In 1973, Jean-Pierre Binette bought a piece of uncultivated land. He decided to plant trees, notably pines, in order to turn it into a farm. However, the land was unsuitable for this type of plantation, so the project was abandoned and the trees became a beautiful forest (hence the name “lost forest”, because all around are fields!).

In the meantime, Jean-Pierre met a beekeeper and discovered a real passion for the trade. He sells his honey at the farm and welcomes visitors for walks in the forest. At the time, there was also a residence for the elderly, which he manages with his wife Madeleine Courchesne. It was at this time that Jean-Pierre created trails for the residents to walk in the forest.

The land is also a huge playground for the couple’s children, in summer and winter alike. When, one fine winter’s day in 1995, one of the children fell in the water trying to skate on one of the lakes, Madeleine decided that the children would never skate on the lakes again. Fortunately, all ended well, but without realizing it, it would change the destiny of their little business…

Jean-Pierre, who is never short of ideas, decides to turn the trails in his forest into skating paths! Through trial and error, he developed his own technique and equipment. Soon, Domaine de la Forêt Perdue’s icy trails and the honey products still sold at the farm were attracting more than just family and friends. Faced with this unexpected craze, Jean-Pierre, like a born entrepreneur, seized the opportunity to reconcile his beekeeping profession with the sale of his honey products.

However, authorization from the Commission de la protection du Territoire Agricole du Québec (CTPAQ) was required, as the land’s primary vocation was agriculture, not recreation and tourism. In 1997, the company obtained this authorization, and so began the fabulous adventure of the Domaine de la Forêt Perdue trail labyrinth. Over the years, activities have been added in summer and winter alike. Madeleine and Jean-Pierre still own the land, and Domaine Enchanteur has become one of Quebec’s most visited winter tourist attractions…