Over the past few years, my crew and I have enjoyed going to the Winterlude activities in Ottawa. If you have never ventured to this region, it really is a must do. Even if you miss Winterlude and all that comes with it, you really need to get to the region to skate on the canal.
During the winter, Ottawa will flood the Rideau Canal creating a skating rink that is about 4 km long in one direction. If you decided to travel on the canal, there is a possibility of you skating 8 km on a round trip. In the past, my hubby and I have skated a good portion of this, even one winter when it was as low as -29 Celsius. Since then we have had a child, and it has only been in the past two years that he has learned to skate. With that our trips on the canal have been shorter, but now that he is getting better skating, I think our future trips down the canal will be longer.
When you head to the canal, I would suggest parking at City Hall in the underground parking lot. We have never had any issue finding a spot. Something really neat about city hall is that it is all electronic telling you how many parking spaces are located on each level. Fancy stuff right there.
Outside city hall there are many activities to take in and many things to see. There is a skating rink set up where we have watched young kids perform for the crowd. Across the road as you head to the canal, you will find ice sculptures and a huge area set aside with a stage. You can even watch people carve the ice sculptures throughout the day.
Last year one of the ice sculptures was a carving of the number 150 for Canada’s 150th year.
Within a few minutes you reach the beginning of the canal. At this section you can opt to rent skates, sleds to push people who may not know how to skate, and other devices to help new skaters. No help was needed this year for my boy as he has gotten way better at skating from last year to this year.
Since my friends do not all have skates, I opted to walk along with them while we towed her youngest in his sled. I figured this is good practice for towing my sled on back country winter trips 🙂 There was no arguing from me, even when her oldest son decided to hop on for a ride as well. I even found it warm with my new WoolPower shirt from the Outland Supply Company! Thanks Fraser!! I may not take this off either 😛
There are many people on the canal who will walk as well as skate. I have been told that some people will even skate the canal as part of their daily commute to work. What a great workout this would be every day! It is so neat to go under all the major roads and get a different view of under the bridges.
At various locations down the canal, the city has sections where you can stop and warm up next to a fire, and also refuel with local goodies! We have always opted for the beaver tails. They are a must when visiting Ottawa. I think it’s a good thing I do not live here full time as I would probably get one every week!
Once you have skated the canal, you can head over to Quebec and check out Jacques Cartier Park. Here is where you can see snow sculptures and also go down ice slides! I actually do not have any pictures of the ice slides as I had only taken video! Go figure. However, they are super fun and no equipment needed. Any slide that requires equipment, they supply it!
I know we will be back again next year and I think the goal is to skate the majority of the canal. I just hope my feet can handle it. Finding skates for my big size 11 feet can be a challenge, especially when I like having skates with a toe-pick.
The last thing we like to do is stop at Kettleman’s Bagel Company. I remember getting these years ago when we first moved to Ontario. We usually pick up a couple dozen bagels to bring home. It makes our vehicle smell so delicious and it’s a good thing that they are in the back because I could eat a whole bunch!
Hope you had a good read about Winterlude. It is really worth the visit and expect to spend at least a couple of days exploring all the activities. With work we tend to only have the weekend, but we make sure we pack it full! Thanks for reading.