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Published: 1/13/26
Everything You Need To Know For A Perfect Day on the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa, Ontario
If you’re a winter lover, especially one who’s comfortable on ice skates, I strongly believe you should experience the Rideau Canal Skateway in central Ottawa at least once.
Not only is the Rideau Canal the world’s largest ice rink and a Canadian national treasure, it’s also recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. This 7.8 km (4.8 miles) skating trail uses the frozen Rideau Canal’s wild ice and a dedicated maintenance crew to create one of the most unique skating experiences in the world.
When I visited Ottawa in February 2025, skating on the Rideau Canal wasn’t just the number one winter activity we wanted to do; it was the entire reason we made the trip! But I had a lot of questions: Where would I store my boots while I skated? What the heck was a BeaverTail and how did it relate to the skateway? And, most pressing, could I really skate from my hotel to a game at TD Place?!
We skated the canal in its entirety several times during our visit and I got all my questions answered. (Yes, I did get to skate to and from a TD Place game via the canal!) So I decided to pour all that firsthand knowledge into this Rideau Canal Skateway guide so fellow first-time canal skaters know what to expect.
Whether you’re looking for parking, bathrooms, or where to rent skates, I’ve put everything you need to know about the skateway into this single post so you don’t have to click around on the various skateway websites to find the answers you need. I share safety tips, thoughts on the best snacks and drinks sold along the skateway, and so much more.
Read on to ensure you have a magical experience on Ottawa’s Rideau Canal!
About the Canal
The Rideau Canal has been an Ottawa landmark since 1892. Built to create a shipping channel between the Ottawa River and Lake Ontario, the Rideau Canal stretches for 202 miles between those two bodies of water, although most of those 202 miles are really just the Rideau River with a few locks sprinkled in. The canal is necessary because Ottawa’s Rideau Falls at the end of Rideau River prevents the river from being a shipping corridor.
The main canal branches off of the Rideau River at Mooney’s Bay in south Ottawa, just north of the airport. The skateable portion of the Canal runs from the locks just below Parliament Hill to the locks next to Carleton University. The skateway is about 100 ft wide in most places which makes it slightly wider than a standard hockey rink.
Managed by the National Capital Commission(NCC), the Rideau Canal Skateway is so much more than a skating rink. With booths selling snacks, merchandise, and renting skates, the Skateway feels like a winter village that brings together locals and visitors. Depending on the length of the season, up to a million people take to the Skateway each winter.
History
Like most skate trails, the Rideau Canal Skateway started with a single man and a dream.
In January 1971, NCC chair Doug Fullerton decided to clear a small section of the frozen Rideau Canal between the Mackenzie King and Laurier Avenue bridges in downtown Ottawa to create a free, public ice rink. Today, this section is the northern end of the 7.8 km skating trail right next to the Rideau Rest Area.
As the years passed and skating on the canal solidified as an Ottawa winter tradition, the NCC have honed their snow removal and ice maintenance techniques. In fact, the NCC have become ice experts and now work with Ottawa’s Carleton University in Ottawa to develop ways to keep this important cultural tradition alive in the face of climate change.
Map
You’ll find maps, which include detailed information about amenities, posted around the skateway. There’s also an interactive map online with current ice conditions that I recommend checking out before you make a trip down to skate.
There are also kilometer markers along the trail to help keep you oriented.
Operating hours
The skateway also uses a flag system to indicate if it is open or closed. If you see a green flag flying near one of the canal’s main access point the ice is safe and open for skating. A red flag means the skateway is currently closed. If a green flag is flying, the skateway is open 24 hours a day.
It’s very important that you respect any closures. The skateway may be closed for warm weather (skating on the soft ice is treacherous and really degrades the ice surface), for snow removal, or resurfacing.
The various services associated with the canal all keep their own hours. Keep in mind that ice maintenance happens overnight, so if you have your heart set on a 1 a.m. rip down the canal, you may find that the ice has been overtaken with Frosters, the massive Zamboni-like machines that resurface the ice. It’s best to hang up your skates until their work is done.
