Over 200 lakes spread across nearly 482 km², and a village where the wildlife acts like it owns the place. Duhamel is the only municipality in Quebec with two Sépaq sites on its territory: the Centre touristique du Lac-Simon and the Papineau-Labelle wildlife reserve. It’s named after Joseph-Thomas Duhamel, the second bishop of Ottawa, and was incorporated in 1936.
Everything here runs on the outdoors. Summer is the 2 km beach on Lac Simon, the campgrounds, and tubing down the Petite Nation River. Fall is hunting and fishing in Papineau-Labelle. Winter is snowmobiles, ice fishing and cross-country skiing. Visitors come from far away, often just for the weekend, and they keep the restaurants, rental shops and the contractors who look after the cottages going the rest of the year.
What makes Duhamel
White-tailed deer
The municipality lists deer watching as a winter activity: you’ll see them in the village and along the trails, mostly before noon or around 4 p.m. Drive carefully, they pop out anywhere.
The Lac Simon beach
Sépaq’s Centre touristique du Lac-Simon has a 2 km beach, over 370 campsites and 4 km² of woods right next door.
Papineau-Labelle
Quebec’s southernmost wildlife reserve, known for brook trout and lake trout. The Gagnon entrance is on chemin du Lac-Gagnon Ouest.
The Singer line
The Singer company ran a railway here from 1925 to 1980. The old rail bed is now a 10 km bike path around the village and Lac Simon.
The National Trail
More than 50 km of hiking trails in Duhamel, including 17 km of the Sentier national, with some great lookouts.
Lac Gagnon old-growth forest
58 hectares of old hemlock forest, designated as old-growth in 2002.
A few local businesses in Duhamel
- Coopérative de solidarité de Duhamel · gas station and convenience store · village centre Our client · see the project
A citizen co-op that brought the village gas station and store back to life. Duhamel did it themselves, and you can feel it at the counter. - Auberge Couleurs de France · Log inn and restaurant · chemin des Jonquilles
The dining room looks out on Petit lac Preston, and deer come to feed a few steps from the windows. - Rendez-vous du chevreuil · Canadian-style restaurant · rue Principale
A small chalet-style spot in the village, toward Lac Gagnon, where you might see deer and wild turkeys in winter. - Carbo barbecue · Barbecue restaurant · Route 321 Nord
Meats smoked over maple wood, plus vacuum-packed dishes to take back to the cottage or campsite. - Biffrentals Aventure · Sea-Doo rentals and tours · chemin du Tour-du-Lac
Sea-Doo rentals from mid-June to September, and guided side-by-side tours in every season. - C.L. Outaouais · Parts, accessories, storage and docks · rue Principale
Parts, docks and storage for anyone with a boat on the lake. - Duhamel Électrique inc. · Electrician · rue Principale
An electrical contractor based in the village, with five-star Google reviews.
Getting found in Duhamel
People coming to Duhamel have usually booked the Sépaq site or the inn already. Once they’re here, they search for everything else: “restaurant Duhamel open now”, “Sea-Doo rental Lac Simon”, “electrician cottage Duhamel”. Cottage owners look for contractors from Ottawa or Montreal, months before they arrive. A lot of local businesses only have a Facebook page, or a Google profile with no website behind it, and those that do have a site often keep it French-only even though plenty of their customers are from Ontario. We’d start with complete profiles and one clear bilingual page: what you do, when you’re open, how to reach you.
Duhamel has a population of 574 (2026), according to the Quebec government's population order.
Petite Nation Numérique is not affiliated with the municipality or the MRC; this information comes from public sources.
Our most requested services in Duhamel
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DetailsFrequently asked questions
My guests book through Expedia or Booking. Is that a problem?
Not by itself, those sites bring people in. But they take a commission on every night. Your own site, showing up well on Google, lets returning guests book with you directly.
I’m a contractor and my clients live in Ottawa, not Duhamel. Where should I show up?
Your Google profile should list the area you serve, not just your address. A page for each area you cover, with photos of real jobs, helps a lot when someone searches “electrician cottage Lac Simon” from home.
Do you come to Duhamel?
Yes. We are based in Montpellier and meet clients in person anywhere in the MRC de Papineau, including Duhamel. We can also work entirely online.
My business is small. Is an online presence worth the investment?
Yes, particularly in a rural region. A complete Google profile and a simple site are often enough to stand out from competitors who aren't online. We start with what pays off most for your budget.