INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT RIDEAU CANAL

The Rideau Canal is a chain of beautiful lakes, rivers and canals winding 202km from Kingston, at the head of Lake Ontario, to Ottawa, Canada's capital city.

One of Canada's historic canals, the Rideau is maintained and operated by Parks Canada to preserve and present the canal's natural and historic features, as well as to provide a navigable channel for boaters.

Snaking and making its way gracefully through Ottawa’s charming downtown core, “the canal” as it’s known locally, is the heart beat of Canada’s Capital in any season.

In the warmer months, the canal is a haven for walkers, runners, in-line skaters and cyclists, who stroll along its scenic, rolling green banks.

It is also a beautiful, flowing waterway connecting Kingston, Ontario, to Ottawa, which is used regularly by boaters and paddlers alike.

Whether it is tourists out on a scenic walk or a guided boat cruise, or a local resident out for a morning run, the canal is always buzzing with activity on a bright sunny day.

Built between 1826 and 1832 by Colonel John By of the British Royal Engineers, the stone-walled canal received a Unesco World Heritage Site designation in 2007 and is the only such site in the entire province of Ontario!

The canal –with its 45 locks located in various Ontario communities, was originally built for a military purpose to establish a secure supply and communications route between Montreal, Québec, and Kingston.