The North and South Loops at Marble Rock Conservation Area- A 7.1 or 10.6 km Hike in Gananoque, ON

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We haven’t spent too much time in the Ganonoque area. But we decided to change that by hiking at the Marble Rock Conservation Area at the first sign of good weather this year. Unbeknownst to us, the trails at Marble Rock are actually part of a Blue Loop on the Rideau Trail network. Anytime something is designated a Blue Loop by the Rideau Trail, it’s bound to be a good hike. Their trail planning, marking, and maintenance tends to be exceptional.

Gananoque is just under two hours away from Ottawa. It can be a great day trip, or a cool road trip for the weekend.

The trails at the Marble Rock Conservation Area also provide options, because there are two connected loops that can be hiked. You can choose to only hike the first loop, if you are looking for a shorter hike.

Before we left, we looked all over the internet to try and figure out if dogs were allowed, and couldn’t find anything anywhere! We rolled the dice and brought our dog along because we were stopping on our way to a family party, and so needed to bring her with us anyway. We had a back up plan in mind, but when we got there, we didn’t see any signs at all saying dogs weren’t allowed, so we figured we were in the clear.

During our internet search, we also weren’t able to find any info on whether these trails were open all year. Again, there were no signs when we arrived indicating that the trails were only open for part of the year, so I have to assume that they can be accessed all year- and that dogs are allowed all year long too!

Getting There

Originally, we were relying on Google Maps to get us to Marble Rock Conservation Area. It turned out that was kind of a bad idea. Instead of directing us right there, it took us past the Conservation Area to Ganonoque Lake. That little detour added about 10 kilometres onto our trip. Instead, I’d recommend you use these coordinates to get there: 44.393217, -76.154164.

The roads approaching the Marble Rock Conservation Area changed from paved to dirt roads as we got closer. They were still in good shape though. They were fairly wide and didn’t have many (if any) potholes. There were also a lot of houses around. I have to assume these roads would be plowed in the winter.

The Conservation Area is marked by a small sign at the side of the road, in front of an unassuming parking lot. There was space for about fifteen or twenty cars in the lot, although there was absolutely no one there when we arrived.

In terms of facilities, there is absolutely nothing available at the parking lot. It’s only about ten minutes from “downtown” Gananoque though. If you need to stop for a break or some snacks before your hike, it’s best to do that when you first get off the highway.

The Route

The trailhead for the North and South Loops was right beside the parking lot, close to the road. It was marked with a map of the route.

We set off, walking alongside the road for the first 100 metres or so. Then, we turned to our left to head into the forest. We started gaining elevation almost immediately, but the hills weren’t too brutal.

We had only hiked 0.5 kilometres when we came across a sign telling us to turn left for a lookout. This first one is called the Leaning Rock Lookout. Obviously, we weren’t going to pass that up.

Soon, we found ourselves on what was absolutely my favorite part of the whole trail. We had to scramble over and between huge rocks in order to get to the small hill leading up to the lookouts, and I loved it. When we had hiked to the top of the hill, we were pleasantly surprised to see that there were actually two lookouts- one to our left, and one to our right.

They were both a bit underwhelming, but might have been nicer in the summer and fall months. Regardless, just getting there was fun!

The Most Difficult Section of the Trail

The first real split in the trail came just under the 1 kilometre mark. We had brought along our map of the route from the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network (they make great maps) and knew that the eastern side of the first loop was the most difficult part of the whole trail. We decided to start there, so that we wouldn’t have to finish there, and turned right.

The elevation gain continued along this section of the trail. But it was really the terrain that I would describe as being difficult, if anything. For most of the eastern side of this loop, the terrain was pretty rocky. For me, that means I move pretty slow. I want to be really careful about where I’m placing my feet so that I don’t hurt myself. Others might find this type of terrain really easy, I’m not sure.

Just before we got to the lake, the trail became much wider and flatter (almost like a dirt road). I can’t actually find a name for this lake anywhere. The wind that came off the lake was pretty chilly, and despite what a beautiful day it was, we were glad we had our fleece sweaters on. We had been hiking for 2.7 kilometres at this point.

Water Water Everywhere

The lake drained through a man-made dam, making a small creek that we soon had to cross over. The creek wasn’t very wide, and we were all able to jump across quite easily. Okay, I didn’t actually jump across it EASILY- I’m a bit of a chicken when it comes to these things.

We had already run into some very wet spots on the trail, given the time of year. Our boots were already wet (on the outside, thanks Keen!), because we do our best to follow Leave No Trace principles. For us, that means if we’ve decided to go hiking during mud season, we’re still going to stick with the middle of the trail. We slog through whatever water or mud there is to avoid trampling new growth on the edge of the trail.

