Plaisance: A Nature Escape Between Montreal and Ottawa

Plaisance—a name derived from the French word for “pleasant”—is a small, peaceful municipality located between Montreal and Ottawa. Despite its size, the area offers two wonderful attractions right by the water:

• The Plaisance National Park, perfect for outdoor activities
• The Plaisance Falls, a scenic and unexpected gem

If you’re planning a day trip, you can easily combine your visit with nearby Montebello and/or Omega Park for a well-rounded nature and wildlife experience.

Plaisance National Park (Parc National de Plaisance)

As part of Quebec’s network of conservation parks, Plaisance National Park allows visitors to explore protected ecosystems in a respectful and immersive way. Though small, the park is located along the Ottawa River and features a mix of wetlands and forested areas.

You can explore the park on foot, by bike, or even by water on certain sections. Bike rentals are available on-site, making it easy to cover more ground. We used bikes to reach the far end of the trail leading to La Falaise. The view from there isn’t spectacular, but it adds variety to the experience.

The real highlight of our visit was the Zizanie-des-Marais trail, a unique walking path that takes you across the marsh on a floating boardwalk. The trail offers a fresh perspective on wetland habitats, with stunning views of reeds, water, and open skies. While we didn’t see much wildlife—despite being almost alone on the trail—the setting itself was calm, immersive, and beautiful.

Plaisance Falls (Chutes de Plaisance)

We ended our day with a visit to Plaisance Falls, and although we hadn’t planned to enter the park this late, we’re very glad we did. We didn’t have time to explore the entire site, but even what we saw greatly exceeded our expectations.

The setting is picturesque, with benches perfectly placed at various levels along the path, offering increasingly impressive views of the falls as you descend. It’s the kind of place that gets more breathtaking the deeper you go. What you see from the road or the nearby bridge doesn’t do it justice—you need to step into the park to fully appreciate it.

This visit turned out to be one of our favorite discoveries of the day, and in our opinion, Plaisance Falls is a must-see if you’re in the area.