The old Village of Rockcliffe Park, McKay Lake, & the Caldwell Carver Conservation Area
View of McKay Lake, Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa
This walk will explore the sights and sounds of Rockcliffe Park Village and the nearby walking trails. On the way, we will see historical homes, many of which are now Embassy residences, as well as some newer homes. We will also walk along the eastern side of McKay Lake, where we can look across the water to homes built along the waterfront. Along the lake we will take note of the trees, meadows, and wetlands that provide habitat for wild creatures such as waterfowl, turtles, and abundant native plants. We'll make short stops at two lookouts affording a view of the McKay Lake wetlands before moving on to the Pond, a smaller body of water to the east of McKay Lake.
We'll pass several interesting residences along Lakeway Drive, and then we will walk through the NCC park to the Rockeries, an eclectic collection of architectural bits and pieces, some of which were salvaged from the demolition of an earlier generation of Ottawa buildings. From there, our walk south along Acacia Ave will pass numerous Embassy residences (Egypt,Japan, Argentina, South Korea, Spain, Austria, India, Thailand), as well as Stornoway, the residence provided for the leader of official opposition in Canada's Parliament.