Washrooms: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. (Sunday – Thursday); 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Friday and Saturday)
Concessions: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. every day
Skate and gear rental: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. every day, but times can vary. Fifth Avenue rest area skate rental is only open on the weekend.
Skate patrol: 10 am to 9 pm (Monday – Thursday); 9 am to 10 pm (Friday – Sunday).
Changing rooms: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. (Sunday – Thursday); 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Friday and Saturday)
Current Conditions
For current ice conditions, you can check the home page of the Skateway’s official website or look at the interactive current conditions map. You can also call 613-239-5234.
Although the canal is technically wild ice, it’s highly managed. You’ll see crews out 24/7 using equipment to fix rough sections or fill in divots. They also use a custom built Zamboni-like machine called “The Froster” which uses an almost 60 foot resurfacing bar to flood the skateway.
Access Points
By my count, there are 31 different access points to the Rideau Canal. An access point simply means there’s a stairway from street level down to the skateway. The amenities at each access point vary greatly. There might just be a couple park benches where you can change into your skates or it could be a full-blown rest area with changing facilities, concessions, skate rental, and more.
For your first spin on the ice, I recommend starting at one of the access points that have changing facilities: Rideau, Concord, Patterson (closed for 2025/26 season), Fifth, Bronson, Dows. By far the most used access point is Rideau, especially if you’re from out of town.
Rest Areas
The skateway has four main rest areas: Rideau, Concord, Fifth, and Bronson. These little hubs of activity include changing rooms, washrooms, skate and other rentals, food vendors, benches, cubbies for storing your boots and in the case of Fifth, a first-aid station and the skateway’s Lost and Found.
There are picnic benches set up where you can enjoy your snacks and the areas are decorated with small evergreen trees to really give a cheery “Frost Fair” vibe. On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, they light up fire pits at these locations.
Skate and other rentals
Official Rideau Canal vendor, Capital Skates, has booths at Rideau, Fifth, and Dows rest areas. They offer rentals of ice skates, sleighs to push your children around on the ice in, ice trikes, kicksleds, and skate aid supports (aka, a walker to keep you from tipping over!). You can also pay to check your boots here.
When we visited in 2025, this both was where you buy official Rideau Canal merchandise like mittens and hats.
Note: Fifth is only open on the weekends.
Skate sharpening services
Outdoor ice like on the Rideau Canal is very hard and it can feel like your skates are getting dull with each stride you take. (Probably because they are!) I enjoy extremely sharp skates and by the end of my visit to Ottawa, it felt like I was skating on the sides of a couple baking sheets.
I did have my skates sharpened at the Capital Skates rental kiosk at Rideau and I might as well have taken my $17 and lit it on fire for all the good it did to my poor skate edges.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, your best best is to get to a shop in Ottawa that actually specializes in skate sharpening. B-Sharp and Figure 8 are Ottawa’s top rated skate sharpening stops. The closest shop to the canal that offers skate sharpening is Cyco’s – a bike shop near the Hawthorne Avenue access point. You can also rent skates from Cyco’s.
Keep in mind that if you walk in with your skates, these shops probably aren’t going to be able to sharpen them on the spot. At best you’re going to be waiting several minutes, but they might even need to keep your skates overnight depending on how busy they are. It’s best to book online ahead of time.
Parking
There’s public pay parking lots near available at the following Rideau Canal Skateway access points:
- Queen
- Dow’s
- Lansdowne
- Rideau
- Bronson
Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of Rideau Canal parking options.
Safety
Outdoor ice is much harder than the ice you’re used to skating on in arenas and is prone to cracks. Despite the NCC’s diligent efforts, there will always be some cracks, unevenness, and other small hazards on the canal. Skate with care!
