huckepack

Rideau Trail

Length

Stated
About 325 km, the stated length (Rideau Trail Association)
Map line
324.1 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track
Used for
The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search

about325km

Ascent · descent

This trail
Estimated from the terrain model (≈): no source states them
How
Every main stage's climbs and drops between samples 100 m apart
Keep in mind
In forests the model reads the treetops, so it reads high there

estimated: 4,020m ↑4,060m ↓

Difficulty

What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
  • Terrain: ModeratePath grade: ≈ T2
  • Climate: Moderate in May–OctHeat: 26 °C by day (July)
  • Effort: DemandingLongest day: ≈ 7 h 15 (stage 4)

All measures

Terrain: Moderate; Climate: Moderate in May–Oct; Effort: Demanding
Suggested
9–16days

Per stage

How
The 19 main stages' totals over their number
Source
Rideau Trail Association, so the averages come from one source
Ascent
The terrain model's estimate per stage (≈): the stages state no climbs

17.1km· about 210 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Source
ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
  • Forest: 68%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 17%
  • Farmland and villages: 14%
  • Water, snow and ice: 1%
  • Bare rock and sand: 0%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons by Idawriter, isol, Doktor Ellis, Ross Dunn - Thanks for 13 million + views, Ross Dunn, Yooylee 30 and Dennis G. Jarvis; each photo's licence in the gallery

Location

Country
Canada
Regions
Ontario
Start
Kingston City Hall
Finish
Ottawa Locks
Route type
Point to point
Travel hubs
  • Kingston station (VIA Rail)8 km by road · 12 min
  • Ottawa station (VIA Rail)199 km by road · 143 min
  • Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW)184.2 km by road · 139 min
Protected areas
Frontenac Provincial Park; Murphys Point Provincial Park
Managed by
Rideau Trail Association
Waymarking
Orange triangles mark the way north to Ottawa, orange triangles with a yellow tip the way south to Kingston; side trails and connectors carry blue triangles.
GPX
Official GPX trackOffered by the Rideau Trail Association
  • Trail
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
How
Rated over the whole main route.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Path grade
the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6
Climbing
ascent of the main stages over their length
  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches
share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more
Natural ground
share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Moderate

  • SAC hiking scale

    This trail
    T2 (our estimate)
    Basis
    The association: "there are many portions of the trail that have some steep elevation changes", the most challenging parts in the southern half from Kingston to Perth. Footpaths over the Canadian Shield's rocky ridges through forest, alternating with rail trails, farm tracks and roads; short steep climbs on uneven ground, no exposed passages: mountain hiking on a marked trail (T2).
    Scale
    The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
    Why
    Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
    Keep in mind
    An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
    T1 · Hiking
    Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    T2 · Mountain hiking
    A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
    The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    T4 · Alpine hiking
    Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
    Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
    Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club

    estimated T2
  • Climbingestimated 12 m per km
  • Steep stretches0 % of the way
  • Natural ground40 %

Climate

Rates
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
How
From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Heat
mean daily high at the lowest point
  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more
Cold
mean nightly low at the highest point
  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days
days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more
Snow
days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more
Wind
mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Moderate in May–Oct

  • Heat · July26 °C by day
  • Cold · October6 °C at night
  • Wet days · July12 days
  • Snow · October0 days
  • Wind · October17 km/h

Effort

Rates
How long are the days?
How
Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Longest day
walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Demanding

  • Longest day · stage 4estimated 7 h 15

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
−4 to 26°C
Nights in season · highest point
−12 to 17°C
Wet days a month
9–12
Daylight
8.8–15.6h
SeasonDay high and night low−20 °C−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °CWet days, at the highest point51015Daylight9.1 h10.3 h11.8 h13.4 h14.8 h15.6 h15.3 h14.1 h12.5 h10.9 h9.5 h8.8 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January-4.4 / -13.3-3.9 / -12.110.37.629.99.1
February-2.6 / -12.3-2.6 / -11.58.85.827.610.3
March3.1 / -6.52.9 / -6.210.45.32711.8
April11 / 0.910.5 / 0.811.12.212.713.4
May18.9 / 8.218.1 / 7.91100.414.8
June23.7 / 13.922.8 / 13.711.70015.6
July26 / 16.825.4 / 16.811.70015.3
August24.9 / 16.424.4 / 16.310.60014.1
September21 / 12.620.5 / 12.69.10012.5
October13.4 / 6.313 / 6.412.10.21.310.9
November5.8 / -0.45.7 / -0.210.32.815.69.5
December-0.7 / -7.3-0.4 / -6.711.66.927.78.8

Climate by month

Source
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places
The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars
From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days
At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight
Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading
The trail's season

