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    Mud Lake Conservation Area

    5.0 (1 review)

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    5 years ago

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    Dow's Lake Pavilion - Beautiful spot for a long walk. Home of the frozen canal and Tupil Fest in May

    Dow's Lake Pavilion

    3.9(15 reviews)
    7.6 km

    Dow's Lake is a man-made lake on the Rideau Canal. It's the site of many fun activities and there…read moreare several restaurants there with beautiful views of the water. You can rent canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats/paddle boats in the summer. In May there's the Tulip Festival which is technically in Commissioner's Park, but this park surrounds Dow's Lake. In the winter when the lake freezes over, you can skate on it, and it's connected to the Rideau Canal, so you can skate for a pretty good distance. There are 3 restaurants at Dow's Lake. Over the years they have changed, but currently the restaurants are Lago, Umbrella Bar, and Mexi's (aka Mexicali Rosa's). There's a paid parking lot nearby ($3.50 per 30 minutes up to a maximum of $14), or street parking ($0.25 per 6 minutes) a bit further away, or free parking on residential streets in neighbouring Little Italy (3 hour limit as per by-laws).

    Dow's Lake Pavilion is a short distance away from the airport and Ottawa's downtown core. I like…read morethat you can escape from your daily routine to this picturesque area without doing a road trip. There are canoes and pedal boats that you can rent. You are required to sign a waiver, wear a life jacket, and put down a $20 deposit. You can use cash, and debit and credit cards, except for American Express. Sadly, Amex doesn't seem to be as widely accepted as it used to be. There are lockers where you can store your belongings when you are on the water. I recommend coming with what you truly need. I parked in the lot across from the Pavilion. Parking is $3.50 for 30 minutes, to a maximum of $14. I paid by credit card, which was great. I didn't risk parking on the street, but I know that I can now. It's cheaper that way, but you do have to be cognizant of the time. You can also dine here after a fun time out on the water. We ate at Mexi's. You have the option of dining in the restaurant or sitting out on the patio. I missed the tulip festival. Perhaps I'll plan my vacation and take them in next time. (254)

    Photos
    Dow's Lake Pavilion - Pavilion

    Pavilion

    Dow's Lake Pavilion
    Dow's Lake Pavilion

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    Rockcliffe Park

    Rockcliffe Park

    4.3(4 reviews)
    12.3 km

    Since I live right pretty well on the border of Rockcliffe Park, I often go walking there. It is…read morereally nice to walk by all the different residences of ambassadors. Not only are the houses huge, but they seem to have lots of character of the countries that they represent. People in the neighbourhood are always friendly and greet eachother when passing. There are always plenty of people out walking their dogs, cycling and jogging. The neighbourhood is really safe and I have gone walking at night on several occasions without any problems.

    I am writing this review in regards to the cycling available along the rockcliffe parkway, which…read moreruns through the park. This is a wonderful route to follow, especially if you can find a time when it is not busy with cars. I went out on March 7th around 1pm, and it was lovely. The air was crisp, and there were no cars. The view along the river is breathtaking, and offers several opportunities to venture off the road and shore. The whole parkway is about 22km one-way, and there seemed to be a gentle slope. The actual parkway road is decent, however the surround streets you use to access it are ridden with potholes. I would suggest bringing your bike to one of the parking lots in the park and setting out from there. I am sure it can only get lovelier as the weather gets warmer, and the festivals and tourists dots the landscape. From my understanding the parkway is heavily used by cyclists in the summer, this is comforting. Also, I found drivers passing me on the road gave me a lot of room. I will definitely keep riding this route, and return once the snow clears to explore the park! The only downside to cycling, is the actual parkway is not very long. You could do the stretch multiple times but your passing the same scenery which is boring. Once the parkway ends the roads get considerably more busy.

    Photos
    Rockcliffe Park
    Rockcliffe Park - Fantastic river views

    Fantastic river views

    Rockcliffe Park - Nice place to walk/bike/drive!

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    Nice place to walk/bike/drive!

    Black Rapids Park - Perfect place to watch the sunset!

