The Rideau Canal, a monumental early 19th-century construction covering 202 km of the Rideau and Cataraqui rivers from Ottawa south to Kingston Harbour on Lake Ontario, was built primarily for strategic military purposes at a time when Great Britain and the United States vied for control of the region.

The site, one of the first canals to be designed specifically for steam-powered vessels, also features an ensemble of fortifications. It is the best-preserved example of a slackwater canal in North America, demonstrating the use of this European technology on a large scale. It is the only canal dating from the great North American canal-building era of the early 19th century to remain operational along its original line with most of its structures intact.

According to Guinness World Records, the Rideau Canal is the world’s largest naturally frozen ice rink is in Canada’s backyard. Ottawa boasts an ice surface that’s the equivalent to 90 Olympic-sized rinks. Say what?
Measuring in at a knee-wobbling 7.8 km long, the picture perfect Rideau Canal Skateway winds past Canada’s Parliament Buildings and the majestic Chateau Laurier Hotel. The Skateway is open in January through to March, weather permitting.

Each winter, the NCC transforms the historic Rideau Canal into the world’s largest skating rink. The Rideau Canal Skateway winds its way through the heart of downtown Ottawa, over a total length of 7.8 kilometres.
The skating season typically runs from early January to early March, but it is weather dependent. When open, the Skateway is free and accessible 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.