OttawaVeloOutaouais

Updated – July 23rd, 2018: On Sunday, July 22nd there was a pop-up bike lane installed along Moodie Drive in Bells Corners for cyclists to try out. The Healthy Transportation Coalition was behind this great initiative which you can read more about by clicking here. An important part of their goal is to demonstrate the need for safe cycling infrastructure on Moodie Drive in Bells Corners West.

Here’s a bike route for those located closer to downtown who are interested in riding out to Bells Corners! The purple line indicates the location where the pop-up bike lane was installed.

As the event landed on a Sunday, the first section of this route capitalised on the weekly Sunday Bikedays event when the Sir John A Macdonald (SJAM) Parkway westbound lane along the Ottawa River is closed to traffic, starting from the War Museum and continuing all the way west to Carling Avenue.

SJAM Parkway is re-opened to cars at 1pm on Sunday Bikedays, so the orange line on the map proposes an alternative return route from the Pinecrest Creek Pathway that is primarily along the Experimental Farm Pathway. Or one could ride along the Ottawa River Pathway that runs parallel to the SJAM Parkway.

Just before Carling there is an oppportunity to get onto the Pinecrest Creek Pathway just off the SJAM Parkway exit.

The path goes under the Queensway and up to Iris St, then continues on the opposite corner of Iris, like so.

Further along there is a path off to the right. There is a sign (barely visible on this photo) pointing to it that reads ‘Baseline’. If you miss the turn off and wind up by the fire station on Woodroffe you’ve gone too far.

After curling up and under Baseline Road the official path circles around a bus parking lot, however most continue straight to avoid this detour.

The path continues parallel to Woodroffe, then veers west just before reaching the Legacy Skatepark. It then continues westwardly, twice crossing Centrepoint Drive.

The path dips under the train tracks and ends a bit further at Craig Henry Drive.

Craig Henry Drive has a painted shoulder but it is not signed as a bike lane so there is a chance you may have to bike around the odd parked car. Follow Craig Henry Drive all the way to Greenbank Road.

On the opposite side of Greenbank continue along Canfield Road for a short distance before hopping onto another path. To access this path take the closest cut in the curb which is a few yards away from the start of the path, infront of some communal mailboxes.

This section of path weaves it’s way through a wooded area before crossing McClellan Road, and then follows power lines all the way to Bruce Pit.

Once arrived at Bruce Pit turn right and follow the packed stone dust path that circles the Pit.

Cross Cedarview Road on the west side of Bruce Pit and then ride along the bridge, that has bike lanes, over the 416 highway.

Once on the other side of the 416 cut through to the northwest corner of Bell High School campus. Just beyond the black chain link fence there is a short path off to the right that leads down to Stinson Avenue.

Stinson Ave is a quiet residential street, as are Delta St, Evergreen Dr, Ridgefield Crescent, Longwood Ave, Tanglewood Dr and Hadley Circle which I followed as per the above map all the way to our final destination on Moodie Drive.

Et voila!

The Merry Dairy is a wonderful ice cream parlour at the corner of Gladstone and Fairmont Avenue, a perfect destination on a warm Summer’s day! Here’s a bike loop from the Trillium Pathway and back. (The Trillium Pathway is also popularly known as the O-Train Pathway. Some wayfinding signage uses this name as well).

We begin at the bottom of the path that comes down from Somerset Street and joins the Trillium Pathway. Head south along the pathway.

After crossing Gladstone, the path continues under the Queensway.

Just beyond the Queensway there is an exit to the right that crosses over the O-Train tracks along a pedestrian bridge to Young Street.

Continue up Young Street all the way to Fairmont Avenue. Turn right on Fairmont Avenue and ride back under the Queensway.

