RIDEAU CANAL

It is a waterway that connects the City of Ottawa, on the Ottawa River, to the City of Kingston, on Lake Ontario, via the Rideau and Cataraqui Rivers. This waterway runs through the city. In summer, it is a popular spot for kayakers, cyclists and strollers. In winter, its frozen waters become the longest skating rink in the world (7.8 km), except during the winter of 2022-23 when it remained closed for the first time in its history, a symbol of global warming.

Rideau Heritage Route. Those who are carried away by the river can travel as far as Kingston, while visiting the major lockstations at Merrickville, Jones Falls and Kington Mills. From Ottawa to Merrickville, 45 km of picturesque villages evoke a time when the newly independent United States was a threat to Canada. Houses, mills and stores bear witness to the splendor of the late ^19th century. From Manotick, 15 km south of Ottawa, you'll appreciate the historic buildings in Dickinson Square. Then, in Kars, you may still hear the echoes of the log drive (transporting wood by water) that made this community's fortune before the arrival of the railroad. Next comes Rideau River Provincial Park, Burritt Rapids and Merrickville. Continuing on, you will come to Smiths Falls where you will find the Heritage Museum, housed in an 1867 style house, and the Rideau Canal Visitor Centre.