If you’re looking for a quick day trip from Ottawa that won’t break your gas budget, consider one of these easy day trips to Lanark County. Quiet paddling spots, great food shops, vintage trains and more await you in and around Carleton Place, Almonte and Perth. I’ll also throw in Smiths Falls, which is part of Lanark County geographically but not politically. (It’s a complicated story that I won’t bore you with here.)
But first things first: Where is Lanark County? As you’ll see from the map below, it’s immediately southwest of Ottawa.
Almonte and Carleton Place have evolved into commuter destinations for Ottawans in recent years, especially for people who work in Kanata, Stittsville or Carp. As a result, they’re packed with amenities of all kinds.
Smiths Falls and Perth are a bit further for day trippers, but their shops, restaurants and museums make them well worth the drive.
For all of the places mentioned below, PLEASE check their websites before heading out! Most are small businesses—many of them family run—so hours and opening days vary quite a bit.
P.S.: This post includes affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you book accommodations by following one of those links. Thanks for supporting my website!
Perth for paddlers
Given that Lanark County is webbed with waterways—including the Mississippi River, the Tay River and, on its southeastern edge, the Rideau River and Rideau Canal—there’s no shortage of places to kayak or canoe. This itinerary is just one of many possibilities.
Here’s a driving map to the places mentioned in this paddling itinerary; Google Maps doesn’t yet have a “paddling” option. 😊 Round trip, it’s just a bit over 200km.
Your first stop of the day is Murphys Point Provincial Park, just south of Perth (2243 Elmgrove Road, Perth). There, you can rent canoes and kayaks (if you didn’t bring your own), along with personal flotation devices.
The park is located on Big Rideau Lake, part of the Rideau system. So you could choose to do a 6km paddling loop within the park, or—if you’re feeling very energetic—venture beyond the park to destinations such as Portland (9.5km each way) or Rideau Ferry (10km each way).
With all of that paddling, you’ll work up an appetite. You could stop for lunch beside the river at CC’s on the Rideau (1030 Rideau Ferry Road, Rideau Ferry), or head into Perth for a wide choice of restaurants; Gather (71 Gore Street East, Perth) is one of my favourite spots.
If you brought your own watercraft and you didn’t get your fill of paddling in the morning, you could paddle the Tay Canal from the Tay Basin in Perth to the Upper Beveridges Lockstation. It’s a 12km trip each way, so this round trip is more suited to experienced, fit paddlers in streamlined watercraft than to dabblers propelling heavy canoes.
Once you’re back in Perth, you can hop in the car for the one-hour drive back to Ottawa.
As mentioned at the beginning of this section, Lanark County offers countless paddling opportunities. Here are a few more places you can check for inspiration.
- Lanark County Tourism suggests seven paddling routes in various corners of the county.
- Adventure Report has a detailed post about a paddling trip along the Upper Tay River and through Christie Lake, southwest of Perth.
- Parks Canada has a downloadable file outlining several Rideau Canal trips.
- Rideau Canal expert Ken Watson has, amazingly, a 201-page guide to paddling the canal that’s free to download.
P.S.: If you want to make this an overnight trip, accommodations in Perth include the Best Western Plus Perth Parkside Inn & Spa and the Nevis Estate Boutique Hotel. You could also camp at Murphys Point Provincial Park or beside the Upper Beveridges Lockstation; the former is open to car campers, but the latter is available only to people arriving by non-motorized means. (To find out just what a clueless camper I am, read my account of my oTENTik stay at Upper Beveridges years ago.)
Lanark County for foodies
Much of Lanark County is rural, so you’ll find lots of farmers’ markets, pick-your-own orchards, farm stands and similar spots from spring through fall. However, this 192km itinerary focuses on year-round spots, so you can take a food-focused road trip whenever the mood strikes.
Long-time readers will know what bit of advice I’m going to proffer next … BRING A COOLER! You won’t want to leave any tasty morsel behind.
And my other piece of advice is to pace yourself. You’d have to be super-human to make it to every one of the businesses recommended below! Pick and choose your top options before heading out.
Start the day on the outskirts of Almonte. Pop into Hummingbird Chocolate Maker (476 Ottawa Street, Ottawa) for chocolate treats made from sustainably, ethically grown cacao beans. Next, head across the road for a cup of free-trade, organic coffee at Equator Coffee Roasters (451 Ottawa Street, Almonte).
Interestingly, the nearby industrial park is home to several businesses of interest to food lovers. At the Almonte Butcher Shop & Deli (14 Industrial Drive, Almonte), you can pick up all sorts of meats, sandwiches and cheeses (they’ll let you taste the cheeses before buying). Down the road at Vodkow (34 Industrial Drive, Almonte), you can sample and buy vodka and cream liqueurs made from milk permeate. Vodkow is the only distillery in the world that ferments this ingredient; the resulting vodka is very smooth and slightly sweet.
Now it’s time to meander into town to browse for shish kebabs, tomahawk steaks and other specialty meats at Don’s Meat Market (126 Mill Street, Almonte), where you’ll also find pies, side dishes and more. At Pêches & Poivre (89 Mill Street, Almonte), the shelves and display cases are packed with cheeses, crackers, chutney, cookies, kitchenware and more. A short walk from there, you can pick up fresh bread at Baker Bob’s (74 Little Bridge Street, Almonte).