Nota bene: The Merry Dairy also has an ice cream truck that attends various events around town. On the evening of July 21st it will be in Fairmont Park where A Company of Fools will be presenting Twelfth Night! To get there, turn left once you reach Fairmont Avenue and ride south for a couple of blocks. I’ve indicated this option in purple on the above map. (UPDATE Spring 2021 – Performances by A Company of Fools are on pause until we get through this Covidian mess).

A block north of the Queensway you’ll find the ice cream parlour on the south west corner of Fairmont and Gladstone.

AND they love cyclists! For example, when it came time to purchase a bike rack they surveyed the Ottawa biking community via Twitter who overwhelmingly preferred this model.

The service is great and the ice cream is delicious!

To get back to the Trillium Path, continue north along Fairmont across Gladstone to the lane opposite Duhamel Street. Turn right onto this lane which takes you to quiet Irving Avenue.

Turn left on Irving, them right on Laurel, and follow Laurel all the way to Breezehill Ave N. Turn left onto Breezehill. These are all pretty quiet residential streets. You’ll pass Devonshire Elementary School at the corner of Laurel and Breezehill.

Heading north along Breezehill takes you to Somerset. Turn right onto the bike lane over the Somerset bridge.

On the opposite side of the bridge there is a right hand exit onto the path that leads dowm to the Trillium Path to where our adventure began.

Et voila!

If anyone needs directions to the Trillium Path please let me know and I will post a route.

Bruce has been a long time resident of Orleans. When asked for his opinion on places he thought a visitor might find interesting in his neck of the woods, he generously offered a few suggestions which I have linked together into the following bike route!

We begin at the western end of Hiawatha Park and follow a path that weaves it’s way though the residential neighbourhood. This is also the park where A Company of Fools will be performing Twelfth Night this Thursday night! UPDATE, Fall 2018: The show was a great hit! You can follow this link to see what the Company of Fools are up to next!

Halfway along the path through Hiawatha Park I turned north towards the Ottawa River via Hiawatha Park Road. Near the northern end of the road there are two interpretive panels that describes the history of Orleans. One panel details the origins of Bruyere Village which the panels are facing, and the Grey Nuns who were it’s initial residents. The second panel details the history of Louis-Théodore Besserer and the influence he had on the formation of Orleans, including the origin of it’s name.

There is a pleasant little park at the end of the street with a fine view across the river.

Next I retraced my treads a short distance up Hiawatha Park Road to where there is access to a bike path that heads east. Bruce mentioned the numerous branches off of this path that lead through the woods down to the rivers edge, in particular the one across from Bilberry Drive.

As one approaches the river along this trail the ground surface transitions from stone dust to packed dirt.

The path follows along the river a short distance, affording some pretty great views across the water and into the woods. Bring bug spray.

Now back on the main path, the next area Bruce mentioned was the stretch between Champlain St and 10th Line Road. The beauty of this section of path is hard to capture in a photo. There is a wonderful cacophony of wildlife in the surrounding canopy of trees and sloped forest floor rising up on the right.

To get to our final destination requires heading inland across a few major traffic arteries. Fortunately there are multi-use paths and bike lanes along Trim Road with a couple of round-abouts to keep things calm.

I then turned right onto St Joseph Boulevard which has bike lanes as far as our final destination, the Princess Louise Falls. The falls are on the south side of the road which requires waiting until there is a long break in traffic to cross, or riding up to the lights at the 174 on ramp, then coming back on the south side. I don’t reccomend trying to get to the falls via 10th Line Road unless you are comfortable riding with lots of speeding heavy traffic. I tried. It sucked. The vantage point of the falls is pretty far from the road, although after a heavy rain fall or in the Spring they would appear quite dramatic even from this vantage point. There is a hiking trail that brings you closer however this would require a mountain bike to negotiate, if they are permitted.

Et voila! Thanks Bruce for all the great suggestions.

The annual Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival Pow Wow will be held this coming weekend in Vincent Massey Park. I went last year and it was fantastic! For those thinking of biking to the Pow Wow, here is a route that starts at the Gathering-Ring, an art installation on the Ottawa side of the Portage Bridge, just off the bike path. This route is almost entirely along multi-use pathways.

