January and February in Ottawa have seen some CRAZY weather so far! From huge snowstorms, to freezing rain, and back again, we’ve been stuck inside for too long! So when I saw that there was a zero degree day on the horizon, there was no way we weren’t going to head out for a little hike.

Since this was the coldest temperature I’ve brought my baby out in yet, we wanted to test things out on a shorter trail. The Greenbelt trails at Stony Swamp seemed like just the thing. I’ve already hiked the Lime Kiln Trail, and the Jack Pine Trail (both of which are awesome!), so we decided to check out the Chipmunk and Beaver Trails a little further down Moodie Drive. These trails are also called “Trail 28” on the NCC’s maps.

Pulling into the parking lot, I was already seeing the little critters that are so common in Stony Swamp, like little red squirrels and chickadees, so I knew this would be a fun walk.

Dogs are not allowed on this trail, so I left mine at home. The trail is open all year, and in the winter is used for snowshoeing and cross country skiing.

Getting There

In order to access the Beaver Trail, we headed to Parking Lot #8, which is right off of Moodie Drive. You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.299949, -75.820905.

There was a big sign at the side of the road, so it was impossible to miss the turn into the parking lot. The parking lot was plowed (phew!), and had space for at least twenty cars. I think it might be a bit bigger in the warmer months, when there isn’t snow everywhere.

The Trailhead

Since there’s only one trailhead at the parking lot, it was easy to find! There was a big bulletin board to the left of the trailhead, with a map of the trails in the area. There was also a garbage and recycling centre, as well as two outhouses. I’d bet that in the summer there are picnic tables out, but I can’t say for sure!

The Beaver Trail and the Chipmunk Trail both share this trailhead. It’s also the start of a Blue Loop on the Rideau Trail. Following the blue loop takes you all the way over to an old Lime Kiln. I’ve done that hike before, but I started it from a different parking lot, so it was a bit shorter.

I’ve been to this trailhead a few times (we’ve had some unsuccessful attempts!) and EACH TIME there were wild turkeys there. At first I was a bit nervous, because I’ve heard stories about them being kind of aggressive, but they ran away from me every time. And I even got to see them fly! Take that, turkeys.

The Trail

The Beaver and Chipmunk Trails criss-cross through the area, allowing for a few different route options. To keep things simple, and to get the longest walk in possible, I decided to stick to the trails on the perimeter.

Only a few hundred metres into our walk, I spotted the Ottawa Wild Bird Care Centre. Then, we came across the first split in the trail (point K- see map below!). This trail was very well marked, and at each split there was a sign with a map, and notes saying which point on the trail we had reached. I decided to complete the route clockwise, which meant that at this first point I had to head to my left. That also meant I was actually walking along the Chipmunk Trail first, and finishing off with the Beaver Trail. Point J was within seeing distance from this first split.

The trail was quite flat, and very wide. It would be easy to walk side by side on these trails. I think they’re probably even wider in the summer.

The trail was really easy to follow, simply because the snow had been packed down by so many before me. But there were also lots of trail markers to follow! On this section of the trail, the blue triangles that the Rideau Trail is famous for were plentiful. There were also a few very cute Chipmunk trail markers to help guide the way.

I reached the third split (point H) after walking for half a kilometre. Before, I had been walking through the forest, but here that gave way to an open field. I stayed straight to stick to the outside paths (instead of turning right).

Swampy Sections

I knew that there was a viewpoint just off of the Chipmunk Trail, so I was keeping an eye out for it. After walking 800 metres, I saw a small footbridge in front of me, with a viewing platform off to the left hand side. This was point G!

Taking the bridge would have kept us on the trail to reach the Lime Kiln. Since that wasn’t my mission for the day, we stopped for a bit on the platform to enjoy the views of the wetlands, and hang out with the little squirrels who were having their snack there.

Walking back to the trail, I turned left to head towards the Beaver Trail. If we had skipped the viewing platform, I would have turned to my right to stick with the trail.

Evidence of Beavers

Here, the blue triangles no longer marked the trail because we had left that particular route. After walking 1.1 kilometres, I found myself on the Beaver Trail, following blue and white beaver trail markers. At this point on the trail, I had to go straight to get on the Beaver Trail, but I had the option of turning to my right to stay on the Chipmunk Trail (point N). Turning right would have brought us back in the direction we came from.

In this area, the NCC had wrapped the bases of a number of trees with chain link, to discourage the beavers from eating them. So while I didn’t see any ACTUAL beavers, I’m sure there are lots around.

Writing this, I started to wonder whether beavers hibernate and had to Google it. Some outdoorswoman I am! Anyways, they do not.

The Boardwalk

Very near the beginning of the Beaver Trail, I found myself on a boardwalk that took us out into the wetland. Once again there was a viewing platform, and this one even had a bench. There wasn’t too much happening though, so we walked on.

Leaving the boardwalk there was another split in the trail that could have taken us back to the Chipmunk Trail (point M). We veered left, back into the forest, to stick with the Beaver Trail and close the loop.

Not long after, having walked only 1.5 kilometres, there was a final split in the trail. Here, there was no sign, but I checked the map on my phone and we stuck to our left again. I’m assuming this was point L! We reached the original split in the trail, near the Bird Care Centre, after walking 1.6 kilometres.

Getting Back

Another two hundred metres, and we were back at the parking lot. All in all, we had walked only 1.8 kilometres, so it was a very short walk. We were able to cover that distance in just over half an hour. The trail remained flat the entire time, so it really wasn’t challenging at all.

While I don’t love such short walks, I do love the trails at Stony Swamp for the simple fact that there’s so many little critters to check out! The red squirrelss here are friendly, and the chickadees are brave. It’s a great place for little ones who want to see some animals up close and personal. My daughter is too small to care right now, but I’m sure this trail will become a favorite as she gets bigger!

I hope this trip report has enough info to get you there too. Let me know in the comments, or share and tag a friend to start planning your next adventure!

Map and Elevation Gain

Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.

Gear We Brought