Pink Lake

Pink Lake is Gatineau Park’s most unique lake because it is “meromictic.” Of rare beauty, the site offers the opportunity to relax while learning about its ecology. Despite its name, the lake is green. It is named after the Pink family which settled the land in 1826. The lake is meromictic, meaning that, unlike a normal lake, its upper and lower water levels never mix. Normally a lake’s water mixes completely each year during the spring and fall and because of water density, water and air temperature, and the wind. The mixing of lake waters distributes nutrients and oxygen evenly throughout the lake. Pink Lake’s waters do not mix because it has a small surface and bowl-like shape and is surrounded by steep cliffs that protect it from the wind. This is why it is called “meromictic.” There is no oxygen in the deepest seven metres of the lake.