Rockcliffe Park

Rockcliffe Park, One of Ottawa's Earliest Parks

Rockcliffe Lookout

This walk identifies some of the landmarks, past and present, of the beautiful landscape of Rockcliffe Park. Rockcliffe Park began as Thomas Keefer's private playground before he sold it to the City of Ottawa, when it became one of the city's earliest parks.

Carte indiquant le point de départ

Trajet

Our walk starts at the Rockcliffe Lookout and visits the nearby ‘secret staircase’ and then follows the Sir Georges-Etienne Cartier Parkway westward and then continues along the Rockcliffe Driveway with a stop at the Rockcliffe Pavilion. We will continue on the Driveway, passing the location of the old ski jump, known as Suicide Hill, then to a beautiful viewpoint of downtown before we arrive at the traffic circle at Princess Avenue, where we will identify the historic significance of this location. We'll circle back via the Sir Georges-Etienne Cartier Parkway to Buena Vista Road, then a short walk to the east to follow Lisgar Road back to our starting point.

Accessibility: The route will follow roads and recreational pathways. A relatively short section of the route involves a walk up a staircase; that can be skipped if it presents an obstacle for anyone. We return to a spot very close by. Another portion of our walk follows a ‘parkway’ without a sidewalk. This requires walking on slightly uneven grass which will be unsuitable for those requiring mobility aids.

Parking: There is parking in NCC lot P1 (enter off the Rockcliffe Driveway between the Princess Ave circle and the Lookout). There is also street parking along Lisgar Road near Buena Vista and beyond. Please take care not to block the bike path, which runs alongside Lisgar Road for a short way. From Lisgar Rd., the walk to the Lookout is 5-10 min. There are a very few spots available at the Rockcliffe Pavilion (near the Rockeries) and at the Rockcliffe Lookout itself.