    Black Rapids Park

    4.0(3 reviews)
    9.6 km

    At the end April 2022, my husband and I went to Black Rapids Park in hopes of having a picnic…read morethere. Unfortunately, they still had the picnic tables all in a pile and chained up, so we couldn't use them. The park was covered in goose poop, so we didn't want to eat on the grass and ended up eating in the car, lol. Parking is not free at this park, you have to pay. The parking lot is owned by Indigo Parking and it's $1.25 an hour with a 4 hour maximum. The parking lot is also fairly small, so it fills up quickly. If the parking lot is full, there really isn't anywhere else you can park so you'd be out of luck. The turn to get into the parking lot and thus the park is marked, but the road is small, not even 2 full car widths, so it's easy to miss. I missed it first time around and had to double back. Also since the road in is narrow, if someone is coming in and someone else is coming out, the person coming out has to back up. I don't know who designed this place, but I'm not all that impressed with the entrance/exit layout. So as you can see, this park and I did not start off on the right foot, lol. It is pretty, if you disregard all the goose poop and the loud geese walking around. The rapids are cool and there are sections of the park that are picturesque. I personally would be reluctant to bring small kids here because I feel that it's pretty dangerous there if you are not careful. You can fall in the water. Not all sections are adequately fenced off for my comfort level. However, I am a stickler for safety. But I realize that nature is inherently dangerous, so I guess there is some risk to experience its beauty. Glad I got to see the park and the rapids, but I likely won't be back.

    I had no idea this place existed until our photographer, Jamie from Hello Lovely Ottawa, suggested…read moreit for our maternity shoot! We were there last summer in June. We weren't the only ones there for a photoshoot either, as we saw a pregnant woman and her partner with a photographer, as well as another couple who seemed to be taking engagement photos. Great location for them! We met Jamie in the parking lot and had no idea what the park would be like, but when we walked down into the park area, it opened up to this huge green space that we didn't expect. There's lots of open green space and small hills, some picnic tables, a few paths in between the trees, and locks where a few people were fishing. It was so beautiful and peaceful at during the "golden hour" at sunset on a weekday, and no mosquitos or any other bugs really, maybe because it was a little windy. I'm not sure what it would be like on weekends during the day, when I could see a lot of families playing and picnics happening. I completely forgot about this park until now, so I can't wait to go back with our babe when the whether is nice! In the meantime, enjoy a few photos of my husband and I screwing around during our photoshoot lol (Just two weeks before our little guy decided to introduce himself to the world!)

    Photos
    Black Rapids Park - Screwing around during our maternity photoshoot near some of the trees - Photo credit: Hello Lovely Ottawa

    Screwing around during our maternity photoshoot near some of the trees - Photo credit: Hello Lovely Ottawa

    Black Rapids Park - Screwing around during our maternity photoshoot at the locks - Photo credit: Hello Lovely Ottawa

    Screwing around during our maternity photoshoot at the locks - Photo credit: Hello Lovely Ottawa

    Black Rapids Park - Screwing around during our maternity photoshoot near the picnic tables - Photo credit: Hello Lovely Ottawa

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    Screwing around during our maternity photoshoot near the picnic tables - Photo credit: Hello Lovely Ottawa

    Vincent Massey Park - The Rideau River.

    Vincent Massey Park

    3.0(5 reviews)
    7.9 km

    Vincent Massey Park is a great place for a picnic or outdoor party. This park has the most picnic…read moretables I've ever seen in a park. While my husband and I were there we saw numerous parties going on (Happy 40th Shelly! I don't know who you are, but saw your balloons and sign. It seems like your friends and family really care about you, so you must be a nice person, lol). It was a Sunday, so there was a church sermon going on as well. Since we are in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, I think it's good that celebrations and gatherings are taking place outside, as this decreases the risk of spread, compared to indoor gatherings. However, we recently had a park BBQ in Ottawa that lead to a big outbreak of cases, so please still try to physically distance (even when outside) and not share food with people outside of your exclusive bubble of 10, as per Public Health recommendations ;) In addition to picnic tables, they have open green space as well as a path for walking, biking, rollerblading, etc. It's by the Rideau River, so you get a nice view of the water. I saw some people fishing in the river too. The only thing I'm not crazy about is that parking at this park is not free. You have to pay. There is the Vincent Massey Park Lot attached to the park. It's $1 per 30 minutes to a maximum of $8 (7am-10pm everyday). There is an adjacent Impark Lot, where you have to walk a bit further, and it's $1.50 per 30 minutes to a maximum of $10. However, on weekdays after 5pm and all day on weekends the flat rate is $3. So this is a better deal if you plan to stay more than 90 minutes during the evening or on a weekend. Needless to say, we parked in the Impark Lot ;) Vincent Massey Park is a great park right in the city.

    Park was nice but what was terrible was leaving the parking lot! Firstly you have to pay to park…read moreand second if you are leaving in the evening when everyone decides to leave you are going to take about an hour just to leave. I would not come to this park again!

    Photos
    Vincent Massey Park - You can park at the Impark Lot next to Vincent Massey Park. It's a bit cheaper than at the Vincent Massey Park Lot on weekends.

    You can park at the Impark Lot next to Vincent Massey Park. It's a bit cheaper than at the Vincent Massey Park Lot on weekends.

    Vincent Massey Park
    Vincent Massey Park - Lots of picnic tables.

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    Lots of picnic tables.

    Mud Lake Conservation Area - hiking - Updated May 2026

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