Rockcliffe Sports and Recreation

We begin on Acacia Avenue at the entrance to the Rockeries and follow the Rockeries walkway to Cloverdale Ave. We will make a short detour to see the ruins erected in the Rockeries park. We will then follow Hillsdale Ave, but there will be a (optional) detour into a field to see where the Rockcliffe streetcar once crossed a gully on a trestle. We then return to Hillsdale Ave. and then follow a nature trail on the east side of McKay Lake, known as the Caldwell-Carver Conservation Area. We exit the trail at Pond St, which becomes Lakeway Drive. Here we will pass many attractively landscaped sprawling homes including a number of ambassadors' residences.

We turn west at Sandridge Rd., then enter a trail that crosses through a gully to reach the Ottawa New Edinburgh Club tennis courts, after which we cross the Sir Georges Etienne Cartier Parkway to arrive at our final destination, the recently renovated River House on the Ottawa River. (From here, it is a relatively short walk back to our starting point on Acacia Ave. either by stairs or by the parkway). All the trails on the route are in good condition and only require easy hiking skills.

Glenn is president of the Gloucester Historical Society and a veteran Jane's Walk leader. He enjoys sharing stories on local history.