Wet areas and valleys
The 18 kms between Shawville and Campbell’s Bay cross an agricultural and a
forest region. You will discover splendid look-out points above the landscape and the
valleys which have beautiful colours during the Fall. You will see wet ecosystems
(swamp
and peat bogs) and magnificent valleys. The trail is flat and without any
difficulties.
The surface will be new in August of this year.
From Pembroke : Follow Highway 148 until Campbell’s Bay or Shawville
towards Hull.
From Portage du Fort : Follow Highway 303 towards Shawville. On Highway 148
turn left towards Campbell’s Bay or right towards Shawville.
From Hull : Follow Highway 148 until Shawville or continue until
Campbell’s Bay.
Campbell’s Bay is located 35 km from Wyman. The tour Campbell’s Bay to
Shawville is 18 km long. The there and back tour constitutes a circuit of 36 km. The trail
is in construction and the new surface will be done in the middle of June. The tour is
flat for the whole distance and it is a good excursion for the family. For those who want
a shorter tour, we propose two tours : Campbell’s Bay to Morehead or Shawville
to Green.
Click on the map to enlarge it.
You will find a parking lot in Shawville near the service area at the junction with
Centre Street and the Cyclopark. When you take this Street, you will arrive in the
business centre of Shawville. Here you will find all the services you need :
banks,
stores, supermarket, restaurants, a museum and you can make a walking excursion of the
town. Motels and other shops are available along Highway 148 in a few hundred metres from
there.
If you prefer to start your tour from Campbell’s Bay, you can park your car in the
central open space crossed by the Cyclopark, near the restaurants Bay Pizza and
Mom’s.
You will go-through an agricultural region made up of breeding fields, forests and some
cultivated land. In Spring, you can observe near Campbell’s Bay on the part which is
located along the river, turtles that are searching for a laying place. All along the
tour, you will be surprised by the diversity of wild flowers which, in
season, are present
for our great pleasure. Many wild animals can also be seen all along the trail :
white-tailed deer, marmot, squirrels, foxes, skunks and many birds that will delight the
naturalist. You will cross two important wet areas, a peat bog and a swamp where you can
see rare species typical of this environment.
      Shawville.
At Km 17.3 of the Cyclopark and at the junction of Centre
Street, you will
find a service area with a parking lot for your car and picnic tables.
The trail crosses the valley after leaving of Shawville and many beautiful look-out
points are available, particularly near Km 18. Then you cross waste lands, wooded
and agricultural lands. At Km 22, you can observe a little beaver lake. At Km 24.7 you
will see a quarry and at Km 25, a beaver felling area in a tuya forest.
 Right
after that, the Lawn swamp spreads on your left and you can perhaps
see, if you
make no noise, typical species of this environment. At Km 25.4 on a little wooden hill you
will find a resting area as well as interpretation panels about the fauna and the flora of
the swamp.
At Km 26, when crossing a forest you may notice a enormous rock on your
left. Then you
will cross a peat bog on your left before arriving at Lawn Road at Km 27.
 At Km 27.9
you will arrive at an open ground where you can pitch your tent. Sleepwalkers be
careful ! A deep wooden ravine is located along the trail to your right !
At Km 29, you will discover an imposing landscape. The Laurentians Spurs surround this
agricultural bucolic landscape.
At
Km 29.5, there are interpretation panels about the mine and the natural resources and a
resting area awaits you.
At Km 30.5 after you have crossed No Name Road, you'll see a beautiful old wooden pine
timber farm and you will enter a breeding prairie area.
After the
bridge of Highway 148, at Km 33.1 you will find a beautiful look-out point above the river
and a place where you can pitch your tent. You are only 2 km from Campbell’s Bay.
The two last kilometres until Campbell’s Bay are often visited by turtles in
Spring. They search a laying place, especially when the water level is too high and drown
the beaches where they used to lay. You will almost certainly see a turtle dig on the
surface of the trail to make its nest !
Campbell’s Bay is located at Km 35. You are now beside
the Ottawa River. Campbell’s Bay is the Regional Municipality of the County (MRC) and
the administrative heart of the Pontiac region is located there. It is enchanted setting.
You will find a service area with a parking lot for your car, picnic tables, stores, a
supermarket and restaurants near the central place which is crossed by the Cyclopark. An
interpretation panel about the Ottawa River allows you to discover the river and its
history. A public wharf and resting areas are along the river. In Bryson, a few kilometres
away in the direction of Hull, you will also find many motels and a campground.
The Grand Calumet Island is accessible from Bryson. There are strong rapids
which frightened many woodsmen in the past. They are now a leisure place where the kayak
fans and the rafters have fun in safety in the middle of a sumptuous, wild nature. To
discover this island, you can take the escapade tour of the
Grand Calument Island. You can go it on bike or by car. This tour leads you to the
Rocher Fendu Park where you will find a campground.
Shawville :
History
Walking excursions
Town Hall
Pontiac museum
When you take Highway 148 westwards, you arrive at Campbell’s Bay. The forest
and the agricultural industries attracted the first settlers in this region which was a
municipality in 1904.
The village bears the name of Lieutenant Donald Campbell, a soldier of the Scottish
Regiment who received an important quantity of land.
The main Street (Front Street) is unusual.. The buildings are located on one side of
the street only. We have therefore a beautiful view of the Ottawa River.
The first school, Flood School, was built in 1863, near the Protestant cemetery. The
catholic mission was erected in 1919 and the new church was finished in 1939.
The courthouse was built in 1926-27. Located in the centre of the Pontiac region,
Campbell’s Bay became the centre of the county in 1926.
The members of the Regional Municipal Council have a meeting each month at the building
located at the junction of Highway 148 and 301. The license office and various economical
development agencies are also there.
Front Street
At the turn of the century, Campbell’s Bay was a prosperous village. There was a
railway station, general stores, a post office, a hair salon, a hardware, a saddler, a
mechanical shop, hotels. In the following decades a bank, a courthouse and saw mills were
built. Most of the business and administrative buildings are located on the main street
and only in one side of the street. The other side of the street has no buildings and
offers a beautiful view over the Ottawa River and to Grand Calumet Island. Today, the
street is still a business strip and retains the aspect that it had in the past, except
that the rail station which doesn’t exist, anymore.
The courthouse
The first courthouse was built in Bryson in 1891. It burnt in 1914. A new
courthouse was erected at Campbell’s Bay in 1917 to serve the Pontiac district. The
jail located behind the courthouse was closed in 1970 and demolished in 1990.
Only one hanging took place. It was Michael Bradley and he was convicted in 1935 for
the murder of five members of his family.
The courthouse building, with its impressive architecture, its woodwork and its white
columns can be visited from Monday to Friday, by reservation, from 8.30 AM to 4.30 PM.
The Pontiac district still an active sheriff, designated by the Ministry of
Justice.
The Campbell lake
At the exit of Campbell’s Bay, at Km 36.6, you will see a little road which leads
to Campbell Lake. You will find a heavenly place. You can see islands, coloured bays with
aquatic plants and multicoloured flowers as well as crystal clear water. All you need to
have a peaceful rest.
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