From the Gathering-Ring we headed north a short distance before turning off to the right down onto the Ottawa River Pathway that circles under the Portage Bridge. On either side of the wide underpass a group of artists have just completed a series of large paintings in honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day that takes place annually on June 21st.

A short distance further along the pathway there is another wide underpass. An exhibit of large photographic reproductions of works by indigenous artists from across the country are on display along the walls of the underpass.

The path continues past the Mill restaurant, then crosses Booth Street and follows the edge of the Ottawa River.

Just beyond the War Museum there is an interpretive display describing the river as a vital travel route for Indigenous peoples and others that followed.

We then turned off the Ottawa River Pathway onto the Trillium Pathway and headed south, all the way to Prince of Wales Drive.

The section of the Trillium Pathway between Carling and Prince of Wales Drive is gravel or dirt, however there are plans to have it paved.

UPDATE – Fall 2018 – This section has been paved – YAH!

We turned right along Prince Of Wales to get to the lights that cross over into the Arboretum. There is a bike lane along Prince of Wales, but the painted lines along this section are so worn out as to be indiscernible. We hugged the old exit lane to the no longer existing Sir John Carling Building.

Once safely across Prince of Wales Drive we followed the stone dust path through the Arboretum, then up along the paved pathway to the Hartwell Locks.

We pushed out bikes across the top set of locks, carrying our bikes up and down the three steps on either side.

We then followed the Rideau Canal Pathway all the way to Mooney’s Bay.

The path circles up along Hog’s Back Road and heads across the bridge over the Hogs Back Falls. Once on the other side we turned right onto the Rideau River Eastern Pathway that circles back under Hog’s Back Road.

The Rideau River Pathway meanders a bit before heading down a long hill, flattening out just as it passes under Heron Road, and winding up in Vincent Massey Park on the other side.

The site of the Pow Wow is just of the path.

Et voila. Have a great Pow Wow!

For this year’s Ottawa Children’s Festival, one of the plays, The Legend of Swan River, will be performed at Remic Rapids Park, located 3 km’s upstream from the main site on Lebreton Flats.  There will be a shuttle bus to transport audience members from Lebreton Flats to Remic Rapids Park, however one can also bike to the site along the very pleasant Ottawa River Pathway. Here’s how. UPDATE: May 18 – This year’s Children’s Festival has come and gone, but this route remains a great ride from Lebretton Flats to Remic Rapids Park.

Starting from the entrance arch to the Children’s Festival along Sir John A MacDonald Parkway, follow the path to the western end of Lebreton Flats where it joins the Ottawa River Pathway.

Continue heading west and upstream. You’ll soon go over a little bridge before continuing along the edge of the Ottawa River.

The path also passes under the Prince of Wales train bridge, then meanders pleasantly all the way to Remic Rapids Park.

There is a fork in the path just before arriving at the park. Stay to the right along the water’s edge.

A short distance from the fork you’ll notice a concrete lookout. Take the gravel exit opposite the lookout. This is where the play commences.

I didn’t notice any bike racks at the Remic Rapids site, however there are many sign posts around the edge of the parking  to which one can lock your bike.

Et voila!

Back at the turn of the 20th century Ottawa had an incredibly creative and forward thinking character by the name of Thomas Ahearn. He achieved a myriad of ground breaking technological achievements in his time. For example he brought electric lighting to all our city streets way before the rest of the country caught on. With his business partner Warren Soper he created the Ottawa Electric Railway Company, building a network of streetcars and tracks whose routes opened up the city. He also designed and patented a number of electronic products, like the first electronic oven. He also drove an electric car. This bike tour visits a few sites in memory of Ahearn’s contributions to the development of Ottawa.

For a more detailed description of Thomas Ahearn I recommend checking out this Ottawa Citizen link . I have also included a number of other links at the bottom of this post.

