Sports and nature in Ottawa

If you run then you'll have to check out the paths beside the  Rideau Canal and the  Ottawa River Parkway. Hiking in the  Gatineau Park is a must! If you're there in the summer then skiing will be over but  Camp Fortune and  Mont Cascades and  Edelweiss Valley are the closest hills. My favourite outdoor Norwegian spa is called  Le Nordik – Nature Spa and is in Old Chelsea. It's great for singles, couples, men or women. Great to relax there after an active day and enjoy nature outside at the same time. 

Hike, bike or swim Gatineau Park. Windsurf or kitesurf at Aylmer Marina D'Aylmer. Run, bike or blade along the Rideau Canal. 

You might have to rent a car, bike or something else to get there, but definitely check out Gatineau Park on the Quebec side. About 350 sq/km of green you can get lost in for an entire day.

If you fancy rock climbing or bouldering, there’s a few facilities in Ottawa and Gatineau. I recommend Coyote Rock Gym or Altitude Gym.

Hi Tatum! 

As an Ottawa native and outdoors enthusiast, I've got lots of suggestion for you! Ottawa is such an amazing city to be in if you love the outdoors. Within the city there are tons of bike paths and trails you can go running, biking, or roller bladeing along and its a great way to explore the city. Ottawa hosts the more festivals than any other city in Canada (or north america, not sure). There are lots of music festivals all summer (Blues Fest is one of the biggest and takes place the first 2 weeks of July), we have Rib-fest, Poutine-fest, tulip festival, busker festival, Greek Fest, Little Italy hosts a festival too. There's almost always some sort of festival going on. Outside of the city, we're a stones through anyway from the beautiful Gatineau Park were you can go hiking, mountain biking, camping, and canoeing. Algonquin Park is less than 2 hrs drive from the city and is amazing for camping. If your a mountain biker, there's lots here. Check out OMBA's web page (http://ottawamba.org/cms/ ) for more info. There are a few places that offer zip lines too. The Ottawa Valley is the white water capital of Canada if you like rafting or kayaking. I wrote a short article on the top 7 summer activities to do in Ottawa if you want more info. http://adventurej.com/2014/07/23/top-7-outdoor-summer-adventures-in-ottawa-canada/ (I also have one for the winter too if your still around). Also be sure to visit Westboro when you arrive. That's the area of the city with most of the outdoor stores (MEC, Trailhead, Bushtuka, Expedition Shope) and they all have notice boards for community events, races or courses. You really don't have to look hard to find awesome outdoor activities to do here!

Morrison's Quarry

Great bungee (highest in canada) + scuba diving with ship wrecks

http://www.bungee.ca/

Lac Philippe - Gatineau Park

Best beach in the region + free self cave exploring across the lake(150m long and goes up to 10m underground)

http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/gatineau-park/lusk-cave

Caverne Laflèche par Arbraska

Biggest caves in Canada + great ziplining

Eco-Odyssée

6 km. Watermaze- 30 minutes from Ottawa

http://www.eco-odyssee.ca/en/services/

Lac Pink

Easy 2 km around beautiful lake

http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/gatineau-park/pink-lake

Zipling at Lafleche Adventure Aerial Park.  Great course & awesome guides.  

There are lots of biking trails and hiking in the Gatineau Hills.

Hey there, 

Welcome to Ottawa, for the summer it is gorgeous to go biking or hiking in Gatineau Park or go zip lining also in Gatineau Hill. I hope this helps