Last call for biking & swimming

This weekend is your last chance to hit the beach or ride your bike along one of the (car free) National Capital Commission (NCC) parkways.

Despite the wet summer Ottawa experienced, the parkways were full of bikers, inline skaters, walkers and runners on car-free Sundays.

Then NCC reports there were 76 days of swimming at all area beaches. 

Don't despair though, even though you may have to put your bike or swimsuit away soon, fall colours and great hiking are just around the corner!

Car-free Ottawa parkways

Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway (9 kilometres): 9 am to 1 pm

The westbound lanes of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, located on the south shore of the Ottawa River just west of the downtown core, from Vimy Place (Canadian War Museum) to Carling Avenue.

Colonel By Drive (8 kilometres): 9 am to 1 pm

Both lanes of Colonel By Drive, located on the east side of the Rideau Canal, from the Laurier Bridge to the Hog’s Back Bridge.

Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway (8 kilometres): 9 am to 1 pm

Both lanes of the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway, running along the south shore of the Ottawa River, just east of the downtown core, from the Aviation Parkway to St. Joseph Boulevard in Orléans.

Car-free Gatineau Park parkways

The Gatineau, Champlain and Fortune Lake parkways (30.5 kilometres), which are ideal destinations for cycling enthusiasts who enjoy steep hills, are closed to motor vehicles from 6 am to 11 am. One section (3.5 kilometres), north of Chemin du Lac-Meech, is ideal for families with young children, and is closed for an additional two hours, from 6 am to 1 pm.