25+ fun Ottawa winter activities

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Looking for Ottawa winter activities, but you don’t want to go far? You may even be able to walk or take transit from your home to some of these outdoor fun spots, as they’re all within the Ottawa city limits. So grab your skates, your skis, your snowshoes, or even just your boots and mittens, and get out for some crisp fresh air.

Note that these are just a few suggestions for things to do in Ottawa in winter. If I haven’t mentioned your favourite, let me know in the comments!

I’ve marked the ones that are relatively accessible via OC Transpo with an asterisk.

Updated January 9, 2024.

Places to skate outdoors in Ottawa

Sure, the Rideau Canal gets lots of attention, and rightly so; the 7.8-kilometre stretch from the National Arts Centre to Carleton University is the world’s largest skating rink, and it’s pretty special. But here are some other places where you can skate outside in Ottawa in winter. Some, such as the Rideau Canal, are completely weather dependent. Others, such as the Lansdowne Park skating court and the Rink of Dreams at Ottawa City Hall, get a bit of help from artificial refrigeration.

• Rideau Hall skating rink, 1 Sussex Drive (if coming on foot) or 101 Princess Avenue (if parking)*
• Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, 901 Prince of Wales Drive
• Lansdowne Park skating court, 1015 Bank Street*
• Rink of Dreams, Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West*
• Jim Tubman Chevrolet Rink, 2185 Arch Street*
• Ben Franklin Place Rink, 101 Centrepointe Drive*
• Map of neighbourhood outdoor rinks in Ottawa
• Icelynd skating trails, 6865 Fernbank Road, Stittsville
• RiverOak skate trail, 2900 York’s Corners Road, Metcalfe

Looking for more skate trails? See my list of skate trails throughout Ontario and Quebec.

Ottawa winter trails

In the last few years, urban winter trails have emerged all over the city, usually dreamed up and maintained by a tireless team of volunteers. Many are open for multiple uses, such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and fat biking, but please check each trail’s website for detailed rules. And, even if multiple uses are allowed, I beg you not to walk, bike or snowshoe across the track-set ski trails. A lot of work goes into making them nice for skiers.

• Kìchì Sìbì Winter Trail, along the Ottawa River from the Mill Street Pub to Kìchì Sìbì Station (check out Andrea Tomkins’ post about skiing the trail for more details)*
• Ski Heritage East, along the Ottawa River from the Canada Aviation and Space Museum to Orleans
• Britannia Winter Trail, along the Ottawa River in and around Britannia
• Ottawa West Winter Trail, east and west of the intersection of Moodie Drive and Corkstown Road
• Rideau Winter Trail, along the western shore of the Rideau River between Donald Street and Billings Bridge*
• NCC Greenbelt hiking trails—more than 150 kilometres of trails in both Ottawa and Gatineau, including Shirley’s Bay, Stony Swamp and Pinhey Forest in the west end, and Pine Grove, Mer Bleue and Green’s Creek in the east end

Conservation areas open in Ottawa in winter

Many people forget about conservation areas once the autumn leaves have fallen, because some do close over the winter. But many others are open, and they’re much quieter than they are at the height of summer. Here are a few four-season conservation areas in Ottawa to check out.

• Morris Island Conservation Area, 156 Morris Island Drive, Fitzroy Harbour (check out my post about summer hiking at Morris Island for additional details on the conservation area’s facilities and history)
• Baxter Conservation Area, 7498 Carter Road, Kars
• Chapman Mills Conservation Area, 253 Winding Way, Barrhaven
• Richmond Conservation Area, 63 Royal York Street, Richmond

Ottawa winter festivals

Winter festivals in Ottawa are always a bit weather dependent. If it’s too cold, no one wants to stick their noses outside. If it’s too warm, the toboggan hills turn to slush. However, most winter festival organizers bear this in mind and program some indoor or weather-neutral outdoor activities to keep the crowds entertained.

Winterlude* is the granddaddy of Ottawa winter festivals. For three weekends (February 2 to 19, 2024), this popular event offers parades, races, tubing hills, ice sculptures and lots more. However, it’s far from the only Ottawa winter festival on the calendar! Check out these other winter carnivals in Ottawa and Gatineau:

• Greely Winter Carnival, January 25 to 28
• Carnaval St-Jean Bosco, January 25 to February 4
• Optimist Club Winter Carnival (Carlsbad Springs), January 26 to 28
• Westboro Beach Winter Carnival, January 27*
• Shiverfest (Manotick), February 2 and 3
• Carnaval Sarsfield, February 4
• Fête Frissons (Orleans), February 10*

For similar events further afield, check out my big list of winter carnivals in Eastern Ontario and beyond.

Looking for more ideas for things to see and do in our region? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or pick up a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide, from which this post is adapted.

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.