There’s nothing my daughter loves more than seeing little critters when we’re out on our hikes. And I’ve got to admit it, I love it too. Here in Ottawa we have a ton of trails in the Greenbelt where you’re basically guaranteed to spot a ton of birds, as well as chipmunks and squirrels- making a hike just that much more fun!
It’s always best practice not to feed wild animals. Being fed by humans makes them less afraid of humans, which actually puts them at greater risk- for example, they may become dependent on humans for food and forget how to find it on their own. Or they may become more aggressive towards people.
Have I been guilty of feeding the chickadees at these different spots? Absolutely. As my daughter gets older though, I’ll be making a point of teaching her how to enjoy wildlife from a safe distance.
We have a little ways to go, as just the other day she chased a flock of wild turkeys down our street… But I’m sure we’ll get there one day!
Below are hikes in Ottawa where you’re absolutely guaranteed to see a whole bunch of birds, chipmunks, or squirrels- and maybe some bonus critters too!
The Mer Bleue Boardwalk
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.395130, -75.513425
Length of Trail: 1.5 km
Difficulty: Easy (on a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Dogs Allowed? No
Where are the critters? Chipmunks, squirrels, and birds tend to congregate near the trailhead and the picnic area. We’ve also been lucky enough to see mice beside the boardwalk, and turtles in the water!
The Mer Bleue Boardwalk Trail.
Mud Lake
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.373119, -75.797927
Length of Trail: 3.5 km
Difficulty: Easy (on a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Dogs Allowed? No
Where are the critters? All over the place! There’s a family of ducks that live near the trailhead, and according to the NCC, 269 species of birds that live there. Frogs and turtles can also be spotted in the lake although we’ve mostly visited in winter and not had the pleasure. Recently, a group of 3 wild turkeys had to be removed from the area as they had become habituated to humans after being fed and had become aggressive. Please do not feed the animals here.
The family of ducks at Mud Lake!
Pine Grove
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.354673, -75.592684
Length of Trail: 5.6 km total
Difficulty: Easy (on a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Dogs Allowed? Yes
Where are the critters? Starting from the parking lot, head south on Trail 44. A feeder a few hundred metres from the parking lot attracts a whole host of little critters.
Chickadee sighting!
And finally… You’re basically guaranteed to see some cool creatures if you visit any of the trails in the Stony Swamp sector of the Greenbelt!
Sarsaparilla Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.303497, -75.831955
Length of Trail: 0.8 km
Difficulty: Easy (on a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Dogs Allowed? No
Where are the critters? The trail is so short that you’re likely to spot birds, squirrels, etc. along the way. There’s also a great lookout over the beaver pond that has gotten us close to ducks and geese before… But never any beavers!
A friendly goose at the Sarsaparilla lookout.
Beaver and Chipmunk Trails
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.299949, -75.820905
Length of Trail: 1.8 km
Difficulty: Easy (on a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Dogs Allowed? No
Where are the critters? We started spotting chickadees and little red squirrels right at the trailhead! Once, I also had to wait to start our hike because their was a family of turkeys that I was too scared to annoy.
A red squirrel out of place on the Beaver and Chipmunk trails.
The Jack Pine Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.293052, -75.816387
Length of Trail: 2.25 km
Difficulty: Easy (on a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Dogs Allowed? No
Where are the critters? Literally everywhere.
There are lots of little cuties on the Jack Pine Trail!
The Lime Kiln Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.287235, -75.813287
Length of Trail: 4 km
Difficulty: Easy (on a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Dogs Allowed? No
Where are the critters? You can spot birds, squirrels and chipmunks starting right from the trailhead. They get fewer and further between as you hike past the ruins!
I don’t actually have any pictures of critters from the Lime Kiln Trail… So here’s the old kiln instead!
I hope you come across some cute little creatures on your hikes this fall… Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram at @adventurereport so we can see!
