1. Home
  2. Walks
  3. Rockcliffe Sports and Recreation

Rockcliffe Sports and Recreation

Rockcliffe Sports and Recreation
Glenn Clark at his walk "Between the Bridges" in Old Ottawa South at Jane's Walk, 2022.
Glenn Clark at his walk "Between the Bridges" in Old Ottawa South at Jane's Walk, 2022.

Our tour will cover history, nature, and sports facilities past and present. Highlights will include a stroll through the Rockeries, which should feature spring bulbs in flower, remnants from demolished Ottawa buildings, discovery of the Rockcliffe streetcar route, a nature walk at McKay Lake, a stroll through a beautiful post war neighbourhood featuring ambassador's residences, a former bicycle track, tennis courts (The Ottawa New Edinburgh Club) and the recently renovated River House on the Ottawa River.

Location
Route

We begin on Acacia Avenue at the entrance to the Rockeries and follow the Rockeries walkway to Cloverdale Ave. We will make a short detour to see the ruins erected in the Rockeries park. We will then follow Hillsdale Ave, but there will be a (optional) detour into a field to see where the Rockcliffe streetcar once crossed a gully on a trestle. We then return to Hillsdale Ave. and then follow a nature trail on the east side of McKay Lake, known as the Caldwell-Carver Conservation Area. We exit the trail at Pond St, which becomes Lakeway Drive. Here we will pass many attractively landscaped sprawling homes including a number of ambassadors' residences.

We turn west at Sandridge Rd., then enter a trail that crosses through a gully to reach the Ottawa New Edinburgh Club tennis courts, after which we cross the Sir Georges Etienne Cartier Parkway to arrive at our final destination, the recently renovated River House on the Ottawa River. (From here, it is a relatively short walk back to our starting point on Acacia Ave. either by stairs or by the parkway). All the trails on the route are in good condition and only require easy hiking skills.



About the walk leader

Glenn is president of the Gloucester Historical Society and a veteran Jane's Walk leader. He enjoys sharing stories on local history.

Guide:

Glenn Clark

When:
Date:Sat May 4, 2024
Time:10:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour 30 min
Language: English
Where:
Start:Acacia Ave. entrance to the Rockeries
End:River House on the Sir Georges Etienne Cartier Parkway
Area:Rockcliffe Park
Distance:3.0 kms
Accessibility:

The route includes nature trails which may be unsuitable for wheelchairs and scooters. The trail is fairly narrow and uneven at McKay Lake.

Walker Sign-up

This walk requires you to sign up to attend or join a waitlist if walk is full. Please submit your email and the number of walkers that will be attending with you below.

Gallery
Glenn Clark at his walk "Between the Bridges" in Old Ottawa South at Jane's Walk, 2022. View of the Rockeries near the Rockcliffe Pavilion Rockcliffe streetcar showing warning sign beside the tracks to "Look out for the cars." NCC's recently renovated River House.
Volunteer to Marshal This Walk