Did you know that you can skate through the forest, on one of a growing number of groomed skate trails in Ottawa, the Outaouais and beyond?
The ice trails craze started about a decade ago and is still going strong. These days, there are several skate trails near Ottawa where you can glide through the trees.
Note: PLEASE check a skate trail’s website and/or social media before heading out! Skate trails are very weather dependent, and may close with little notice due to poor ice conditions. Also, most skate trails are only open on certain days of the week, and some require you to buy tickets in advance. The websites will also provide detailed information on amenities such as snack bars, indoor change rooms and equipment rentals, which may affect which trail you choose.
Ice trails in Ottawa
In York’s Corners (between Metcalfe and Russell), the River Oak Estates ice trail is popular with families, dog lovers and hockey players, as hockey sticks, pucks and pooches are all allowed on the ice. You can also rent skates, helmets and other gear, if you don’t bring your own. Some of the skating trails are illuminated at night. In total, some three kilometres of trails wind through the landscape. The trails are open from Thursdays through Sundays.
Icelynd Skating Trails is a two-kilometre route off Fernbank Road near Stittsville. Along with trails, there’s a canteen and an outdoor rink, and you can warm up around one of the bonfires. Strollers are allowed but hockey gear is not. Trails are partially lit at night, but a headlamp might come in handy, too. You must buy your tickets in advance online. The trails are open from Thursdays through Sundays.
Skate trails in the Outaouais
In 2017, CBC Radio wrote about the Patinage en forêt skate trail in Lac-des-Loups, Quebec, just beyond the northwestern edge of Gatineau Park. One of the region’s first skate trails, it offers a canteen, equipment rentals, skate sharpening and more. Note that animals are not allowed. The six-kilometre network of trails is open seven days a week. Insider tip: It occasionally offers torchlit skating evenings, which usually sell out quickly.
Closer to Ottawa, the Little Penguin Trail is a 5.5-kilometre ice trail that wends through the Touraine Golf Club in Gatineau. It’s open from Thursdays through Sundays, and night skating is available.
Other skating trails in Ontario and Quebec
- There’s a three-kilometre skate trail at Countryside Adventures in Moose Creek, partway between Ottawa and Cornwall. Strollers and sleds are allowed on the ice trail, which is illuminated at night. The site also offers a tubing hill, snowshoeing trails and a food truck.
- In Pembroke, a two-kilometre snowshoeing trail parallels the 1.5-kilometre wooded Laurentian Valley Skating Trail. The trail is open seven days a week and is illuminated on Thursday and Saturday evenings. Strollers are permitted on the trail but pets are not.
- In Muskoka, there’s a 1.3-kilometre ice skate trail at Arrowhead Provincial Park and a 1.2-kilometre skate trail through a cranberry bog in Bala (the latter is groomed using a “Cranboni”).
- A reader alerted me to Domaine Enchanteur, a 15-kilometre network of skate trails about 20 minutes from Trois-Rivières and Shawinigan, Quebec.
If you visit one of these skating trails (or find another one I haven’t mentioned), come back here, leave a comment and let me know what it was like!
Updated on January 20, 2025.
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As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.
12 comments
[…] Would you rather skate in a more natural setting? How about a forest skating trail? I’ve tried the trail at Lac-des-Loups in the Gatineaus, and it is marvellous. On my visit, I skated along ice almost as smooth as a curling rink, past chickadees scrabbling over seeds at bird feeders as blue jays called out from the trees above. I almost had the place to myself (granted, the windchill was -27C) and it truly felt magical. You can learn more about that trail and half a dozen others in my just-updated skate trails post. […]
Hi Laura,
Do you know about this skating trail in Moose Creek? Don’t see it in you post.
https://www.countrysideadventures.ca/
Hi Susan,
Thanks for the reminder! I had heard about this ice trail after writing the original post, but then totally forgot about it. I will check it out and add it!
Cheers,
Laura
One is opening next week just outside of Stittsville on fernbank road.
https://icelynd.com
Thanks! I’ll look it up!
Thank you! We tried out this new skating trail in Gatineau that was absolutely lovely. A long and winding 5km+ trail that is set on a golf course.
Le Sentier du Petit Pingouin / The Little Penguin Trail
https://thelittlepenguintrail.com/
Thanks for the tip! Wow, these skating trails are opening up faster than I can keep track of them! I’ll update the post soon.
[…] week, after I shared my post about outdoor skating trails in Ontario and Quebec, readers wrote in with tips on trails I hadn’t even heard of, and then […]
[…] Looking for more skate trails? See my list of skate trails throughout Ontario and Quebec. […]
[…] other winter fun inspiration, check out my posts about skate trails and easy winter hiking trails. And if you’d like to soak in an outdoor hot tub after (or […]
Hi Laura – love your Ottawa Valley G’Day toque you’re wearing on the Laurentian Valley Four Seasons trail! Another magical outdoor skating opportunity in the Valley: the Snow Moon Skating loop on Golden Lake: https://goldenlake.co/. Check it out! Re-opening soon!
Thanks for the tip on the Golden Lake loop, Erin–I’ll add it! And I’m glad you liked my hat–thanks! 🙂