Nature & Nurture
A celebration of natural beauty.
Elements is designed to connect people with nature — providing unique spaces to relax, be invigorated and be inspired.
The science of stillness
Your brain on nature.
Life moves quickly — sometimes too quickly for us to pause, breathe and think. Yet nature has the power to make us do all three, without us even knowing.
Research at Japan's Chiba University and the Nippon Medical School has found that the practice of shinrin-yoku — forest air bathing, or a walk through the trees — does more than pass the time. MRI scans of people engaging in forest air bathing reveal that after just twenty minutes, blood flow in the brain actually creates a state of relaxation.
In another study, at Toronto's Baycrest Rotman Institute, depressed adults who spent time amidst nature showed marked improvements not only in mood, but in memory function as well.
Carved out of the wilderness, we offer luxury tented camping, wholesome cuisine and unique spaces in which to relax, re-invigorate and be inspired.
About us
From Storyland to wilderness.
Located on 89 acres in the heart of the Ottawa Valley, Elements Luxury Tented Camp and Nature Spa stands on the site of the former Storyland Theme Park — a beloved family destination from 1966 to 2011. It was sold to entrepreneur Nicole Laframboise in 2013.
With a background in accounting, real estate, construction and farming, Nicole built upon the European concept of glamping — glamorous camping — after realizing the developed site could be restored to its natural beauty while affording visitors a way to interact meaningfully with nature.
Working with an expert team, some areas were cleared of Storyland artifacts while others were left fallow, encouraging the re-establishment of native flora and fauna. From those efforts, Elements has risen as both a model of integration with existing natural surroundings and a blueprint for exploring the environment in a safe, sustainable way.
History · Champlain's Lookout
“Champlain, Juin 2, 1613.”
The rock at the highest point of Elements is unremarkable in every way but one. Carved upon its face are words ostensibly left by a legend, commemorating the landing of the French explorer, cartographer and diplomat Samuel de Champlain.
Five years after founding New France, the intrepid Frenchman travelled by canoe up the Ottawa River in hopes of finding what the indigenous people called "the northern sea." Along the way, many historians believe he stopped and marked the rock known locally as Champlain's Lookout.
The awe and thrill of discovery continues to this day, through Elements Luxury Tented Camp and Nature Spa.