Me, standing at the base of the falls during the spring runoff

Ottawa – Lusk Falls

Darcy Hiking Leave a Comment

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Spring runoff at the falls.

Lusk Falls is the worst kept secret of the National Capital Region.

It is my favourite hike to do in the Ottawa area and it is found in a quiet part of the Gatineau hills. Why does it top my list for best trail well there are many but the most prominent ones that come to mind are:

  • It is not frequented by a lot of people (well that is not so true anymore)
  • It has some of the best views in the area
  • I can push push myself to my physical limit no matter how good (or bad) of shape I am in

I accidentally stumbled upon this gem of a dayhike back in 1997 and I used to hike The view as seen during the fall from the first lookout at Lusk Falls the falls 10-15 times a year. You will climb 1000 feet up of what basically amounts to rock steps and at the top will be your reward: one of the the highest lookout points of the Gatineau Hills which will provide you with a gorgeous view of the Ottawa river and Constance Bay.

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A Fall view from the first lookout.

This trail has several ways up to the top but I recommend staying on the marked trail as there have been accidents when people leave the main path. Take your time as you do it and a few rest stops is recommended for those who are new to hiking. Don’t get burned out on this trail as you will want to come back again and again.

The waterfalls themselves are great but its flow changes throughout the year. I have seen it flow with spring melt characteristics during the late fall and I’ve also seen it bone dry in late July. At the top, there is a trail that leads around to an old fire tower A great sunset while hiking up at Lusk Falls which is a good place to eat a snack before you head back down. If one were to follow the fire access road found at the watch tower, they would soon find themselves at Champlain lookout – it is a fun road/trail to ride and I have done it several times.

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Sunset while hiking back down.

If you are feeling a little more adventurous and the falls are dry, you can climb the falls and walk/climb up the riverbed up to the top where you will find an old beaver dam which has been partially demolished. Once up there, you can cut NW (bring a compass) through the forest until you find the fire road. Turn left and follow the road until you reach the fire tower.

Be sure to visit in the fall as the cool weather is an ideal time to hike and the fall tree colours are something else. Sunsets are also spectacular and the setting sun can light up the forest in ways you don’t often see.

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Trailhead has a shaded pIcnic area .

Worthy Quotes

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Benjamin Franklin
In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
Robert Frost
When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.
Benjamin Franklin
We learn something every day, and lots of times it’s that what we learned the day before was wrong.
Bill Vaughan
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.
William Arthur Ward
Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.
Benjamin Franklin
Never leave till tomorrow that which you can do today.
Benjamin Franklin
We’ve heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true.
Robert Wilensky
Trouble knocked at the door, but, hearing laughter, hurried away
Benjamin Franklin
A Man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.
Benjamin Franklin
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time, to figure out whether you like it or not.
Virgil Garnett Thomson
Do, or do not. There is no 'try'.
Yoda
Jedi Master
Tis a great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults; greater to tell him his.
Benjamin Franklin
It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.
Harry Truman
Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.
Albert Einstein
History is written by the victors.
Winston Churchill
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou
When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries and you rejoice.
Native American Proverb
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
Mark Twain
It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.
Benjamin Franklin
I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.
Groucho Marx
The measure of a life is not what that life accomplishes,but rather the impact that life has on others.
Jackie Robinson
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
Mark Twain
Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.
Benjamin Franklin
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
Steven Wright
You can do anything, but not everything.
David Allen
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt
We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.
Plato
I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.
Mark Twain
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Winston Churchill
Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger.
Franklin P. Jones
Well begun is half done.
Aristotle
Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.
Benjamin Franklin
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
Benjamin Franklin
A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.
Winston Churchill
Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else’s can shorten it.
Cullen Hightower
When a person can no longer laugh at himself, it is time for others to laugh at him.
Thomas Szasz
Never ruin an apology with an excuse.
Benjamin Franklin
Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.
Erica Jong
If the lessons of history teach us anything it is that nobody learns the lessons that history teaches us.
Anonymous
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Benjamin Franklin
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
Oscar Wilde
History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.
Winston Churchill
Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.
Albert Einstein
Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.
Mark Twain
The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.
Mark Twain
To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other.
Jack Handey
Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.
Mark Twain
Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.
Ovid
Poet (43 BCE - CE 17)
The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.
Mark Twain
Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.
Will Rogers
Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand.
Kurt Vonnegut
Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very'; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.
Mark Twain
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.
Mark Twain
If I only had a little humility, I’d be perfect.
Ted Turner
Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress.
Alfred A. Montapert
People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.
Zig Ziglar
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
Thomas Jefferson
The manager administers, The leader innovates. The manager maintains, the leader develops. The manager relies on systems, the leader relies on people. The manager counts on controls, the leader counts on trust. The manager does things right, the leader does the right thing.
Forbes Magazine
If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.
Mark Twain
Don’t ever wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.
Cale Yarborough
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
Gandhi
The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.
Mark Twain
If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.
Frank Wilczek
Once in a while you will stumble upon the truth but most of us manage to pick ourselves up and hurry along as if nothing had happened.
Winston Churchill
Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
Benjamin Franklin
He that lieth down with Dogs, shall rise up with Fleas.
Benjamin Franklin
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
Benjamin Franklin
We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!
Benjamin Franklin
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
Mark Twain
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.
Groucho Marx
There are lies, damned lies and statistics.
Mark Twain
Many people die at twenty five and aren't buried until they are seventy five.
Benjamin Franklin
Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.
Kristian Wilson
Nintendo, Inc, 1989
To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail.
Abraham Maslow
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.
Plato
Well done is better than well said.
Benjamin Franklin
Adam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn't have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn't have to hear about the way his mother cooked.
Kimberley Broyles
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin
You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.
Wayne Gretzky

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