Map of Rideau Canal Skateway – Topo Map of the Week

Rideau Canal – UNESCO World Heritage Site

Connecting the cities of Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario, the Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operating canal system in North America.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and for a period every winter – a great skating rink.  In fact, it is billed the largest skating rink in the world.

Rideau Canal Skateway and Winterlude

The length of canal opened for skating extends 7.8 kilometres and is purported to have the equivalent surface area of 90 Olympic sized hockey rinks.  Canal skating starts within eyesight of the parliament buildings and continues southward to Dows Lake, eventually terminating at Hartwell Lock near Carleton University.

The Rideau Canal skateway is the focal point of Ottawa’s annual Winterlude festival when in excess of 650,000 people participate in various winter activities with the majority of them including skating on the canal as part of their itinerary.  But beyond Winterlude itself, thousands of people take advantage of every available day of skating some even using it to get to and from work.

Where are the Beaver Tails?

Along the way, the National Capital Commission has strategically positioned facilities like huts for skate changing, washrooms and purveyors of food including hot chocolate and the world famous Beaver Tails.

This fried dough pastry was first introduced to people in Ottawa’s Byward market but are now sold around the world.  A bit of skate work and a GPS helped us to create this map showing locations of key points along the canal.

Maps of the Rideau Canal and Winterlude

With MapSherpa you can create your own custom map of the Rideau Canal for the entire skateway route or for a particular section and then get out and skate your map!