Hiking.
Confederation Park, in front of Kingston City Hall, is the southern terminus of the 387 km Rideau Trail to Ottawa — the start of a long-distance route maintained by the Rideau Trail Association since 1971. The first map (Rideau Trail Map 01 — Kingston) carries the corridor north from downtown past Lemoine Point and the Cataraqui marshes toward Sydenham, with day-hike loops accessible inside the city through Lemoine Point and Little Cataraqui Creek conservation areas.
The brief.
Two CRCA conservation areas inside the city carry the easiest day hiking — Lemoine Point on the Lake Ontario shoreline (136 ha, 11 km of four-season trails, 2,500 m of shoreline) and Little Cataraqui Creek north of Highway 401 (394 ha, 13 km of groomed trails). Both are CRCA-managed, both have outdoor centres or trail heads, and both run year-round.
The K&P Trail's 22 km Kingston portion adds a paved/gravel rail-trail option north out of downtown along the former Kingston & Pembroke Railway corridor; it intersects the Cataraqui Trail at Harrowsmith for 81 km east to Smiths Falls. The Rideau Trail itself crosses into wilder Frontenac Provincial Park terrain north of the city — that section sits in South Frontenac and is out of Kingston's strict scope.
May through October is the easiest window; winter is walkable on Lemoine Point and Little Cataraqui Creek's surfaced loops.
5. places.
- 01
Rideau Trail — Kingston Section (Map 01)
Southern terminus at Confederation Park; first 30+ km of the 387 km route to Ottawa, heading north past Lemoine Point and the Cataraqui marshes toward Sydenham.
- 02
Lemoine Point Conservation Area
11 km of four-season trails on 136 ha; Lake Ontario and Collins Bay shoreline (2,500 m of shore).
- 03
Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area
13 km of groomed multi-use trails on 394 ha north of Highway 401; CRCA outdoor centre with snack bar, observation tower, equipment rentals.
- 04
Cataraqui Trail (Strathcona–Smiths Falls)
81 km former CN rail corridor; northern segments connect into the Trans Canada Trail.
- 05
K&P Trail — Kingston city portion
22 km in two segments inside the City of Kingston, from Confederation Park / River Street north to Binnington Court and beyond toward Harrowsmith.
Today's read.
Cold but firm — winter-ready conditions · light winds · clean air.
By the book.
- 01Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority manages Little Cataraqui Creek and Lemoine Point under standard CRCA conservation-area rules; day-use fees may apply at the outdoor centre.Source ↗
- 02The Rideau Trail crosses both public and private land between Kingston and Ottawa; the Rideau Trail Association is the volunteer steward and the RTA's section maps (starting with Map 01 — Kingston) are the authoritative routing source.Source ↗