Day trips from Ottawa
Explore sites just two hours from downtown Ottawa. Cycle through 7 000 years of history, try on a Voyageur sash or learn about the fur trade. The fun starts here with plenty of must-see places to visit!
Historic shipping route constructed after the war of 1812.
Walk or bike!
Rideau Canal National Historic Site
How to get there
- Walk or bike! The canal flows right through the heart of downtown and runs from Ottawa to Kingston, Ontario.
What to do
- Head to Dow Lake with your rod, outdoors card and fishing permit. Don’t forget your barbecue so you can grill your catch along the canal. Did you know that the river is full of freshwater fish, from Lake Trout and Yellow Perch to Walleye and Smallmouth Bass?
- Enjoy a scenic 12km paddle along the winding river between Perth and Beveridge Locks.
Stay overnight
Sleep soundly under the stars when you pitch your tent at one of the twenty-two lockstations that offer camping. Upgrade to a cozy oTENTik for a cabin experience.
Historic fort dating back to the war of 1812.
- Driving: 1 hour
Fort Wellington National Historic Site
How to get there
- Drive: In Prescott ON, just a little over an hour’s drive via highway ON-416 south.
What to do
- Always wanted to fire a cannon? Sign up to enlist in the Royal Artillery training to learn to fire our 19th century cannon (must be 18 and over).
- Calling all Xplorers! Grab a copy of the Parks Canada Xplorers booklet and complete three challenges to score a souvenir! Super-fun way to explore the fort and get the inside track on its mysteries and history!
Travel back in time
Costumed interpreters are here to give you an authentic taste of life in the 1840s. Stop by the visitor centre to see the wreck of a 19th century gunboat!
A park protecting several scenic mainland properties and over 20 islands on the St. Lawrence River.
- Driving: 1.5 hours
Thousand Islands National Park
How to get there
- Drive: In Mallorytown, ON, just 1.5 hours on highway ON-416 south and ON-401 west.
What to do
- No boat? No problem! There are so many ways to explore this gorgeous park, from renting a kayak or taking a guided canoe tour, to hopping aboard a cruise boat or just enjoying the mainland at Mallorytown Landing.
- Whether you’re a hiking newbie or ruler of the trails, you’ll find somewhere perfect to hike at Jones Creek. Make it an easy 20-minute stroll or link several paths in the network for a serious workout.
Download the app!
Kids big and small will love exploring and learning with Parka. Join a Club Parka activity or win a reward in a scavenger hunt with the Photo Missions App!
North America’s only 200-tonne Guillotine gate.
- Driving: 1.5 hours
Carillon Canal National Historic Site
How to get there
- Drive: In Saint-Andre-d’Argenteuil, QC, around 1.5 hours from Ottawa via Highway 50 E.
What to do
- Be amazed by 1833 engineering ingenuity. A 200-tonne guillotine gate allows vessels to navigate a 20-meter drop in the river in just 40-minutes.
- Discover the secrets of the canal as you hike along its banks, from its military past through to its commercial days.
Two for one:
Practice your French at the Argenteuil Regional Museum inside Carillon Barracks national Historic Site, a requisitioned British Army barracks from 1837. It holds some 10 000 artifacts and shows a snapshot of life for the Indegenous, French, British, Quebec and Canadian communities who used to live here.
Fort remains and Canada’s first lock canal at the most turbulent rapids on the St Lawrence River.
- Driving: 1.5 hours
Coteau-du-Lac National Historic Site
How to get there
- Drive: Just 1.5 hours on highway ON-417 east.
What to do
- Take a self-guided archaeological stroll and discover the archeological remains that tell the story of more than 7 000 years of history from First Nations to Voyageurs, merchants and soldiers.
- Challenge the family to ‘beat the clock’ and explore the site through your smartphone, snapping photos in a historical race against time!
- Pedal out along the Soulanges canal on a 45km cycling tour through the multi-layered architectural landscape on an exciting five-stop tour created by Archéo-Québec (only available in French).
Connect with nature
With a trail map and a pair of binoculars, see what you can spy along the canal and the creeks, from herons to blue-winged teals.
The gateway canal which links the Atlantic Ocean to the heart of the continent.
- Driving: under 2 hours
- Transit: 2.5 hours
Lachine Canal National Historic Site
How to get there
- Drive: In Montreal, QC, just under two hours on the Trans-Canada highway ON-417 east.
- Transit: Just over two hours by VIA Rail train or coach to downtown Montreal. Grab a Bixi bike or take the bus or metro to the Lachine Canal.
What to do
- Buy picnic supplies at Atwater Market and rent a bike to cycle one of the world’s most beautiful urban routes. Cycle through green spaces and past centuries-old buildings along the flat canal path of the Lachine.
- Set sail on a voyage 150 years into the past on an ultra-modern electrically-powered vessel, the Petit Navire, which silently takes you back to the time of the merchants who sailed these waters and helped found modern Canada.
- Rent a canoe or a kayak and paddle along these historic waters that helped turn Montreal into a major port city after the canal opened in 1825.
Two for one
Put on your traditional sash and scarlet toque, and step into the beaver pelt-scented world of the trappers and traders at The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site next door!
Related links
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