The Oiseau Rock Hiking Trail offers STUNNING views from high above the Ottawa River. The hike itself brings you to the top of a cliff some 150 metres above the river. But it isn’t too challenging (despite being about 10 km roundtrip).
Honestly, the hardest part about the hike is GETTING there. But we’ll talk about that later!
Dogs are allowed on this trail and there is an outhouse at the trailhead.
The Oiseau Rock Hiking Trail, like much of Ottawa, is on unceded Algonquin territory. But this site is also considered especially sacred, and so should be treated with the utmost respect while you’re there.
Check out that view!
Quick Facts
Length: 10 km
Difficulty: Moderate (On a scale of easy-moderate-hard).
Trailhead Coordinates: 46.040761, -77.277080
Washroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Cell Reception: None (until you get to the lookout)
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Cost: $6 per person
Getting There
Okay, lets talk about getting there. The Oiseau Rock Trail feels a lot like it’s in the middle of nowhere. It takes just over 2 hours to get there from Ottawa. You can use these coordinates to get there: 46.040761, -77.277080.
Cell phone reception begins to disappear as you get close.
The Oiseau Rock Hiking Trail is located inside the ZEC St-Patrice. “ZECs” are still a bit of a mystery to me, but from what I gather they are essentially conservation areas that exist throughout Quebec. At the ZEC St-Patrice you’re allowed to camp, and some people choose to do this ahead of the hike (although there aren’t established campsites, it’s more like what we would call Crown Land camping over here on the Ontario side). Camping on/near the trail is NOT allowed.
On the way there, we stopped in at the office to register and pay. For two adults, it cost us $12. They accepted debit and credit, but we had cash so that’s what we used to pay.
Map of the Oiseau Rock Trail.
REALLY Getting There
Even before the office, the road had changed from a paved road, to a gravel road, to a rough and tumble logging road. There were big rocks, and massive dips in the road where water had washed away parts of the road.
Then, to get to the trailhead, we had to leave the relative comfort of the logging road and get on to a little one lane track that was in even worse condition. The ruts in the road were so deep, and some of the hills we encountered were so steep, that you absolutely need either an SUV or a truck to get past that road. We saw quite a few cars that had pulled over with the drivers electing to walk the rest of the way in because they knew they wouldn’t make it. This road was 2 km long, so if you decided to ditch your car at the very beginning you would be adding 4 km to the hike, all in.
The Trailhead
Once we actually got to the trailhead, things got easier! The parking lot was small, with space for about 15 cars. There was a small outhouse set off to the side.
The trailhead itself was very easy to find, as there was a huge sign posted, as well as a map.
We headed into the forest to begin our hike. There were no trail markers along the way, but the trail was incredibly well worn and well maintained. There were no confusing offshoots, so it would be pretty hard to actually lose the trail. Eventually, we noticed signs posted at each km, and there were also signs pointing in the directions of the lookouts. This was the extent of the trail marking, but it was enough!
The terrain was a bit technical, with rocks and roots poking up from the forest floor, demanding that we pay attention to our feet. And there were a few small hills here and there, but overall the hiking was pretty easy.
I had prepared myself mentally for a much tougher hike, but I was pleasantly surprised!
Lookouts
After hiking just about 2 km, we came to a trail split, with a sign letting us know there was a lookout off to our left. Happily, we hiked the 50 metres to check it out. While the view wasn’t wide open, it was still beautiful. And since the detour was so short, it was worth it!
After coming back, it was just another half kilometre until we reached a second trail split for a second look out. This lookout was much grander than the first! Here, the treeline opened up and we got a stunning view of the river below. A gorgeous breeze was blowing in, making this spot perfect for a break on a hot day.
The lookout was only 250 metres from the trail, and there was actually a loop that brought us back to the main trail, a little further along than we had been when we left it.
The first lookout- small but mighty!
The Summit Lake!
Back on the main trail, we turned to our left. When we had hiked just under 4 km we began to spot a small lake through the trees. Soon, the trail brought us right along the shoreline and we came upon a large tree on top of a rocky outcropping over the water. A big rope had been tied to the tree and was obviously designed to be used to swing into the water.
For those who are a little less brave (like me!), a few more metres brought us to the end of the lake where the shoreline was much more accessible. When we were there were actually a couple of small kids splashing about. A picnic table was set up at this end of the lake, making it the perfect spot to spend part of your day.
How gorgeous is this little lake near the summit? The perfect spot for a swim!
A Third Lookout
A sign here pointed us in the direction of the final lookout, just 100 metres away. There was a warning that the lookout (just like the last) was at the edge of a tall cliff and caution should be taken. I would not let small children run ahead on this section of trail!
When we arrived at the lookout, we were treated to another spectacular view. We ate lunch there, watching the speedboats cut across the river below us.
To reach this lookout, we had hiked roughly 5 km.
The group that we met along the way told us that below, there was a small beach that a lot of people boated to and walked up to the lookout. After our drive that sounded like a much easier way to get there!
The final (and best?) lookout.
Trail Thoughts
After taking in the view for some time, we headed back the way we had come. By the time we arrived at the trailhead we had hiked a total of 10 km. We covered that distance in 3 hours, but that included a LOT of picture taking at the lookouts.
Overall, I was surprised by how easy this hike was. There were a few small hills here and there, but nothing that was overly demanding. With so many great views and a full-on lake to swim in at the summit, this trail felt well worth the drive! I only wish we would have had more time to stay, eat, and swim.
One more lookout picture!
Map and Elevation Gain
Our GPS tracked route of the Oiseau Rock hiking trail.
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.
Elevation gain along the trail.
I hiked this trail the weekend after you did, and likewise found it well worth the drive. Some 20 somethings were using the rope swing, which looked like a lot of fun. One other thing I appreciated was that all the signage was in French, English and Algonquin, which helped emphasize the importance of the location to indigenous peoples.