I highly recommend bringing a headlamp for nighttime skates so you can spot any ice irregularities. The canal does not have its own lighting so you only have the light of the moon and spillover from nearby streetlights for illumination.
If you’re unsure on your skates, it’s not the worst idea to wear a helmet and maybe even some knee pads to protect yourself from any accidental tumbles. I would also throw in some compression wrap in your backpack if you’re prone to knee injuries.
As someone who spent her childhood winters living in ice skates, my pro tip is that if you feel yourself falling while skating, do everything in your power to ensure you land on your butt rather than trying to catch yourself with a knee or wrist. In most scenarios you’re much less likely to break your bottom than you are your wrist to knee cap.
First-aid
Just like at a ski hill, the Rideau Canal has “Skate Patrol” who provide first aid and other assistance to skaters. You can easily spot them skating along in their high visible safety jackets. Skate patrol runs from 10 am to 9 pm (Monday – Thursday) and 9 am to 10 pm (Friday – Sunday). You can also contact them directly at 613-366-7671. For immediate assistance, call 911.
If you have a bump or bruise that needs care, but not immediate attention, head to the Canal’s first-aid station available at the Fifth Avenue rest area.
We talked to an employee from a local hospital late one night in the changing room and she mentioned that banged up canal skaters do routinely come into the hospital. That’s just to be expected when there are up to a million skaters on the canal each season! But moral of the story: don’t assume you won’t get hurt. General care and caution is always a good rule of thumb.
Lost and found
Available at the Fifth Avenue rest area.
Changing areas and shoe storage
There are indoor changing rooms at the Rideau, Concord, Fifth, and Bronson rest areas. The changing rooms also contain free cubbies where you can put your boots, bags, and anything else you don’t want to take on the ice. At Rideau, there are also cubbies right on the ice that you could use.
At some of the access points you could see the locals tugged their skates over in a sled and just left the sled next to the benches where you could put on your skates. Basically, as long as you get your stuff out of the way it doesn’t seem like anyone messes with it.
Washrooms
If you’re skating the full length of the skateway and taking a basically mandatory BeaverTail and hot beverage snack break, you could be on the canal for two hours or more. Fear not; there are bathrooms located right on the skateway!
On-ice washrooms are available at the following rest areas:
- Rideau (start)
- Concord
- Fifth
- Bronson (7km mark)
There are also washrooms on land at Dow’s. The Patterson access point has washrooms but is closed for this (2025 – 26) season.
Snacks and drinks
Concession stands dot the skateway and can be found at the following access points: Rideau, Concord, Fifth, and Bronson. Food vendors change from year to year, but BeaverTails and hot beverages like cocoa and apple cider are cornerstones of the Rideau Canal skateway culinary experiences.
BeaverTails have been the Rideau Canal treat of choice since the 1980s. These delicious fried pastries developed in nearby Killaloe, Ontario. These are really just Elephant Ear pastries and were actually originally called that, but after a few years it was decided to change their name to something more Canadian. I think they made the right call on the name change!
BeaverTails do limit their offerings to their most popular flavors at their Skateway kiosks. You can choose from: classic (cinnamon sugar), Brwownie, Hazel Amour, Killaloe Sunset (cinnamon sugar with a wedge of lemon to squeeze on top), and MEHple. They also offer a small selection of nonalcoholic beverages, including hot chocolate.
The other skateway food offerings reminded me a lot of Christmas market food. In 2025, I saw spiral potatoes (aka potato tornados) fruit skewers, maple taffy, corndogs, and, of course, poutine, available to skaters.
We especially enjoyed our stop at the Dunrobin Distillery booth. The Northern Spike made with green tea, maple sap, and rum or whiskey (I chose whiskey) was the perfect pick-me-up for the skate back to my boots.
You can also get food at Dow’s Lake Pavillion, which is a higher-end restaurant located at the far west end of Dow’s Lake on the skateway.