Whew, that’s a lot for one small town, and that’s not even all the places you could check out! You could easily spend the day shopping in Almonte, and there are lots of places to relax over lunch; Café-Postino (73 Mill Street) and Mill Street Crepe Company (14 Mill Street) are among my favourites, but there are many other options.
To continue your Lanark County food tour, hop back in the car for the trip to the village of Lanark, where I strongly urge you to stop at Village Treats (70 George Street, Lanark). There, you can pick up handmade chocolates (OMG, try the salted caramel ones), fudge, brittle and other sweets, including sugar-free choices. If you didn’t eat in Almonte, you can grab breakfast or lunch here.
Thus fortified, you’ll be ready for the short drive to the even tinier village of Balderson, where your don’t-miss stop is Balderson Village Cheese (1410 Highway 511, Balderson). Aside from a wide variety of Canadian cheeses (of course), the choioces here range from cured meats and hot mustards to jams, dip mixes, crackers and more.
From Balderson, it’s a 10-minute drive to downtown Perth, where you’ll find lots of restaurant choices. If your cooler can hold any more cheesy comestibles, swing by the Perth Cheese Shop (64 Gore Street East, Perth). Or you could just skip straight to dessert, tea and coffee at the charming Perth Pie Co. (14 Gore Street East, Perth). Speaking of sweets, Perth Chocolate Works (17 Wilson Street East, Perth) makes its delicious confections from Belgian Callebaut chocolate, with part of the proceeds reinvested in West African cocoa farming communities. And on the south edge of town, Top Shelf Distillers (14 Warren Crescent, Perth) makes whisky, gin, vodka, cream liqueurs and even moonshine.
It’s now about time to turn your car back in the direction of Ottawa, but the food fun isn’t over yet. On your way out of town, if you’re on the hunt for gluten-free products, don’t miss Purest (105 Dufferin Street, Perth). There, you’ll find mixes for cookies, pancakes, breads, cakes and more, as well as flour and other baking products, and ready-made, gluten-free treats.
Head northeast on Highway 7 to the last town of the day, Carleton Place. Get a caffeine fix at Foundry Collective and Coffee Bar (122 Bridge Street, Carleton Place) before popping into Carp Custom Creamery (31 Bridge Street, Carleton Place) for ice cream or the Little German Bakery (14 Bridge Street, Carleton Place) for pretzels, berliners and other German delicacies. You’ll also find two great craft breweries at opposite ends of downtown: Stalwart Brewing Company on the north side (10 High Street, Carleton Place) and Braumeister Brewing Company on the south (19 Moore Street, Carleton Place).
Carleton Place has lots of restaurants to choose from, but for dinner, I’m going to point you to one of my favourite restos in Eastern Ontario: award-winning Black Tartan Kitchen (132 Bridge Street, Carleton Place). Chef-owner Ian Carswell and his team do truly amazing things with fresh, local ingredients here.
I think that’s a pretty exhaustive food itinerary, but I’ve just scratched the surface! For even more ideas, check out Lanark County Tourism’s Eat and Drink page.
Smiths Falls for train aficionados
First, a word of explanation: You can drive to Smiths Falls. In fact, here’s a map of the journey. It clocks in at about 160km, or roughly two hours of driving.
However, Smiths Falls is the only destination in Lanark County that you can also reach from Ottawa by train. VIA Rail passenger trains stop there several times a day. Be forewarned, though, that the VIA Rail station (46 Union Street, Smiths Falls) is about 2km north of downtown. If you’re travelling to Smiths Falls by train and you’re not keen about walking that far to get downtown, you’ll need to get a cab or a ride share from the station.
The possibility of taking the train to Smiths Falls is only part of the town’s attraction for train lovers. The main attraction is likely the excellent Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario (RMEO) (90 William Street West, Smiths Falls). The museum’s collection includes several locomotives, multiple cabooses, a dining car, a dental car, boxcars, a vintage Ottawa streetcar, and even a 1947 Cadillac sedan modified to run on rails for the president of the CPR.
A decommissioned railway station built in 1912 serves as the museum’s home, and interesting displays bring the heyday of rail travel to life. One of my favourite rooms is the reconstructed telegraph office. There, staffers demonstrate an old-fashioned gadget on a long pole that was once used to deliver paper messages to engineers seated high up in locomotives.
The RMEO hosts lots of special events, including Christmas and Easter festivities, rides on vintage trains, and fancy meals in the dining car. You can also sleep overnight in one of the museum’s restored cabooses. My sisters and I did that a few years ago, and it was a total hoot; here’s my report on our stay.
Before or after your museum visit, you could pick up tasty sandwiches, salads and baked goodies at C’est Tout Bakery and Bistro (20 Beckwith Street North, Smiths Falls). It’s a pleasant spot to eat indoors, but you could also get your meal to go and have a picnic in nearby Centennial Park (22 Confederation Drive), next to a Rideau Canal lock. C’est Tout serves excellent breakfasts as well.
The Vault Eatery & Pub (2 Russell Street East, Smiths Falls) is another nice spot for lunch or dinner, and Amaya Café Bakery (5 Main Street West, Smiths Falls) serves light meals along with an extensive array of pastries, cakes and other sweet treats.
Accommodations in Lanark County
All of these itineraries can be done as day trips, but why rush? You could take things easy by staying overnight. Use the map below to find a hotel, motel, inn or vacation rental where you can unwind in Lanark County. Disclosure: If you book a place to stay anywhere in the world by using this map, I’ll receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Ottawa Road Trips!
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.
