Pointe aux Pins Lodge is located in the quaint historical village of Rapides des Joachims, Québec. This place was chosen by the original French explorers and voyageurs as a place to rest before attempting the arduous ascent of the Rapides, or the long portage trail. Later, it became an important fur trading post and lumbering centre. In Canadian History the rapids that today underly the Joachims Ontario Hydro Generation project were called by their present name, and it is from the memoirs of The Chevalier De Troy that the name of the Lodge was chosen. The main lodge is located on rue Principale, with the log guest cabins nestled nearby under the tall pines just where the Ottawa widens to become Colton Bay. The setting is one of great natural beauty, with the rugged Laurentians rising from the opposite shore where the Provincial eagle preserve is located, and forming a picture that lives long in one's memory. Bring your telescope or use your binoculars to enjoy the night sky, host to a display of stars that city dwellers can only dream about. By day, use your binoculars for the many and varied birds that are found in this ancient rift valley, where in bygone days their ancestors skirted the edge of the retreating glaciers on one of the continent's oldest flyways. Here today the traveller may rest, and the weary city dweller find peace, recreation and contentment, lulled into that sleep that "knits up the ravelled sleeve of care" by the soft murmur of the pines.
Often referred to locally as "The Swisha", Rapides-des-Joachims occupies an island in the Ottawa River. The lodge is located at the Eastern end of the island, actually on the edge of the Village itself. Gasoline, boat launch, air services, fishing bait, wine, beer and liquor are all available within a five minute walk of the lodge.