What to bring
- Skates
- Standard winter outerwear (jacket, hat, mittens/gloves, scarf or neck gaiter)
- Slip on boots for a quick change
- Warm, easy to move in pants like these lightweight snow pants or fleece lined leggings
- Small backpack
- Water bottle
- Small first aid kit
- Battery pack or hand warmers to extend your phone battery life
- Headlamp
- Kleenex
- Change of socks in case your feet get cold/wet
- Money (all vendors we visited were set up to take cards and mobile pay) for snacks and merch
If you want more details, check out my full Ottawa winter packing list.
What’s not allowed
- Your pet (service dogs are allowed)
- Hockey pucks and skates
- Skis, snowshoes, or bikes; this is a skateway not a highway!
- Your own alcoholic beverages. (However alcohol can be purchased from skateway vendors.)
Additionally, the Rideau Canal Skateway is smoke and vape free.
Etiquette
There’s no specific posted etiquette for the Rideau Canal Skateway and the vibe is definitely community minded and harmonious. Basically, it’s your job to do everything in your power to make other skaters feel safe and comfortable.
Share the changing room spaces. Don’t zip too closely around slower skaters. Don’t mess with other people’s belongings in the free, honor system cubbies. Respect the rules for no hockey sticks, pucks, or dogs on the ice. Help others if you’re able.
Just be a nice person, okay?
How to skate to a game at TD Place
While we came to Ottawa specifically to skate the canal, we also made sure we were in town for a PWHL Minnesota Frost/Ottawa Charge game. When I booked the game tickets, I didn’t think much about how we’d get to the arena. I assumed we’d either walk or grab a rideshare depending on how far it was from our hotel – Chateau Laurier.
But when I realized that TD Place arena was a mere stone’s throw from the canal and our hotel was located at the very start of the skateway, an idea started to form in my mind . . . could we just skate to the game from our hotel?
The answer is YES! You can absolutely use the Rideau Canal to skate to an event at TD Place. We are nervous Nellies who wanted to be double sure before we showed up at the rink with skates in hand so we asked both our hotel concierge (funnily enough, he said people asking about skate check at TD Place is the number one question he gets in February) and then called TD Place to verify.
Using the Rideau Canal to reach TD Place
To skate to TD Place, you’ll want to get off at the canal’s Bank access point. This is about a 4.2 km skate from the skateway’s start at Rideau. There are no changing facilities at Bank, but there are a couple park benches where you can change out of your skates.
From the Bank access point, it’s about a 5-minute walk to the arena. The skate and walk combined took us 27 minutes.
Once you’re inside, head straight for the information booth near section 18. You don’t need to officially check your skates. There are shelves set up next to the booth where you stash your skates for the game. I recommend touching base with the info booth staff just to let them know you’re putting your skates there, but honestly, I don’t think they really care.
TD Place doesn’t have the stringent bag policy like you might be accustomed to at U.S. events. You can bring any soft-sided bag to TD Place as long as it fits beneath your seat. It will be inspected when you enter the arena. If you have a backpack that can fit your skates, that’s your most convenient option for transporting your shoes down the canal and then your skates to the arena.
Alternatively, you can do what I did. My small backpack purse was big enough to fit my shoes so I used a reusable, packable shopping tote to carry my skates from the canal to the arena. Once I was at the arena I stored my skates by the information booth and put my backpack purse and jacket under my seat.
Conclusion: Make the most of your Rideau Canal skateway experience
Ottawa’s Rideau Canal Skateway is a Canadian winter tradition you don’t want to miss. I’m so thrilled I was able to experience it and can’t wait to return some day soon. I hope this post answers all your questions about how the skateway works, available amenities, the best snacks, and even how to use the canal as a transportation method to games at TD Place.
If there are any questions about the Rideau Canal Skateway I didn’t answer for you, just send me an email. I think every skating enthusiast should experience the Rideau Canal at least once in their lifetime and I hope sharing my experience on it makes you even more excited about a winter trip to Ottawa, Ontario.
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