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Our Villages and Hamlets
Rideau Lakes is a community of Villages and Hamlets. Explore and learn about the landscape and the people. Each village and hamlet have a unique culture and story to tell. Whether you’re a visitor looking to discover your roots in the area, a family trying out an adventure on the water, or an urbanite seeking a safe and quiet, rural lifestyle… Rideau Lakes will find a place in your heart.
For thousands of years before European settlers arrived in what is now called Rideau Lakes, Algonquin speaking peoples, the Massasauga and proto-Hurons lived in these lands. Indigenous artifacts have been discovered around all of the lakes throughout this area, some that are more than 9000 years old. When the European settlers arrived, just over 200 years ago, the communities of Rideau Lakes were born.
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- Route Name Delta - Jones Falls - Lyndhurst
- Length approx. 46 km
- Road Surface paved roads
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- Route Name Delta - Mallorytown – Athens - Plum Hollow
- Length approx. 90 km
- Road Surface paved roads
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- Route Name Delta - Charleston – Athens - Plum Hollow
- Length approx. 51 km
- Road Surface paved roads
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- Route Name Delta - Stone House
- Length approx. 50 km
- Road Surface 50% gravel roads
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This is a Rideau Waterway Land Trust property which offers an easy hike amongst magnificent butternut, sugar maple, white pine and bitternut trees. The trail leads to a view of the Murphy Bay Wetlands (Opinicon Lake) and to the short causeway leading to the island.. Sugarbush Island is available to the community for passive recreational use and quiet contemplation. It has abundance of wildlife and bird life and is located off Davis Lock Road just west of the junction of Sleepy Hollow Road across from Chaffeys Locks on Opinicon Lake.
Location: James H. Fuller Nature Reserve, 1408 Davis Lock Road, Elgin ON
Peaceful and serene, Mill Pond has six kilometres of wilderness trails. Low undulating hills, forest, water views and a trail to the Lime Kiln provides you with a relaxing but worthy hike. Take a hike through the park and stop for a quiet picnic in the sugar bush or at the covered picnic shelter. Mill Pond has a boat launch (car top only) for those who would like to enjoy a quiet canoe trip.
Location: 4774 Briton Houghton Bay Road, Rideau Lakes
Established in 2007, the Marion Dunn Heritage Trail, located in Chaffeys Lock, provides a pleasant, easy walk through towering trees, including many large cedar trees. It guides hikers down an old road and past the area’s old lime kiln and blacksmith’s shop all the way to the Chaffey’s Lock Cemetery. Here are cut rocks Colonel By decided were not worthy for use by the canal builders, but have become a memorial wall for residents and visitors. The cemetery has 72 graves of canal workers that came from many different lands. Although no longer maintained by Parks Canada, the Marion Dunn Trail is open to the public to use at their own risk.
Location: Next to Brown's Marina at 1724 Chaffeys Lock Road (please ask if parking) or park at Chaffeys Locks Community Hall 1641 Chaffeys Lock Road, Elgin ON
Located at 72 Stanley Lash Lane in Morton, this trail offers hikers 3 exciting trail options. With a spectacular view Rock Dunder is referred to as the “top of the world”. Rock Dunder is one of 21 properties owned and operated by the Rideau Waterway Land Trust. At the parking lot visitors will see a map depicting the various trails offered
Rock Dunder offers three different trails:
The Summit Loop is a 3.9km climb which runs alongside Dean's Island through a variety of forest, offering sneak peaks over rocky cliffs. The summit offers a panoramic view of the Rideau Waterway. (1.5 hours)
The Scout Cabin Trail is a 1.5km trail along the water. (20mins)
The Morton Bay Loop comprises two moderately steep sections to and from a small peninsular outlook over Morton Bay. The hike is 1.31km through mixed forest and along the water. (45mins)
Rock Dunder is open for use from sunrise to sunset. Passes are required and can be bought online ahead of your visit or at the gate upon arrival.
Plan your visit! Purchase a Pass!
Day Pass
$6 (per person)
Family Pass
$20 (entry for 2 Adults and 2+ Kids)
Season Pass
$60 (unlimited access for a family in a single car to Rock Dunder from May 15, 2023 - Nov 15, 2023)
Visiting Rock Dunder with a group of more than 12 children or youth? Contact RWLT for the group rate.
Rock Dunder is a carry-in carry-out site.
