tested every week (rated "Excellent" on 14 September). Dogs are not allowed on the beaches.
The park is also quietly important. Nesting areas of the northern map turtle, a species at risk, are found there, birders have recorded more than 180 species, and archaeological digs have uncovered stone and native-copper tools and pottery showing that people lived here five to six thousand years ago.
The lakes from the hotel's side
Loto-Québec lists canoe and kayak rental, skiing and a beach "just a few steps away" from the hotel-casino; the details are on a page published in French only. It also points to a bike path that runs from the hotel-casino to Gatineau Park, the large wild park north of the city.
Across the river
| Place | Distance from the hotel | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| ByWard Market | 4.1 km | "One of Canada's oldest public markets": crafts, clothing, art and food |
| Parliament Buildings | 6.4 km | Free guided tours; the operator also points to the Changing of the Guard |
| Rideau Canal skating | 7.3 km | "The largest natural ice rink in the world", close to eight kilometres long |
The Canadian Museum of History
On the Gatineau side, at 100 Laurier Street, the Canadian Museum of History faces Parliament Hill across the Ottawa River. It is reached by STO or OC Transpo buses. If you drive, its garage opens from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at $2 per half hour, up to $18 a day, with a 1.93 m height limit and no overnight parking.
Golf
Loto-Québec pairs the hotel with Le Sorcier Golf Club, which it describes as a course set on a site of more than 350 acres, and sells a combined golf and hotel package.
A correspondent's note on the political quarter
For visitors from outside the capital, the shape of the place takes a minute: Gatineau is Quebec and French-first, Ottawa is Ontario and English-first, and the Parliament of Canada looks across the water at a Quebec museum. Diplomats, public servants and lobbyists cross the bridges daily. The hotel's position on the Quebec bank puts it closer to the Hill than many hotels in Ottawa's own suburbs, which is the most useful fact about it for anyone in town on official business.
The two-day plan strings these together; the getting there page has the routes.