Some of my favorite hikes have BECOME my favorites because of the stunning views that they offer! In most cases, hiking to a great view requires some serious elevation gain, and Ottawa doesn’t have a ton of that… BUT there are still a bunch of cool hikes within a few hours of Ottawa that offer some unreal views.
And here they are!
The Skyline Trail
Length of Trail: 5.6 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 21 minutes North
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: The Skyline Trail- A 5.6 Km. Hike in Gatineau Park | Adventure Report
Wolf Trail
Length of Trail: 8.4 km
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance from Ottawa: 30 minutes North
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: Wolf Trail- An 8.4 km Hike in Gatineau Park | Adventure Report
The Luskville Falls Trail
Length of Trail: 4.6 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 35 minutes North
Dog Friendly: No
Full Trail Report: The Luskville Falls Trail- A 4.6 km Hike in Gatineau Park | Adventure Report
Chutes de Denholm
Length of Trail: 5 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 50 Minutes North
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: The Parc des Chutes de Denholm- A 5 Km. Hike in Outaouais | Adventure Report
The Champlain Trail
Length of Trail: 1.1 km
Difficulty: Easy
Distance from Ottawa: 52 Minutes North
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: The Champlain Trail- A 1.1 km Hike in Gatineau Park | Adventure Report
King Mountain
Length of Trail: 2 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 55 minutes North
Dog Friendly: No
Full Trail Report: The King Mountain Trail- A 1.9 Km. Hike in Gatineau Park | Adventure Report
Montagnes Noires de Ripon
Length of Trail: 3.4 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 1 Hour East
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: Trail #7 at Black Mountains Park- A 3.4 Km. Hike in Ripon, QC | Adventure Report
Parc Régional de la Forêt Bowman
Length of Trail: 4 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 1 hour North
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: Parc Régional de la Forêt Bowman, a 4 km Hike | Adventure Report
Eagles Nest Lookout
Length of Trail: 2 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes West
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: Manitou Mountain- A 9 Km. Hike in Calabogie | Adventure Report
Lost Valley Loop
Length of Trail: 4.7 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes West
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: The Lost Valley Loop, a 5 km Hike in Calabogie | Adventure Report
Foley Mountain Conservation Area
Length of Trail: 5 km (but you could make it longer)
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 1 Hour and 15 Minutes Southwest
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: The Foley Mountain Conservation Area- A 5 km Hike (That Could be Longer!) | Adventure Report
Wabun Lake
Length of Trail: 4 or 17 km, depending on your route.
Difficulty: Moderate to difficult, again depending on your route!
Distance from Ottawa: 1 hour and 20 minutes West
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: Wabun Lake- A 4 (or 17!) km Hike in Calabogie | Adventure Report
Blueberry Mountain
Length of Trail: 5 km
Difficulty: Easy
Distance from Ottawa: 1 hour and 20 minutes West
Dog Friendly: Yes (but keep them on leash especially in the parking lot as there are chickens roaming free)
Full Trail Report: The Blueberry Mountain Trail- A 5 km Hike in Lanark County, ON | Adventure Report
Dacre Heights
Length of Trail: 4.7 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 1 Hour and 20 Minutes West
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: Dacre Heights- A 4.7 km Hike West of Ottawa | Adventure Report
Mont Morisette
Length of Trail: 7.6 km (with shorter options available)
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 1.5 hours North
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: Mont Morissette- A 7.6 km Hike in Outaouais | Adventure Report
The Katimavik Trail
Length of Trail: 7.4 km
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance from Ottawa: 1.5 Hours North
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: The Merisiers, Sommet, and Katimavik Trails- A 7.4 km Hike at Parc Regional du Poisson Blanc | Adventure Report
The Desjardins Trail
Length of Trail: 10.4 km
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance from Ottawa: 1.5 Hours North
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: The Desjardins Trail, a 10.35 km Hike in Parc Régional du Poisson Blanc | Adventure Report
Blue Mountain
Length of Trail: 10 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 1.5 Hours Southwest
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: Blue Mountain- A 10 km Hike near Charleston Lake Provincial Park | Adventure Report
Griffith Uplands Trail
Length of Trail: 9 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 1.5 Hours West
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: The Griffith Uplands Trail- A 9 km Hike in Griffith, ON | Adventure Report
Rock Dunder
Length of Trail: 4 to 6 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 1.5 Hours West
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: The Hiking Trails at Rock Dunder- A 4 to 6 km Hike in Lyndhurst | Adventure Report
Oiseau Rock
Length of Trail: 10 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Ottawa: 2.5 Hours Northwest
Dog Friendly: Yes
Full Trail Report: The Oiseau Rock Hiking Trail, a 10 km Hike in Sheenboro, QC | Adventure Report
Great Article!
Amazing list! Could definitely use a few words of highlights (or a brief summary) for each thing in the list, though.