Located at 105 Foley Mountain Lane. Owned and operated by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, Foley Mountain Conservation Area consists of 800 acres of mixed forests, ponds, and fields. It is nestled on the top of the “mountain” overlooking the village of Westport and offers a variety of outdoor opportunities, including seven marked trails:
Popular Trails
Spy Rock (Blue Circle Trail)
The Blue Circle Trail leads to the Spy Rock lookout, high above Westport. This view was created when a meteor slammed into the planet a few kilometers to the southwest. The impact caused a massive earthquake causing the earth of Foley Mountain to fall away 100 meters creating the abrupt, high cliff with it's spectacular panoramic view. The path to the lookout is accessible via an easy access ramp.
Length: 3.2 km
Mobility Trail, at 0.3 km, enables everyone to enjoy the conversation area. It is wheel-chair friendly, with a wide crushed-stone path and low grades.
Rideau Trail runs for 8 km along the edge of the conservation area.
Other Trails
Meditation Trail 0.1 km
Beaver Trail 1.2 km
White Pine Trail 1.2 km
Red Oak Trail 1.3 km
Orange Maple Trail 2.3 km
Located at 875 Concession Road 8, just south of the village of Westport, Shillington Park offers easy walking trails through the wooded area that surrounds the softball diamond, community hall, tennis courts, playground, gardens and sheltered picnic areas.
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The lock station at Jones Falls hosts a number of loops in and around the locks. A trail from the parking lot will give you access to the Stone Arch Dam – a site well worth visiting. When completed in 1831, this was the highest dam in North America (almost 60 feet), a stunning feat of engineering, still very impressive to this day.
A more robust trail offers the hiker a trip from the lockmaster’s station, along rocky terrain that runs parallel to the turning basin to the blacksmiths shop. The defensible lockmaster’s house, known as Sweeney House after the first lockmaster, Peter Sweeney, is open for interpretation. The blacksmith’s shop, built in the 1840s, often has a blacksmith on duty, more than willing to explain his craft.
Location: 182 Lock Road, Elgin ON
The Lower Beverley Lake Park is a 106 acre multi-use campground with a 2.5 km interpretive trail loop. Pick up a trail guide when you enter the park and follow the numbers to learn about the native plants and animals living here along with historical remains of the Kingston Pembroke Railway line and prospecting sites. There are 2 alternate pathways to shorten or extend your hike through this beautiful wooded area. The trail spurs at the northeast end towards the beach offering a full day of recreation.
Location: 1 Lower Beverley Lake Road, Delta ON
The Cataraqui Trail is a multi-use trail on the former CN rail line from Smiths Falls to Strathcona, just north of Napanee. The trail is 104 kilometres long and begins at the south end of Smiths Falls. Along its route, it passes through a number of communities including Portland, Chaffeys Lock, Sydenham and Harrowsmith.
Cycling, walking, and horseback riding are permitted uses during the spring, summer and fall. During the winter months when there is sufficient snow, the trail is groomed for snowmobiling and is open to snowmobilers bearing a current Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs trail permit. It is also open in the winter to cross-country skiers and walkers. Motorized vehicles such as cars, ATVs and motor bikes are not allowed on the trail.
The Trail is managed by the Cataraqui Trail Management Board and maintained by community volunteers. Memberships and donations help to keep the Trail open. Income tax receipts are issued for all memberships and donations. The other way to help keep the Trail open is to volunteer some of your time.
Location: Municipal Parking located at 635 County Road 5, at the intersection between County Road 5 and Highwy 15 near Portland ON
The Rideau Trail is a hiking trail that starts in Kingston and winds its way for over 300 km to Ottawa following hiking trails, foot paths and back roads. It passes through Provincial Parks, conservation areas and private land. The Trail, completed in 1971, is maintained by the Rideau Trail Association (RTA).
In addition to the main trail marked by orange triangles, there are a number of side trails which are marked by blue triangles.
The trail has something for everyone in terms of difficulty, length of travel, terrain profile, ecosystem type and seasonal variation. It crosses terrain ranging from placid farmland to the rugged Canadian Shield. It is only intended for walking (hiking), snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. No part of the Rideau Trail itself is owned by the Rideau Trail Association; the continuity of the trail is made possible by the generous permission of both private and public landowners and is enhanced by the existence of a special fund called the Rideau Trail Preservation Fund.
Each of the three hiking clubs of the RTA - Kingston, Central (Perth), and Ottawa, organize outings in all seasons of the year. They usually take place on the weekend and comprise an activity appropriate for the season, such as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter and hiking in the spring, summer, and fall. Other activities are scheduled during the week or on some holidays.
Location: Trailhead and parking area between 245 and 265 Mountain Road, Westport ON
