Wilderness Medicine Course Location

Most of our open enrolment wilderness medicine courses are held in the heart of the Gatineau Hills in Quebec – just 30 minutes from downtown Ottawa and 8 minutes from the charming village of Wakefield.

The Barn

The course site, “The Barn”, sits on 75 acres of forest and meadows bordered by a lake, a river, and Gatineau Park. The main building is shelled in a barn that was built in 1936 and converted into a retreat facility in the 1970’s.

Facilities

The main floor contains our classroom, another ‘lounge’ room with a cozy fireplace, a dining room, and a fully equipped kitchen where students can store and prepare food. The upper floor has shared bedrooms and bathrooms for those staying on site. There’s also Wi-Fi available at the Barn to help you stay in touch or plan your travels. Please bring a pair of comfortable shoes to keep dry and wear indoors.

Lodging and camping

Between October 21th and April 15th—you can stay onsite at the Barn for $29 per night. The shared accommodations are comfortable and clean. The bedrooms are on the upper floor and each has between three and five beds. There are bathrooms and showers on the upper floor as well as the main floor. The kitchen, dining room, ‘lounge’ room, and classroom provide comfortable areas to study, hang out, and relax during your downtime.

If you are staying on site you need to bring your own bedding, pillow, and towel. There are two fridges and multiple cupboards to store groceries and supermarkets and stores nearby to resupply.

From April 16th to October 20th, you can camp onsite for $20/night. We’re not set up as a campground with facilities, so please come prepared with camping gear and all of your own supplies for storing, preparing, cooking, and eating food and doing your own dishes.

You’ll have access to an outdoor tap to fill up drinking water and the indoor bathrooms and showers 

The kitchen, dining room, ‘lounge’ room, and classroom provide comfortable areas to study, hang out, and relax during downtime. There are two fridges and multiple cupboards to store groceries with supermarkets and stores nearby to resupply.

Students staying on-site should bring their own bedding, pillow, and towel.

Wakefield, Quebec

Wakefield is a charming and fun village on the banks of the Gatineau River. It is known for its great restaurants, shops, bakeries, the famous live music venue ‘The Black Sheep Inn’, and its easy access to Gatineau park for cross country skiing in the winter and bicycling and hiking in the summer.