Many thanks to Ottawa journalist and author Dan Rubinstein for this guest post.
In September 2023, I spent a week stand-up paddleboarding the length of the 202-kilometre Rideau Canal from Kingston to Ottawa. That voyage was the home stretch of a much longer journey—a 1,900-kilometre paddling loop from Ottawa to Montreal, New York City, Toronto and then back home to Ottawa.
My expedition will ultimately lead to a non-fiction book about our collective relationship with water, but it also opened my eyes to the beauty of the waterways in my own backyard. I’ve paddled a lot on the Rideau over the past 10 years and have stopped in communities and parks along the route dozens of times during weekend drives and day trips. But experiencing the entire canal system on a contiguous journey—experiencing it in an intimate way at a slow pace—revealed a new side of the Rideau.
You don’t have to paddle it all to enjoy these stops; they each stand on their own as individual destinations or you can string together a few during a couple days away. The important thing is simply go.
Parks Canada oTENTiks
One of the best things about travelling the Rideau is that paddlers, cyclists and hikers are allowed to camp at almost all of the lock stations along the canal. I love the Spark 2.0 one-person tent from MEC that I used on my paddling trip — it was easy to set up, kept me dry and was large enough for a little guy like me—but I also love not having to set up a tent after a long day on the water.
Thankfully, there are canvas glamping oTENTiks at three locks on the canal (Upper Brewers, Upper Beveridges and Upper Nicholsons), each with comfortable mattresses for up to six as well as tables and chairs inside and propane barbecues and firepits outside. (Bonus: You can drive to and park at a lock if you book one, providing an easy escape from the city.)
The No. 1 unit at Upper Brewers, near the tip of a point between the navigation channel and the outflow from a dam, is particularly stunning, although my night in an oTENTik at Upper Nicholsons was also fantastic: a fire under the stars and a quiet night in the country that felt much more remote than a 45-minute drive from Ottawa.
Hotel Kenney
Originally built in the 1870s, the Hotel Kenney Rideau at Jones Falls is a classic Canadian resort. Think: dining room overlooking the water, wood panelling on the guest room walls, and visitors who return generation after generation.
Jeff Day and Core Lee purchased the property during the COVID-19 pandemic. Day, who was born and grew up in the area, has worked in the hospitality industry for more than two decades. His partner Lee is a Chinese-Guyanese chef from Toronto whose family has long been in the restaurant business. Together, they’re overseeing a major reno, adding some spice to the menu and dreaming up creative events that will bring some new energy to this historic place. “We’re going to keep the old Kenney charm,” says Day. “It’s going to still be Hotel Kenney, but we’re going to add our own touches.”
Chaffey’s Lock
Arguably the liveliest lock station on the lower Rideau, Chaffey’s is an idyllic spot to laze away a sunny afternoon. Visit the Lockmaster’s House Museum, wander next door to the Opinicon Resort for an ice cream or pub patio lunch, or plan a trip to coincide with a concert in the community hall. For a slightly more up-tempo outing, go for a hike on the nearby Cataraqui Trail or walk down the dock to Rideau Tours and rent a canoe, kayak or paddleboard so you can check out the cute shoreline cottages from water level.
Colonel By Island
Part of a cluster of islands in Big Rideau Lake and owned by Parks Canada, Colonel By Island gives boaters and paddlers an opportunity to get a taste of what it’s like to stay in a water-access-only cottage. Whether you tie up at the dock and sleep aboard your cruiser, or arrive via paddleboard and sleep in your tent, the island—first the home of a fishing club and later a getaway for American entrepreneur Daniel Arnstein, whose heritage cottage still stands—has the feel of an earlier era. With walking trails, a beach and a tennis court, as well as modern washrooms with hot—albeit non-potable—water, this a great destination for a night or a base for a weekend on the water.
Le Boat
OK, not everybody is going to paddle the whole canal or even part of it; not everybody owns a boat or has a friend with a boat; but anybody can rent a Le Boat!
Based in Smiths Falls and featured on this site before, the U.K.-based houseboat company has been operating in a handful of European countries since starting in France in the 1960s. It made the Rideau Canal its first North American market in 2018. Business has boomed since then, with the fleet doubling from 16 to 32 boats, and in the 2024 season it’s expanding to the Trent-Severn Waterway.
Their comfortable vessels—one of which my wife, daughter and I were able to spend a night on while moored near the main lock in Smiths Falls—feel like modern condos. They have full kitchens, cozy berths for sleeping and plenty of place to lounge under the sun or stars on the upper deck. Choose from short breaks or week-long (or longer) trips and immerse yourself in the full Rideau experience.
“A lot of people think the canal is just the skating rink in Ottawa,” says Le Boat marketing manager Lisa McLean. “It’s so much more. And it’s spectacular, a bit of a cross between a Thousand Islands and Muskoka feel: protected wetlands, narrow channels, wide open lakes and more. It’s the quintessential Canadian holiday and one of Ontario’s best-kept secrets.”
More places along the Rideau
I could go on and on about the many things to do and places to stay on the Rideau, but the best way to really enjoy the canal is to discover it yourself.
That said, a couple other highlights for me were a rest stop in Merrickville, a pretty village packed with shops and places to eat and drink near the locks; and the Long Island Locks in Manotick, an oasis of calm just a short drive from downtown Ottawa.
Once in the central city, you can’t go wrong with a drink or meal on the patio at Umbrella Bar on Dow’s Lake, and then another pit stop at the NCC Bistro on Patterson Creek, just off the canal, with tables and couches in the shade of a giant willow tree.
NOTE: I was supported by Parks Canada, southeastern Ontario’s regional tourism organization and Le Boat, but neither they nor the others featured reviewed or approved this content.
Photo credit: All photos in this post are by Dan Rubinstein.