Walk through Shaw Woods
Head back to nature and enjoy fresh air at this preserve
Where did you go?
Shaw Woods, a drop-dead gorgeous nature preserve less than 90 minutes west of downtown Ottawa near Cobden. Stretching over 200 hectares and managed by the Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre, it has a 7.5-kilometre network of self-guided walking trails (more about to open) that meander through woods and wetlands, over boardwalks, beside water, and up to a lookout.
What’s there?
A protected old-growth forest, for starters. It’s part of what’s called the West Side area where a 1.6-kilometre trail leads through towering hemlock, beech and maple trees, some 200 years old or more.
Walking among these trees is exciting, calming, humbling; they are not the Ents from Lord of the Rings, but they do seem like something at once foreign and related to us.
Also notable are the Canadian yew rising only a foot or two above the forest floor. With their deep green needles, these shrubs spread at a snail’s pace. “I bet some of these are 200 years old,” said Grant Dobson, an endlessly enthusiastic director with the outdoor education centre who accompanied us.
There are other trails on the West Side including a short, newly established botanical trail. It boasts bloodroot, wild ginger and other plants and trees representing what you’d find were you to walk the entire Shaw Woods. The trail includes a “boulder garden,” a scattering of hulking stone (“glacial erratics”) left by retreating glaciers millennia ago.
Is there another part of the Shaw Woods?
The “East Side” is quite different. We took Johnny’s Lookout Trail named for a descendant of the Shaw family that settled the land in the 19th century. The trail, 1.4 kilometres long and one of two on this side, starts at the dam separating Shaw Pond from Snake River. At that dam are a couple of old grist stones from a now-vanished mill that was built nearby.
The trail runs beside the river before climbing past a mix of old-growth pine and younger trees to the lookout.
That lookout perches high above Shaw Pond along the Dore Scarp, an escarpment named for nearby Lake Dore and dating back about 500 million years. Clearly visible from the lookout is an enormous bald eagles’ nest on the other side of the pond. We got lucky and saw two young eagles and a parent. Proud and masterful, the birds, like those old hardwood trees, remind you that you may not be the centre of the universe.
Down from the lookout, you’ll find a pond-side bench to drink in the quiet and watch for ducks and other denizens of the lily pad-coated water.
Has the site been left in its natural state?
Aside from the trails which are kept clear and the unobtrusive plaques, the area is untouched. If a tree falls, it’s left to rot, providing shelter to small animals and nutrients to the forest floor.
The forest is rich in oxygen and there’s a warm smell of decomposing leaves and other vegetable matter.
There are also several “cavity trees.” Their mammoth trunks provide food and shelter to everything from pileat- ed, hairy and downy woodpeckers to porcupines and deer mice.
What other flora and fauna are there?
Fungi including a profusion of mushrooms, some large and colourful, dot the woods. There are harmless milk and other snakes, spring peepers, and songbirds. Lynx have been seen. The day we stopped by, a couple of millipedes were making their unhurried way up a beech tree.
How do you know what you’re looking at?
You can download detailed visitor guides from the website (shawwoods.ca) or pick up printed versions at the parking lot. There are also simple plaques along the trails identifying trees and plants. Some plaques have QR codes with more information.
How challenging are the trails and what should I wear?
They are rated easy to moderate, although some are narrower and more rock-strewn than others. Wear comfortable walking shoes with a good tread and weather-appropriate clothing including a hat. Depending on when you visit, bring bug repellent.
What if I get hungry of Mother Nature calls?
Bring a light snack if you are planning to cover only one or two trails. If it’s an allday affair — Dobson says you need five or six hours to hike the entire area — pack a picnic lunch and plan to eat at the lookout. A log gazebo and long picnic table are planned for the West Side this fall. There are a couple of portapotties in the parking area.
What’s the background on the woods?
They are named for the Shaw family who originally took possession of the land when John Shaw, a Scottish miller, his wife Barbara Thompson and their young son travelled there by canoe from Bytown in 1847.
For centuries before that, the Snake River running through the property was travelled by the Algonquin people. Paddlers still journey along it in the spring albeit with several portages.
Is there an admission fee and when is the site open?
Entry to Shaw Woods is free, but there are donation boxes beside the printed visitors’ guides to help defray printing costs. The woods are open year-round, with snowshoeing in the winter.
Are there any special events coming up?
On Oct. 6, when the woods should be aflame with fall colours, the centre will host guided public tours from 1 to 4 p.m.
The hikes will be geared to fitness skills and special interests like photography and include a tour for families with young children.
Preregistration is required by following the link at shawwoods.ca. Cost is $10 per person (children 12 and under are free) with all funds going to construction of a covered shelter for the student program run by the not-for-profit centre.
Anything else I should know?
Stay on the paths to protect the fragile ecosystem. Dogs are permitted on leashes.
Other seasonal activities in the area include white water rafting, a municipal beach at nearby Lake Dore, and the Bonnechere Caves.
How do I get to Shaw Woods?
From Ottawa, take Highway 17 west to Cobden. Turn left at Main Street (which becomes Eganville Road/County Road 8) and continue for 12.3 kilometres to a stop sign. Turn right onto Bulger Road and watch for the parking lot at 2065 Bulger Rd.