Our tour begins in Lebreton Flats where in 1855 Thomas Ahearn first arrived on the scene. His parents were Irish immigrants who lived on the Flats where his father worked as a blacksmith. At the age 15 or 16 Thomas went from his home on the Flats to the J.R. Booth Company to offer his services in exchange for learning the exciting new technology of telegraphy.

On the Southwest corner of Booth and Sir John A MacDonald (SJAM) Parkway, across the street from the War Museum, sits an interpretive display on the history of Lebreton Flats. A heritage, non-functioning, public fountain acts as it’s introductory focal point. The original working fountain was commissioned in part by Ahearn himself in tribute to his mother-in-law Lilias Fleck, and was re-discovered when the soil in Lebreton Flats was being de-contaminated in the 2010’s. Further within this interpretive exhibit are two panels that touch on Ahearn and his many exploits. Lebreton Flats is where Thomas’ adventures began!

After working for a few years in New York City, the hi-tech hub of the era, Ahearn re-settled in Ottawa and in partnership with his old friend from the Flats, Warren Soper, he built up a number of successful companies which they managed from their headquarters on Sparks Street, which is our first stop. To get there our route passes through the Garden of the Provinces and Territories park. At the south/east end of the park there is a ramp to get up to Sparks Street but it is quite narrow so we carried our bikes up the short flight of stairs.

Ottawa Electric Railway Company streetcars used to travel along Sparks Street.

In 1927, Thomas Ahearn was chosen by Prime Minister MacKenzie King as the first chairman of the Federal District Commission, the predecessor to the National Capital Commission (NCC). In this role he greatly influenced the development of Ottawa’s parkway network, including the Queen Elizabeth Driveway. The Rideau Canal Western Pathway runs along the Driveway which we followed to our next destination  – Lansdowne Park. That’s because the inaugural run of the Ottawa Electric Railway Company travelled down Bank Street to Lansdowne with Ahearn piloting one trolley and Sopper at the helm of another, with an impressive list of dignitaries along for the ride. It was also at Lansdowne where in 1892 Ahearn exhibited a number of his patents and won the first gold medal ever awarded by the Central Canadian Exhibitions Association.

At the extreme north-west corner of Lansdowne, where Holmwood and Bank Street meet, sits the second non-functioning water fountain on our tour. This one is dedicated to Ahearn himself. A history of the fountain pre-re-installation can be found at this link.

After visiting the Ahearn Fountain we cut through the Glebe to the path that runs along the O-Train and followed it all the way to the Ottawa River. We then rode west along the Ottawa River Pathway to Britannia Bay. Ahearn’s streetcar tracks were extended to Britannia Beach where he built an amusement park to encourage users of the streetcar to travel on weekends. The Ottawa River Pathway now follows the old streetcar line from where the path leaves the edge of the SJAM Parkway. The streetcar terminal structure at Britannia Bay is a reminder of this popular service.

There is a short quiet residential street just a few blocks west of the old terminal station named in hounour of Ahearn. Our bike route includes the length of it.

In 1899 Ahearn formed the Metropolitan Power Company to build a hydro electric power house where the Ottawa River narrows, just east of Britannia Bay. This included a 2000-foot canal extending to the lower end of the Lac Deschênes Rapids. This endeavor did not prove to be financially viable, so the top of the canal was converted into moorings for the Britannia Boat Club.

Vestiges of the old canal can also be viewed by following Cassels Street and cutting across the grass to the waters edge at the spot indicated on the above map.

Heading back along the Ottawa River Pathway, our tour crosses one of the few local bridges across the mighty Ottawa River, the Champlain Bridge. In his role as chairman of the Federal District Commission Ahearn played an instrumental role in promoting and financing the construction of the original Champlain Bridge. In 2002 it was rebuilt and this section of the original bridge was put on display on Bate Island, midway across the bridge with interpretive panels on the history of the bridge.

