Wakefield, Quebec

Wakefield is one of many villages of the Municipality La Pêche, with the village centre on the western shore of the Gatineau River, at the confluence of the La Pêche River in the Outaouais region of the province of Quebec in Canada. It is thirty-five kilometres northwest of Ottawa. The village, named after the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, is now the southern edge of the municipality of La Pêche, and was founded in 1830 by Irish, Scottish, and English immigrants. Wakefield is approximately a twenty-five-minute drive north of the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge that divides Gatineau and Ottawa (Ontario), along the Autoroute 5, a modern four lane divided highway which has recently been extended to the village.

The village's primary industry is tourism. The main attractions, in addition to a picturesque setting, are the covered bridge spanning the Gatineau River; the Maclaren Mill built in 1838 and named after an early family in the region, now restored and operated as the Wakefield Mill Inn and Spa; and the Black Sheep Inn - Auberge Mouton Noir.

The village provides access points to Gatineau Park near the junction of Route Principale and the Highway 5, and also at the Wakefield Mill. During the summer months until 2011, a touristic steam train ran daily from Gatineau to Wakefield via Chelsea along the Gatineau River.

Recreational activities in and around the village include horseback riding, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, tubing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, golf, canoeing, and kayaking. There is a popular unsupervised and unofficial swimming area beneath the covered bridge that attracts thousands of people from the surrounding area every summer.

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