There is a place in Nominingue, just north of Tremblant, where you can do an overnight stay in an actual tree house.
By Alissa Sklar
Although my family lives in a reasonably comfortable house in the city, we put a lot of effort into not sleeping at home. Over the years, we have camped out under the stars, spent a night in a yurt in Mont Tremblant park, and even tried to sleep in an igloo my daughters built (the cold put an end to that adventure).
My daughters had also expressed interest in sleeping in the treehouse they built with their dad, but it never worked out. No roof, too many mosquitoes. So when I saw an ad promoting overnight stays in an enclosed treehouse near Nominingue (just north of Mont Tremblant), I jumped at the chance. We made a reservation, packed up the kids and dog and drove a couple of hours north, hoping for a night of family togetherness and a bit of adventure in a forest canopy.
We weren’t disappointed.
When we arrived at Les Toits du Monde, right off Lake Nominingue, we walked a short path into the woods to the coolest treehouse we’d ever seen. Fifteen feet off the forest floor, and accessible by a staircase (so even little ones and the dog can access it), the structure sits between two suspended bridges. A rope and pulley helps you raise and lower your gear.
The treehouse, which sleeps six, has running water, a woodstove, propane elements for cooking, a composting toilet (no 3 a.m. trips down into the woods to answer the call of nature) and even a solar shower.
A lot of love, care and creativity have gone into the details of this structure. Everything is made from hewn wood, from the mouldings to the shelves. A hollowed out log with a drain is the “sink” into which large containers of water are poured.
And once you’ve explored the treehouse, there are lots of activities in the surrounding area.
We wandered through the site, checking out the other structures the owners are building: a huge teepee with wooden sleeping platform, a hobbit house being hollowed out of the side of a hill and a large canvas yurt. Little kids will enjoy the funny faces that have been put onto random trees along the path.
Families who enjoy biking can take advantage of the nearby P’tit Train du Nord bike path that passes along the shores of Lake Nominingue. There is also a public beach in the town of Nominingue, golf, trails for hiking, canoe rentals and tubing on the nearby Rouge River.
treehouseThat evening, we put together a feast using both the woodstove and the propane burner. As the sun set, two solar-powered lamps provided plenty of light. We took advantage of the lack of Internet access to play a marathon game of Monopoly and then hunkered down in our sleeping bags.
Packing up, we were sad to leave our house in the air, but we’re already looking forward to trying out the hobbit house when it’s ready for visitors.
Treehouse stays are $150 per night, plus tax. Children stay free but each adult after the first two is an additional $20.