The tour continues across the bridge along the bike lane to the Quebec side of the river, then east along the Voyageurs Pathway as far as the the Macdonald-Cartier bridge. There are bi-directional bike lanes along the eastern side of the Macdonald-Cartier bridge which we followed back over to the Ontario side of the river.

Our route continues along the Sussex Drive bike lane to the round-a-bout to the north of Rideau Hall. In the centre of the round-a-bout the NCC has installed a short section of streetcar tracks reminiscent of the original ones that brought passengers to and from Rockcliffe Park.

The little heritage canopies one can observe while travelling along the Rockcliffe Parkway were shelters for passengers waiting for the streetcar.

Rockcliffe park was a popular destination for weekend streetcar passengers including skiers.

Our final destination is the resting place of Thomas Ahearn in Beechwood Cemetery. To get there we cut through Rockcliffe and then rode a short distance along the Beechwood Avenue bike lane before turning up into the cemetery where one can find this headstone identifying his and his loved one’s resting place.

Et voila, thus concludes our bike tour commemorating the phenomenal achievements of Thomas Ahearn. The following links lead to more in depth stories on the man.

A bit more history on the Ottawa Streetcars.

The story of Ahearn and the streetcars from OC Transpo’s website.

Description of Ahearn & Soper’s Ottawa Electric Railway Company within the histroy of rail travel in the capital. Also includes a 1948 map of of Ottawa streetcar routes.

Another fine Citizen article on the life of Thomas Ahearn.

Little bit of Ottawa Hydro history mentioning a few of Ahearns exploits.

Description of Ahearns patented electric oven and the spectacle he orchestrated using it for “…the first instance in the history of the world of an entire meal being cooked by electricity.”

Article on the status and history of the Ottawa street cars, originally publilshed in 1951.

Deschênes is a small community on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, right where the river narrows into the Deschênes rapids after it makes a big swing past Aylmer. The Ottawa River played an important role in the rich history of our community. 

Whenever a big river narrows, it creates a powerful current, especially attractive to capitalist entrepreneurs in the late 1800’s, a procession of which built various mills at this location.

The most noticeable feature while riding along the Voyageurs Pathway through Deschênes are the ruins of some of those old mills still holding their own in the middle of the river. But there is even more to discover in the immediate environs, as I learnt on a Jane’s Walk tour of the communtiy earlier this year.

The Deschênes Residents Association put together this map describing the ruins, along with a number of other interesting spots within the community.

Here is a bike route from Ottawa to Deschênes and back, along with stops at some of the spots described on the Deschênes Residents Association map that are accessible via velo.

This ride begins in Ottawa where the bike lanes along Laurier and Bay meet. I made my way north along Bay to Wellington before crossing over to Quebec along the Portage Bridge bike lane. I then got on the Voyageurs Pathway and followed it all the way to Deschênes. First stop is at Simard Bay below the Deschênes rapids, with a fine view out over the river.

A short distance up stream one arrives at the rapids with great views of the ruins.

The area is also good for bird watching. There are interpretive panels with french descriptions of a few fine feathered friends one might spot while visiting as well as why this site is an important bird habitat.

Next stop along the Voyageurs Pathway is the wooden bridge that crosses over the marsh just west of the rapids. It is magical riding through this short section. Definitely worth a pause to take it all in.

I continued along the Voyageurs Pathway and then turned east along the old track bed that runs parallel to Boulevard de Lucerne.

In the late 1800’s an electrical generating station was built at the rapids in part to run trams between Ottawa and Aylmer. One of the oldest remaining buildings in Deschênnes is associated with this endeavour. The long stone building at the corner of Lucerne and Vanier was the tram way car barn. I believe this is where they were stored. A fine historical reference photo can be found here.

This is what it looks like now.

After checking out the old tramway barn I rode back to the Voyageurs Pathway along the brand-spanking-new Chemin Vanier bike lane!

