There are so many Provincial Parks near Ottawa- it’s amazing. We used to live really close to the Rideau River Provincial Park, so it was always on our list of places to visit and hike. Even though we’ve moved, we finally got around to it this summer!

Rideau River is a smaller park, so there’s only one hiking trail there- The Shoreline Trail. We headed out bright and early one morning in June to hike it, thinking we’d get ahead of the heat. Instead, we got eaten alive by mosquitoes.

The Shoreline Trail is great because it follows the Rideau River for the entire length of it. There’s also lots to see, and great places to rest along the way. The Shoreline Trail offers TWO beaches, as well as parks, picnic areas, washrooms, and charcoal grills along the way.

Dogs are allowed on the Shoreline Trail, but they’re not allowed on the sand at the beaches, and park staff request they be kept on leash. I talked to park staff (because I’m BASICALLY an investigative reporter), and they let me know that dogs can swim behind Group Site 301. So you can totally take your pup for a dip after your hike!

I can still only manage either the dog or the baby on a hike, not both. So I brought the baby.

Getting There

Rideau River Provincial Park is south of the city, but it’s not too far of a drive. There was a big sign at the side of the road, announcing my arrival at the park. You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.060190, -75.671816.

The main office, where day passes need to be purchased, isn’t open until 8 a.m.

The Trailhead

The Shoreline Trail basically spans the length of the park, but when I was looking at the map it looked like the closest parking was on the west side. So, once I arrived at the park I took the main road in and straight nearly all the way to the end. The road split into two lanes at one point, and soon after that I saw a sign for the trail on my left, next to a small, grassy parking lot.

The Trail

After strapping the baby on, I stopped for a quick look at the map that was posted at the trailhead. I noticed the classic blue and white Ontario Provincial Park trail marker was posted at the trailhead.

Then, I set out on the trail. Almost immediately, the mosquitoes came bearing down on us. Bah.

The trail was single file, and wound its way through the woods. It was easy hiking, as wood chips had been placed down in some spots, and then in others it was just a flat dirt path.

We had hiked only 200 metres when we began to see the river through the trees. The trail soon began to run parallel to the river, and we stepped out of the forest onto a gravel road. We weren’t on it for long though, and we soon spotted a trail marker leading us back into the woods.

The River

With the River on our right hand side, we passed by a few campgrounds, and noted the road close by on our left. We left the forest again briefly, walking over a small grassy field right beside campsites 118 and 119. Another trail marker invited us back into the forest.

We crossed over a few small bridges before arriving at the first kid’s park on the trail. Almost immediately after, we reached a boat launch, where there were canoes and kayaks that could be rented. We had hiked only 600 metres.

Beaches

The trail widened a bit, and then we arrived at the beach (at the 800 metre mark)! The beach was flanked by a huge open field with picnic tables, charcoal grills, a covered gazebo, and washrooms. There was also another park, and a volleyball net. The sandier, beachier section was down by the water (obviously). We startled the cutest little family of ducks. It really was early and they probably didn’t expect to see anyone!

The beach was nice because it gave us a reprieve from the mosquitoes, but we were soon on our way again.

We stuck with the tree line in order to get back on the trail. There was a map posted where we had to re-enter the forest to stick with the trail- it was identical to the posting at the trailhead, and hard to miss.

The trail remained wide enough that two people could walk side by side through this section. After only a few hundred more metres, we arrived at the second beach. This beach was smaller, but still nice with picnic tables, grills, and washroom facilities.

Nearing the End of the Trail

The trail was wide and grassy as we kept with it, and soon after we had re-entered the forest, it split. There were no trail markers at this junction, but we stayed to our right in order to stick with the river. This proved to be the correct choice.

We crossed another short footbridge, and “exited” the trail onto another grassy field having hiked 1.45 km. There was another big map posted here, but otherwise, it was pretty anti-climactic. If I were to do this hike again, I’d probably just walk out to the second beach, relax for a bit, and then turn around.

Trail Thoughts

By the time we returned to the parking lot, our GPS told us that we had walked 3.08 kilometres. We were able to cover that distance in an hour and fifteen minutes. The Shoreline Trail was really easy to follow, and really easy to hike. We took our time on the way out, but moved a bit quicker on the way back because those mosquitoes were really getting to me.

For anyone camping at Rideau River Provincial Park, this trail would be a nice one to explore. It’s also great for anyone who wants to spend the day outdoors- there are so many spots to stop and relax, cook (or just eat!) your lunch, and swim. Just don’t forget the bug spray!

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