A beautiful mid-century modern cabin in the heart of the Gatineau Hills, in beautiful Chelsea, Quebec.
Located only a 15-20 minute drive from downtown Ottawa. Tenekatin Chalet is a great place to relax and enjoy the water or to participate in the many offerings the Gatineau Park provides (mountain biking, road biking, hiking, and trail running amongst many other activities).
Amenities
Situated at the end of a quiet road with water on both sides, there is a large flat grassy area to enjoy and two private areas to access the water.
One is a sandy beach where kids can play with water toys and swim and the other is on the other side of the property with a dock.
There is also a floating dock you can swim or paddle to!
There is a beautiful deck in front of the chalet to lounge on during the daytime and a cozy table to enjoy summer meals in the evening.
A firepit is on the point for evening enjoyment and roasting marshmallows.
The Chalet is also fully furnished.
Bedrooms:
Our home sleeps 4-5 people comfortably
Bedroom 1: Queen bed
Bedroom 2: Double bed
Pullout couch in the living room
Bathroom:
Full bathroom with shower/tub
Other:
Gas BBQ
Outdoor firepit (wood)
Fully equipped kitchen
Coffee drip and Bodum
Free Wifi
Board games
2 kid kayaks
Canoe
Stand-up paddle board
Our Location
The Chalet is in Chelsea, Quebec which runs alongside the Gatineau Park — a national & regional treasure.
It has 361 square kilometers of trails, roads, and waterways to explore for the outdoor enthusiast. There is fantastic road biking, mountain biking, trail running, hiking, skiing and many other adventures to be had, with the closest trails only 5 minutes away.
The chalet also neighbours Chelsea’s community trail — the “Voie Verte”, which is only a 6-7 minute walk from the cottage.
The 22 km path follows the river and can be used for walking, running, and biking, and in the winter time it is groomed for skiing.
Activities
Summer outdoor activities
Road biking, trail running, and mountain biking (right from the door of the cottage)
Hiking
Golfing
Ziplining at Camp Fortune
Rock climbing
Water slides at Mt Cascades
Kayaking on the river
Nordik Spa (Scandinavian baths)
George and Norman bought the land at the end of Maxwell in the 1950's. There were very few trees on this land and we were told it had previously been farmed prior to the river being flooded in the late 1920's for the hydroelectric dams:
gvhs.ca/digital/gatineau-river/guide/introduction
They got to work and planted trees and built a cottage with the help of family and friends over the course of a few summers. They spent their summers there for over 60 years. We purchased the cottage from Norman & George in 2019 when they were both in their 90's and living in Gatineau and no longer able to spend as much time there. We spoke to them on a couple of occasions where they shared information about the property, the work they did on the cottage, and the gardens. You could tell it was a very special place for them with a lot of history.
History of the Chalet
Here is an article in the Gatineau Valley Historical Society where Norman describes asking a First Nations Elder about the name of the "Gatineau River" which he was told was Tenakatin Zìbì!. Norman and George had a sign at the entrance to their cottage with this name that still welcomes you "Tenekatin":
gvhs.ca/publications/utga-gatineau
They both died in the summer of 2020 within 4 weeks of each other and both obituaries mention their love for their mid-century modern cottage in the beautiful Gatineau hills where they spent their summers. They were together for 70 years.