Gatineau Park closed as NCC deals with tornado damage

One of the tornadoes that tore through the National Capital Region on Friday cut right through Gatineau Park, doing considerable damage to trails and parkways.

Alain d'Entremont, the National Capital Commission's senior manager of visitor services and recreational programs, said the park will remain closed until further notice while the damage is cleared up. He said it could have been a lot worse.

"It didn't hit any infrastructure. We will be able to restore and put back in action most of the trails," he said. "It didn't hit the park that hard."

The tornado appears to have come through the southern portion of the park, south of Pink Lake.

A set of new trails park staff had hoped to open soon, between Pink Lake and chemin de la Montagne, were the worst hit. Crews are still assessing the damage.

"We still have to see where the status is. We know volunteers are ready to go but for safety reasons we have to wait," he said.

The park could remain closed for few more days, d'Entremont said. They're hoping to have most areas open for the Fall Rhapsody event, which begins this weekend.

"We are very confident we will be ready."

People can help efforts by respecting closure signs and not going around them.  

"We have a lot of machinery out there. We have trucks with chippers out there and we are asking people to stay away from the park," he said.

"If the barrier is closed you shouldn't be going on the parkways."

There are some areas of the park that remain open, but they are limited. 

The Mackenzie King Estate is open for visitors, but access is only via Barnes Road.

The park's visitor centre is also open, with a small area of trails nearby for anyone who wants to take a short hike.

The Philippe Lake and La Pêche Lake campgrounds are also open.