Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal is a historic waterway that links Ottawa with Kingston, Ontario, running for about two hundred kilometres through rivers, lakes and a series of stone locks. It was built between 1826 and 1832 under Lieutenant Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers, after the War of 1812 had shown how vulnerable the St. Lawrence River was to American attack, and the canal was meant to be a safe military supply route. In the end it was never needed for war, but it became a busy trade route and then, over time, a recreation corridor. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, valued as one of the best-preserved slackwater canals in North America, and Parks Canada looks after it.

The canal uses an unusual method. Instead of digging a continuous channel, the builders dammed rivers and lakes to raise the water level, flooding stretches of the natural waterway and then cutting short canals and locks between them. More than forty locks lift and lower boats along the way, and many of them are still operated by hand with the same type of winches used in the nineteenth century. At the Ottawa end, a flight of eight locks drops beside Parliament Hill and the Château Laurier down to the Ottawa River, and this is the best-known place to watch the system working.

In summer, the canal is a busy playground. Visitors can paddle canoes and kayaks, rent small boats, join cruises or simply stroll along the paths beside the water, which are among the most popular in Ottawa’s downtown. The stretch through downtown Ottawa has lawns, benches and flower beds, with cafes and patios near the water, and the ByWard Market and the Bytown Museum are close by. Further along, Dow’s Lake is a larger basin with boat rentals and a pavilion, and in spring tulips bloom in profusion around it. Long-distance boaters make the trip all the way to Kingston, stopping in canal villages along the way.

During winter the canal turns into the Rideau Canal Skateway. A stretch of about 7.8 kilometres is cleared and maintained as a skating rink, and it is recognised as the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink. Skaters, including commuters and families, glide through the city with warming huts, food stalls and rest stops along the route. The Skateway is a central feature of Winterlude, the city’s winter festival, and its season depends on the weather.

The canal suits walkers, cyclists, paddlers and history lovers, and each season has its own character. Visitors should check navigation season dates, lock hours and the Skateway’s status before planning. Allow an hour for a stroll along the downtown stretch, or a day to explore more of the route.