Welcome to our Township of Rideau Lakes, here at the crest of the Rideau Canal. Located midway between Canada’s Capital City, Ottawa and the Limestone City, Kingston, the Rideau System defines one side of Ontario’s Golden Triangle. Ours is a micro-commonwealth of incredible variety, of a landscape sculptured onto geologies of sedimentary plain and into an incredible spectra of rocks and minerals of the Canadian Shield. Diverse soils have evolved from legacies left by continental glaciers and of forests nurtured through the symphony of seasons by our mid-latitude climate. Past millennia have left lingering traces of fishing, hunting and campfires by First Nations. Recent centuries of pioneer settlement by people from diverse European cultures have left an indelible heritage to be seen in fence lines and farms, in the obvious of architectures and the intangibles of communities.
Come to our Township of Rideau Lakes by any of many modes. Ply the Rideau Canal that links the Ottawa River with the St. Lawrence. You may choose to explore this truly unique waterway from spring break-up to fall freeze-up. Come solo by kayak or duo by canoe or you may opt for the leisure of cruising and dining with fellow travelers on a luxurious canal vessel. Or you may venture aboard just about any vintage and style of craft and cruise the rustic locks and scenic lakes of the Rideau. From here you may travel beyond to the seas and oceans of the world if you wish. Touch down at the Township airstrip to feast and fellowship at a regular Fly-in Breakfast. You might hike the rugged Rideau Trail from the Ottawa Valley to the St. Lawrence amidst the grandeur of autumn colour. From Canada’s sea and sea and shining sea, you might steer your snowmobile onto the Cataraqui Trail. You may venture to our “Keystone of the Rideau” by road. We’re just a few hours from Toronto or Montreal and mere tens of minutes from the historic towns of Perth and Brockville.
Amble through our heritage villages, “Walking Tour” in hand. Take a sunny Sunday afternoon drive along our highways and by-ways with our “Driving Tour” in navigator’s hand. Or take your bikes off the rack and enjoy a day, even several days exploring our scenic country lanes, “Cycle Tour” at hand. Inns, B. & Bs, fast foods and fine dining, they’re all here. Appreciate the incredible diversity of nature and culture that you will find here in Rideau Country. Maybe it’s an opening-day of fishing on any of the gems of the Rideau’s necklace of lakes. Maybe it’s camping at Lower Beverley Lake Park. Maybe it’s golfing on the rolling greens of summer near Lombardy or Westport, browsing for presents in village shops in Elgin or reveling at Delta’s Country Christmas. Maybe your thing is speed skating on the Big Rideau Lake at Portland’s “Skate-the-Lake” or “mushing” your team at Newboro’s Dog Sled Race. Whatever your interests, you will find myriad reasons through all seasons to come back to the Township of Rideau Lakes. Enjoy “An Experience to Remember” here at the height-of-land, the central diadem in a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Geographic Destination, the Keystone of the Rideau.