Walking & Strolling.
The Rideau Canal pathways run alongside the Parks Canada heritage waterway from Confederation Park out to Hartwells Locks and Hog's Back, and Confederation Boulevard threads the federal ceremonial route past Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market, and the museum precinct. On the Ottawa River, the Sir John A.
Macdonald Parkway / Kichi Zībī Mīkan pathway extends west from downtown along the shoreline.
The brief.
The Rideau Canal pathways and the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway pathway are part of the NCC Capital Pathway network and are paved and maintained year-round (snow-cleared in winter on the parkway segments).
Confederation Boulevard is the urban ceremonial route — sidewalks, plazas, and the federal heritage precinct between Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market, the National Gallery, and the Canadian Museum of History across the river. Distances run long on this network: it is plausible to walk Confederation Park to Hartwells Locks to Hog's Back in a single afternoon along the canal corridor without leaving the NCC pathway.
The Rideau Canal locks themselves (Ottawa Locks at Wellington, Hartwells Locks, Hog's Back) are Parks Canada–managed UNESCO World Heritage Site infrastructure visible from the path.
2. places.
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Rideau Canal pathways
Multi-use NCC pathways alongside the Parks Canada–managed Rideau Canal in the urban core — Confederation Park to Hartwells Locks and Hog's Back.
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Confederation Boulevard
Federal ceremonial route through the heritage precinct, past Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market, and the major museums.
Today's read.
Cool but comfortable for layered effort · light winds · clean air.