I then rode back to Ottawa via the Voyageurs Pathway, crossing the Ottawa River over the Island park Drive bridge. Once across I followed the Ottawa River Pathway towards downtown.

I’ve described just a thin slice of the many layers that make up the rich history of the Deschênes community. The Jane’s Walk tour of the area given by Howard Powles is definitely worth checking out if he decides to give it again next year.

Et voila!

The RA Centre is a great big wonderful exercise facility on the south side of the Rideau River, just west of Billings Bridge. Ironically, it’s a tricky place to bike to. A rider was looking for a route from Lebreton Flats to the RA Centre that avoids having to ride along Bronson. And who can blame him? Bronson is a major traffic artery the explodes into a six lane speedway south of the Rideau Canal. Between the Canal and Carleton University flexi-posts are installed in the summer to reinforce the presence of bike lanes along both side of Bronson, but south of Carleton there’s just a faded white painted line, or none at at all, particularly across long on/off ramps that cyclists are expected to coast through as drivers distractedly jostle each other at crazy speeds in their attempts to merge on and off Bronson.

Here is a description of the route identified by the blue line on the following map, which is similar to a previously posted winter route from the Glebe to the RA Centre, but the lack of ice & snow allows for a few shortcuts on the approach to the RA Centre.

The purple line (an option suggested by an old friend) follows the Rideau River Pathway once across Hog’s Back Falls. This more picturesque and less convoluted option has one tricky spot – getting across very busy Riverside Drive. Best place to cross is at the lights to Data Centre Road. Data Centre Road doesn’t have a bike lane but there is a sidewalk one can follow to the entrance of the RA Centre parking lot.

The route begins at the western tip of Lebreton Flats along the Ottawa River Pathway.

After riding along the Ottawa River Pathway for a short spell I turned inland along the Trillium Pathway that runs parallel to the O-Train tracks.

Across Carling Avenue the path goes from paved to gravel and remains so as far as Prince of Wales Drive. There are plans to pave this section, as well as improve the crossing once arrived at Prince of Wales. Until such time, another alternative is to walk along the sidewalk on the south side of Carling for a short distance to the bike paths that cut through Queen Juliana Park, as suggested by the orange line on the above map. This is a particularly good option on the return trip from the RA Centre.

I turned right along the Prince of Wales, which has a painted bike lane, and followed it a very short distance to the lights that took me across to the Arboretum.

I rode through the beautiful Arboretum along gravel paths which brought me to paved Rideau Canal Western pathway that skirts the edge of the canal up to the Hartwell Locks.

I rode up the hill to the furthest set of locks and carried my bike three steps to be able to push it across to the other side. If this crossing is really crowded I cross the second set of locks, but it has rarely been so busy for me to exercise this option.

On the opposite side of the canal the path continues all the way up to Mooneys Bay.

The path curls up and continues to the right alongside Hogs Back Road over the falls. I then continued straight along the path to the intersection at Riverside Drive.

I made my way to the opposite corner from where the path meets Riverside Drive.

That took me to a small desire line that cuts kitty corner away from the intersection into the Canada Post campus.

I followed the road around to the opposite north/east corner of the campus to a path, which in turn leads towards a short switch back heading up to Heron Road. Arrived at Heron, I followed the sidewalk to the lights, crossed there, and headed back a short distance to the path on the opposite side.

This path curls around the now fenced off grounds of the old CBC headquarters. Part way around the curl there’s a sharp turn to the right that leads to a small pillbox shaped building.

That’s the entrance port to a very cool underground passageway beneath Bronson Avenue. It requires carrying one’s bike down a few steps. The passageway pops up in mirror fashion on the other side of Bronson.

Once popped out the other side, I followed a concrete path that traced the contour of a very interesting modernist building.

This eventually brought me to a paved path that went down to the back of the RA Centre.

Once at the bottom of the path one can ride around the building to access any of the many entrances.

Et voila!