Crossing the creek later in the season would probably be even easier.

More Lookouts!

About 200 metres past the lake, we came to another sign indicating that there was a lookout off of the trail. This one is called the South Loop Lookout. Of course, we headed off the trail to see it. We only had to hike a couple hundred metres, and then we were on top of an open rock face. We followed this for a bit (past the first hump), and snapped a few pictures but didn’t get the best views we could have. There was a nice couple that had arrived just after us (but set out on the trail earlier) and they were enjoying the view. We decided not to intrude, and headed back the way we had come.

Not too long after, when we had hiked a total of 4 kilometres, we came to the split that would take us to the second loop.

We hadn’t been 100% sure when we started out that we would complete both loops, but once we had reached that point, we decided to go for it.

The North Loop

The South Loop is connected to the North Loop by a connecting trail. It was only 300 metres long, but fairly rocky.

We decided to put our dog in the pack before setting out on the connecting trail. Our dog LOVES hiking, and she’ll go until she has nothing left to give. Since she’s getting older, we’re not as comfortable with her doing that. We’ve been practicing with the pack at home so she’s used to it, but this was the first time she really took a long ride in it. Let me tell you, she loved it.

When we reached the split in the trail that formed the North Loop, we decided to stick with what we had been doing, and turned right to complete the eastern side first.

Almost immediately, it was easy to tell that this loop was traveled less often. The trail was grown in more, and there were more tress down and debris across the trail.

It was still well traveled enough that it was easy to follow the footpath though. And of course, the Rideau Trail Association didn’t let us down with their trail marking, even in this section.

We passed right by the shoreline of another lovely lake with no name after hiking about 4.6 kilometres. There were some signs here with information about the lake (turns out it’s actually a beaver pond), and the views were really nice.

Back Towards the South Loop

The elevation stayed fairly steady for the length of the North Loop. And, the terrain on this loop was a little less rocky than what we had been hiking before. We could see why this part of the trail was rated as being a bit easier than the last.

There was a lot of that scrubby, scratchy, evergreen bush that I hate on this trail. I’m not sure what it’s called, but I know I was glad to be wearing pants so it couldn’t scratch me up as we hiked along.

We had hiked 7 kilometres in total when we arrived back at the trail that connects the two loops.

When we arrived back at the South Loop, we turned to our right to finish the loop. The trail through this section was quite wet as well, with a few tiny stream crossings. I don’t think these streams will exist later in the season, but I could be wrong.

Getting Back

We started to lose elevation around the 7.8 kilometre mark. After hiking a little more than 9 kilometres, we came across some cool old ruins. We honestly couldn’t figure out what this building would have been- the foundation was huge!

There was a humongous tree down on the last section of the trail that completely covered the trail. It looked like it had come down recently, and we very carefully made our way around (through) this obstacle.

We arrived back at the original split in the trail that forms the South Loop after we had hiked 10 kilometres. Taking the beginning of the trail back to the parking lot, we were happy to see some familiar trail. This had been our first long hike of the spring, and carrying an extra thirty pounds for half of it (thanks dog) had us feeling pretty tired.

All in all, hiking the two loops together had us hiking for 10.6 kilometres in total. We were out for four and a half hours, but we spent a LOT of time taking pictures, getting the dog in and out of the pack, and stopping for lunch.

Alternate Routes

Based on the appearance of the two loops, it was really easy to tell that the South Loop is travelled much more often than the North.

Completing the South Loop on its own would still make for a great hike. Most of the elevation gain and loss happens on this first loop. Had we only done the South Loop, our hike would have been roughly 7.1 kilometres in total, which is still a good distance.

I hope this trip report has enough info to get you there too. Let me know in the comments, or share and tag a friend to start planning your next adventure!

Map and Elevation Gain

Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.

Gear We Brought

• Hiking Boots
• Long Pants
• Tank Tops
• Fleece Sweaters
• Spring Jackets
• Buff Merino Wool Headbands
• Daypack
• Hydration Pack
• Hiking Poles
• 2 x 1 Litre Water Bottles
• Nalgene 32 Ounce Bottle
• Map
• Compass
• Cell Phones
• Olympus TG-4 Waterproof Digital Camera
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Bug Lotion
• Head Lamps
• First Aid Kit (with tick removal tool)
• Lunch
• Extra Calorie Dense Snacks
• Toilet Paper
• Plastic Bag for Garbage
• Dog Food and Treats
• Collapsible Dog Bowl (for water)­
• Harness
• Leash
• Dog Waste Bags