A Rideau Lakes getaway: Hiking, shopping, cheese, an old mill and the Rideau Canal

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So what can you do when you visit the Township of Rideau Lakes? Picnicking by the water, puttering about in boats, casting a fishing line, hiking a scenic trail, pitching a tent—if this is your idea of the perfect weekend getaway, you are going to love Rideau Lakes.

Sprawling over a wide but sparsely populated area of Eastern Ontario between Perth and Gananoque, it’s a region of villages, Rideau Canal locks—the one at the top of this post is Chaffeys Lock, AKA Lock 37—and winding country roads.

I’m going to cheat a bit in this post by also including Lyndhurst and Port Elmsley, small communities just beyond the boundaries of Rideau Lakes. They’re so close to the township that it makes sense to visit them all together.

Let’s go exploring.

Disclosure: I visited some of these places as a guest of the Township of Rideau Lakes, which neither reviewed or approved this post. All opinions are my own.

Sightseeing in Rideau Lakes

It’s fun just meandering around some of the picturesque communities that make up the township.

In Delta, the Old Stone Mill (44 King Street, Delta) pretty much dominates the village. Built in 1810, it’s a National Historic Site and a Queen’s Park Pick (a designation that the Ontario Association of Architects bestows annually on notable buildings).

After grinding wheat and animal feed for many decades, the mill ceased all commercial operations in 1960. The owner at that time sold the imposing Georgian-style building for a dollar to the Delta Mill Society, which carefully converted it into a museum. Today, in summer, you can take a tour and see 19th-century millstones grinding heritage wheat into flour, which you can buy in the mill’s shop. The building also frequently hosts special events.

In Elgin, for instance, check out the Red Brick School (48 Halladay Street, Elgin), which dates back to 1887 and is one of the oldest school buildings in the region. Built during an era of educational reform, it was unusually grand for a village school and reflected the latest architectural technologies. It served as a school until 1964. It’s not always open to visitors, but you can always check out the exterior.

In Lyndhurst, you can see what’s rumoured to be Ontario’s oldest stone bridge, dating to 1857. However, that’s not even the most eye-catching thing in the tiny village. That honour would have to go to the nearby Plaid House (432 Lyndhurst Road, Lyndhurst), painted in startling shades of red, blue and yellow as a civic rejuvenation project.

Between Lyndhurst and Morton, No.9 Gardens (1516 Summers Road, Rideau Lakes) is a unique spot that does research and offers workshops related to environmental sustainability and reconciliation . There’s an outdoor art installation, too.

Finally, if you’ve brought a picnic basket, nice places to unpack it in Rideau Lakes include Hanna Park (27 Water Street, Portland) and the waterfront at the Rideau Ferry Public Docks. Both places have some shelter, in case the weather turns nasty, and seasonal public washrooms.

Rideau Lakes festivals and events

Highlights of the local calendar include Skate the Lake, an annual outdoor speed-skating event in Portland that also features live music, sleigh rides, refreshments and other fun (January); the Delta Maple Syrup Festival (April); the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour, a long-distance bike tour between Ottawa and Kingston (June); the Delta Fair, which dates back to 1830 (July); the Rideau Lakes Artists’ Association’s Paint the Summer art show and sale (August); and the Lyndhurst Turkey Fair (September). In the summer, you can also enjoy movies under the stars at the Port Elmsley Drive-In (333 Port Elmsley Road, Perth).

Shopping in Rideau Lakes

Looking for art, antiques, jewellery, ice cream, fishing gear, clothing or boat rentals in Rideau Lakes? Here’s the scoop.

The community of Newboro may be small, but it’s home to two destination stores. Kilborn’s on the Rideau (10 Drummond Street, Newboro) is a multi-building emporium selling everything from shoes and dresses to ice cream and furniture. Norris’s Bait and Tackle (8877 County Road 42, Newboro) is filled to the brim with fishing lures, duck decoys and hunting gear, and rents motorboats, canoes, kayaks and pedal boats.

 Twelve kilometres away in Portland, artist Claire Jacobs sells her colourful oil and acrylic paintings—portraits, street scenes, animal artworks and more—at the Chandelier Tree Studio (6 Campbell Street, Portland; open by chance or by appointment). She also runs art classes and workshops.

Over in Delta, another spot open by appointment or chance is Black Scottie Antiques (4 Matthew Street, Delta), where you’ll find an eclectic collection of vintage china, glassware, toys, perfume bottles, cameras and much more, lovingly collected by owner Janice Brophy.

Just beyond the Township of Rideau Lakes, eight kilometres south of Delta, Terri and Peter Dawson source unique jewellery, candles, dishes, clothing and other pretty items from Canada and beyond, and sell them in their charming gift shop, The Green Gecko (436 Lyndhurst Road, Lyndhurst).

Rideau Lakes restaurants and food shops

Feeling hungry? You’re in luck.

Technically in Westport but on the road to Newboro, the Little Rideau Farm shop (8929 County Road 42, Westport) is a lovely curiosity: It operates on the honour system. When staff aren’t on site, you can still buy the farm’s small-batch maple products, which include syrup, sugar, butter, mustard, and even vinegar and pepper. Just check the laminated price list and leave the required cash in a cookie tin on the counter (marked with a sign reading “Thank you for your honesty”).

