Walks and Views

A free self-guided City of Toronto Discovery Walk through the Humber Arboretum and the wooded West Humber River valley. Download the route map and follow ravine paths, gardens and river views at your own pace; allow two hours or more. You can start at the Humber Arboretum beside Humber College or at the Humberwood Centre. Free, no booking needed.

The Sarsaparilla Trail is one of the NCC nature trails in Stony Swamp, the large Greenbelt conservation area in Ottawa's west end. Parking at the Stony Swamp lots (P4 to P13) is free all year, the NCC says access to its trails outside Gatineau Park is free, and dogs are never allowed on this trail.

In winter the NCC grooms a section of the Capital Pathway in the south end of Gatineau Park as an easy 3.2 km return walking trail between parking lots P1 and P3. It is a gentle, flat way to enjoy the snowy forest close to the city, with no skis needed. Access to Gatineau Park's winter walking and hiking trails is free, and dogs are welcome on a leash.

Étienne Brûlé Lookout, on the Champlain Parkway, has a wide view of the Ottawa River and is a popular picnic stop. Hiking and mountain biking trails start nearby, so it is easy to combine a view with a walk in the woods. There is no fee to stop at the lookout; road access follows the Gatineau Park parkway schedule, which changes with the seasons.

Huron Lookout sits on the Eardley Escarpment along the Champlain Parkway and is the first viewpoint you pass on the way to Champlain Lookout. It looks out over the Aylmer sector of Gatineau and the west end of Ottawa. There is no fee to stop at the lookout; road access follows the Gatineau Park parkway schedule, which changes with the seasons.

Lusk Cave is a public marble cave you reach on an 8.5 km loop (about 4.5 hours) from the Parent Beach parking lot along the shore of Philippe Lake, following Trail 73. Inside, the water can be a metre deep or more, so the NCC recommends spare shoes, a waterproof flashlight and a helmet, and does not advise it for children under seven. The trail is free, with access from mid May to late October; vehicle access fees apply at the parking lot from mid June to Labour Day.

The Skyline loop links Trails 30, 1 and 6 into a 5.3 km hilly walk of about two hours, with roughly 100 m of climbing and several lookouts over the Outaouais. It starts from parking lot P7 and is rated most difficult by the NCC, so good shoes are a must. Access to Gatineau Park's summer trails is free, and dogs are allowed.

The Waterfall and Lauriault trails form a 4.5 km forest loop that was former prime minister Mackenzie King's favourite walk, with a lookout on the Lauriault Trail and Bridal Veil Falls, which is at its best in spring. You can start at the Mackenzie King Estate (P6), the Lauriault lot or the Waterfall Trail lot, and the Lauriault loop is also one of the park's winter walking trails. Access to the summer trails and the winter walking trails is free, according to the NCC; dogs on a leash are allowed on the trail but not at the picnic area.

A formal flower garden created in 1938 on the Plains of Abraham, with English style flower beds in a French layout, tall elms and an equestrian statue of Joan of Arc by Anna Hyatt Huntington at its centre. It is one of the prettiest spots in Québec in summer, and the National Battlefields Commission adds winter lights and decorations some years. Free to walk through, near avenue Laurier and avenue Taché.

A quieter alternative to the famous Mer Bleue Bog Trail: a 3.3 km stone dust loop that winds through forest and wetland in the Mer Bleue conservation area, listed among the NCC's inclusive trails, with accessible parking, accessible washrooms and accessible picnic tables at lot P20 on the Anderson Road side. Slopes are mostly gentle, with one steeper stretch of about 60 m and a few narrow spots. Best from spring to fall; the NCC lists one segment as closed until fall 2026, so check its page before you go. Free; leashed dogs allowed April 15 to November 30.

A short, flat 0.5 km loop through mature deciduous forest in the Mer Bleue sector of the Greenbelt, one of the NCC's inclusive trails designed for people with reduced mobility, strollers and young families. The path is gravel and soil, about 3 m wide, with gentle slopes, accessible parking and accessible washrooms at lot P23 (note a boulder at the entrance leaves 1 m and 1.7 m openings). Best from spring to fall. Free to visit; dogs are not allowed.

Two short nature loops in the Stony Swamp sector of the Greenbelt that the NCC says children love: the 1.2 km Beaver Trail and the 0.7 km Chipmunk Trail, both starting from parking lot P8. They wind through the woodlands and wetlands of the largest wooded area in the Greenbelt, where beaver ponds and abundant wildlife are part of the scenery. Free to walk year round, with free parking and an outhouse at P8; dogs are never allowed on these trails.