If you’re like me, summer seems to pass you by in a flash. One moment, you’re looking in the basement for your sandals and Canada Day flags, and in a moment that seems to happen about three days later, you notice the first orange maple leaf on the ground. (Noooooo!)
So make this year the year that you do All The Things—those quintessential summer experiences you never quite get around to doing. Here are my top 5 recommendations for must-do road trips in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais this summer. I hope you can squeeze in at least a few before Labour Day!
Hang out near a waterfall
There’s a waterfall for every taste in our region. Ottawa’s Hogs Back Falls in Hogs Back Park, just south of Carleton University (Hogs Back Road, between Prince of Wales and Riverside Drive), makes a great cycling destination. Bring a picnic or grab something from the simple onsite canteen.
If you want to make things stylish, you can sip fancy cocktails at Tavern on the Falls (1 John Street, Ottawa) as you watch the Rideau River thunder over Rideau Falls into the Ottawa River below.
Want something more thrilling? Try admiring Chutes Coulonge in the Pontiac region of the Outaouais (100 promenade Du-Parc-des-Chutes, Mansfield-et-Pontrefract) from a zipline or a via ferrata.
Savour a catered picnic
Sick of your standard cooler repertoire? Leave the cooking to others. In Cornwall, you can order a fancy Saturday brunch picnic to go from Cornwall Food Tours. In Smiths Falls, more than half a dozen local restaurants are taking orders for picnic boxes through the popular Picnic Smiths Falls program. (You’ll even get a picnic blanket.) In Prince Edward County, you can order a pre-show picnic for some shows presented by the Festival Players.
Take a hike
Long-time readers will know I’m not the most derring-do hiker. Give me a loop of two hours or less, with lots of trees, maybe some water views, and just enough hills and rocks to make it challenging, and I’m a happy girl. If that sounds like your kind of hike, here are a few I’ve tried and enjoyed.
- Morris Island Conservation Area, Fitzroy Harbour, Ontario (pretty flat, nice views of the Ottawa River)
- Mont Morissette, Blue Sea, Quebec (cool lookout tower, bit of a steep grade in parts)
- Trail 36, Gatineau Park (atmospheric ruins of one of Thomas “Carbide” Willson’s old industrial buildings)
- Rock Dunder, Lyndhurst (gorgeous Rideau Lakes views with very little effort, which means this trail is very popular; come outside of popular times and book in advance to avoid disappointment; note that the website still shows 2021 information but the trail IS open in 2022)
Looking for more ideas? Check out my extensive guide to local walks and hikes.
Eat ice cream
Does any food say “summer” quite as well as ice cream? (OK, maybe hot dogs. Or Popsicles. But ice cream is right up there.)
I’ve meaning to write a big post about ice cream spots forever. But there are just so many good ones that the post never feels quite finished! So here are just a few of my favourites. I’m sure you’ll discover many others as you drive around Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais.
- La Cigale, 14, chemin Scott Chelsea (honestly, the ice cream sandwich is a thing of beauty, and it’s so huge you won’t need dinner)
- Beachconers Microcreamery, 273 Britannia Road, Ottawa (small-batch ice cream, some flavours made with real fruit, steps from Britannia Beach)
- Moo Shu Ice Cream and Kitchen, 477 Bank Street, Ottawa (a fabulous small-batch shop that is also a certified Living Wage employer)
- Carp Custom Creamery, 3763 Carp Road, Carp (perfect stop if you’re checking out the Diefenbunker; I’m quite partial to the loaded butter tart flavour)
- Vanilla Beans Cafe and Creamery, 34 Main Street, Westport (choose from the many flavours, get a cone and wander across the street to enjoy it in the lakefront gazebo)
- Slickers, 271 Main Street, Bloomfield; 232 Main Street, Picton (beloved Prince Edward County ice cream maker that uses 100% Ontario cream and bakes its own treats to mix into ice cream; the apple pie ice cream is to die for)
Hit the beach
Sure, landlocked Ontario and Quebec aren’t the Caribbean, but that doesn’t mean our sandy lake and river shores can’t hold their own against the tropics on a gorgeous summer day. Plus…no flights to contend with! Like waterfalls, there’s a beach for just about every taste in our region.
You could watch passing freighters on the St. Lawrence Seaway from beaches in Iroquois and Morrisburg, or along the Long Sault Parkway. You could rent kayaks or play volleyball in the shadow of a casino at Lac Leamy in Gatineau. You could camp near a beach at Bonnechere Provincial Park or Murphy’s Point Provincial Park (among many others). Check my extensive beach guide for other ideas.
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.
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.