Along with local cheddar and curds, you can shop for European cheeses and Ontario-made condiments at the Forfar Dairy Cheese Store (1536 County Road 42, Portland). The takeout counter has incredibly good lunch deals, with sandwiches going for very reasonable prices.

Thirteen kilometres southwest of Delta at a quiet crossroads, Wendy’s Country Market (408 Fortune Line Road, Lyndhurst) attracts food lovers from far and wide with its huge selection of products from more than 60 local producers. Cheese, meat, gluten-free bread, organic veggies, honey, milk, eggs, preserves, frozen entrées, even plants—if it’s grown or processed anywhere within a few hours’ drive, Wendy’s probably has it.

At one time, The Opinicon (1697 Chaffeys Lock Road, Elgin) was a Dirty Dancing-esque summer waterfront resort, complete with little cottages and a main lodge. Sadly, the accommodations part of the business is in limbo at the minute. However, the restaurant, pub and ice cream shop are open in summer. Airy, bright and recently renovated, all three are nice spots to stop for a bite. Check the Opinicon’s website for hours.

In the far northeastern corner of Rideau Lakes, CC’s on the Rideau (1030 Rideau Ferry Road, Rideau Ferry) has one of the prettiest restaurant views in the region, which you can enjoy from the large patio near the Rideau River. The menu includes burgers, poutine, salads, and fish and chips.

Hiking in Rideau Lakes

Grab your hiking boots and hit the trails!

The Cataraqui Trail, which connects Smiths Falls to Strathcona (near Napanee), winds through a long swath of the Township of Rideau Lakes. In the process, it passes through or near Lombardy, Portland and Chaffeys Lock, among other communities. The 104-kilometre trail is available for a wide range of recreational uses, including hiking, horseback riding, cycling (mountain or hybrid bikes recommended), cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.

Speaking of hiking: One of the most beautiful lookouts in the region is Rock Dunder (72 Stanley Lash Lane, Morton), managed by the Rideau Waterway Land Trust. The 3.9-kilometre Summit Loop rewards hikers with a sweeping view of the Rideau River and various lakes from a rocky outcrop 84 metres above Morton Bay.

However, I mention Rock Dunder here with some hesitation, as this beautiful trail is in danger of being loved to death! Particularly during fall leaf-peeping season, it can get quite crowded.

My advice: Come early in the morning and/or on a weekday, if possible. As always, take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints. It’s open daily from dawn to dusk, from May 15 to November 15. The trust controls the number of people on site to reduce overcrowding by selling trail passes. You can buy one onsite, but to avoid disappointment, get one in advance online. (Note that despite some outdated information on the trail’s website, as I write this in August 2022 it IS open!)

Where to stay in Rideau Lakes

Disclosure: This section includes some affiliate links. Also, I have stayed at some of these properties at a reduced rate for review purposes.

Lower Beverley Lake Park (146 Lower Beverley Lake Road, Delta) is a campground that offers 235 trailer and campsites, along with 11 rental cottages and two rental bunkies.

Just beyond the northern edge of Rideau Lakes Township, you can camp or stay in a Parks Canada oTENTik (a semi-permanent floored tent) at the Upper Beveridges Lockstation on the Tay Canal (171 Beveridges Lock Road, Drummond/North Elmsley). For more details, check out my post about my adventures in an Upper Beveridges Lockstation oTENTik a few years ago. (Spoiler alert: an outdoorswoman I am not.)

In Portland, Harlem Stonegate B&B (2341 Harlem Road) has three guest rooms, each with private bath, and offers traditional and vegetarian hot breakfasts. In Newboro, Stirling Lodge (2 Drummond Street) caters particularly to fishing groups and has a wide range of rooms, suites and cottages.

Other accommodations are available in Westport, just west of Rideau Lakes. They include the Cove Inn (2 Bedford Street, Westport), a lovely old building overlooking both a lake and a pond with a nice waterfront patio. There’s live music in the inn’s restaurant in the early evenings most nights of the week.

The map below will provide you with other options.

Rideau Lakes cottage rentals

Are cottage rentals in Rideau Lakes more your style? The big vacation rental sites will likely turn up lots of options, but competition to rent can be fierce. Try this community list of Rideau Lakes cottage rentals and you might find something a bit off the radar.

Rideau Lakes boat rentals

So much of life in Rideau Lakes revolves around the Rideau Canal, the National Historic Site and UNESCO World Heritage Site that meanders some 200 kilometres from Ottawa to Kingston. Never used for its intended purpose as a military defence route and rarely used for commercial transport, it has been a haven for recreational boaters for generations. But how can you get out on the water if you don’t have your own boat?

As I mentioned above, Norris’s Bait and Tackle in Newboro rents motorboats, canoes, kayaks and pedal boats. Seeking a houseboat for a multi-day sleep-aboard adventure on the Rideau Canal? Try Le Boat (based in nearby Smiths Falls), Ottawa Private Yacht Rentals or Portland-based Big Rideau Lake Boat Rentals.

If you go

Portland is 107 kilometres southwest of Parliament Hill. No public transportation connects Ottawa to the Township of Rideau Lakes. To get there by car from Ottawa, take Highway 417 west to Highway 7. In Carleton Place, pick up Highway 15 south and take it through to Portland.

For tips on things to see and do in nearby communities, see my guide to Smiths Falls, my post about day tripping to Perth and my review of the off-the-grid cottages at Pine Brae Wilderness Escape.

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 pick up a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend 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.