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevation
1Kingston City Hall McIvor Road18.1 km210 m ↑180 m ↓80 → 110 m
2McIvor Road Orser Road13.2 km130 m ↑100 m ↓110 → 140 m
3Orser Road Freeman Road16.7 km190 m ↑160 m ↓140 → 170 m
4Freeman Road West Slide Junction23.5 km490 m ↑500 m ↓170 → 160 m
5West Slide Junction Skycroft Access23.7 km470 m ↑480 m ↓160 → 150 m
6Skycroft Access McAndrews Road16.6 km310 m ↑300 m ↓160 → 160 m
7McAndrews Road North Shore Road19.6 km370 m ↑350 m ↓160 → 180 m
8North Shore Road Black Ance Point Road20.8 km230 m ↑260 m ↓170 → 140 m
9Black Ance Point Road McLaren Point15.8 km180 m ↑170 m ↓140 → 160 m
10McLaren Point Rathwell Road18.0 km140 m ↑160 m ↓150 → 140 m
11Rathwell Road Poonamalie Side Road17.2 km120 m ↑130 m ↓140 → 130 m
12Poonamalie Side Road Wood Road16.0 km110 m ↑120 m ↓130 → 120 m
13Wood Road Grenville Street (Burritts Rapids)23.3 km240 m ↑280 m ↓130 → 90 m
14Grenville Street (Burritts Rapids) Rogers Pond13.8 km170 m ↑140 m ↓90 → 120 m
15Rogers Pond Jock Trail14.8 km130 m ↑140 m ↓120 → 110 m
16Jock Trail Shea & Garvin13.3 km130 m ↑140 m ↓100 → 100 m
17Shea & Garvin Richmond Road10.2 km60 m ↑40 m ↓100 → 120 m
18Richmond Road Carling Avenue16.7 km210 m ↑260 m ↓120 → 70 m
19Carling Avenue Ottawa Locks14.2 km130 m ↑150 m ↓70 → 50 m

Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: ascent and descent and heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
209m high40m low

Gradient

Steepest climb
9 % (5°), 46 m up over 500 m, stage 7
Steepest descent
−8 % (5°), 42 m down over 500 m, stage 7
Gradient
Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
Keep in mind
Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

9% ↑−8% ↓

Steep stretches

This trail
0 km up, 0 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
Steep
15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
Why it matters
Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill

0km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 40%, 129.5 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 36%, 114.1 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 24%, 78.2 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.

40% natural36% gravel24% paved
0 m200 m209 m123Stage 4Stage 56789101112131415161718190 km322 km

Terrain along the route

Heights
Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
Colours
Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground
The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 38% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)

Landscape

Forest68%Grassland and shrubs17%Bare rock and sand0%Water, snow and ice1%Farmland and villages14%123456789101112131415161718190 km322 km

Landscape along the route

Source
ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points
Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups
Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind
What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping is restricted. Much of the trail lies on private land open for hiking only: camp only at designated campsites and obtain permits where required (the provincial parks, Foley Mountain Conservation Area, Parks Canada's Rideau Canal lockstations, campgrounds); fires only in campsite fireplaces.

65.7 km without a bedCamping12Huts0Hostels3Rooms20123456789101112131415161718190 km322 km

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks
One per place to sleep: 12 campsites, 0 huts, 3 hostels, 20 guest houses
Counted
Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
Shaded
The longest stretch without any, km 234.4–300.1
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water

This trail
72.8 km without clean water, km 234.4–307.2, stages 13–18
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Within 500 m: 36 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 10 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
Refills
Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
Source
OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route

72.8kmScarce

Any water

This trail
72.8 km without any water, km 234.4–307.2
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Clean water, plus the 0 springs within 500 m
Keep in mind
Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer

72.8kmScarce

Shops

This trail
52.7 km without a shop, km 42.8–95.5
Counted
205 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Keep in mind
Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one

52.7km
Water · 72.8 km withoutPublic drinking water · 244.2 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 322 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 87.6 km withoutShops · 52.7 km withoutSupermarkets · 85.3 km withoutConvenience and general stores · 53 km without1234Stage 56789101112131415161718190 km322 km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks
One per place along the main route
Counted
Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
Shaded
Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Wildlife

Shows
Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level
Ours, read from the official source
High
A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate
It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low
The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do
From the official source: Ottawa Public Health
Pictures
Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Blacklegged tick Moderate

Blacklegged tick

Moderate danger

Ottawa Public Health says Lyme disease is present in the Ottawa area and across Eastern Ontario, and that blacklegged ticks are most often found in tall grasses and bushy, wooded and forested areas, the trail's ground.

If you meet one

  • Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, shoes, and socks to cover exposed skin
  • Tuck your pants into your socks
  • Wear light-coloured clothing to spot ticks more easily
  • If possible, stay on the trails when hiking in the woods and other natural areas
  • Do a "full body" check on yourself, your children, and pets for ticks
  • Grasp the tick's head as close to the skin as possible and pull slowly until the tick is removed

Don't

  • Do not twist or rotate the tick
  • Do not use a match, lotion or anything else on the tick

Advice: Ottawa Public Health. Level: ours. Silhouette: Guillaume Dera (Ixodes ricinus), PhyloPic, public domain.