The Stonebridge Trail

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If COVID-19 taught me anything (and it did, I hope!), it’s that we should never overlook or take for granted the little pockets of nature that we can find here in the city. Before, I didn’t spend a ton of time reporting on City of Ottawa maintained trails. They struck me as being so urban and accessible that I assumed everyone would already know about them and wouldn’t need me to tell them!

But then we were all stuck in our houses with instructions not to travel too far. And I stumbled upon the Stonebridge Trail, just a few kilometres from my house. It was such a joy to be able to get out and walk safely beside the river among the trees. So just in case you’ve never heard about this trail, here we go.

The Stonebridge Trail is a really cool trail that starts in Beryl Gaffney Park, and ends near W.C. Levesque Park. From end to end, it’s about 5 km so it’s a really nice long trail for walking along. The trail follows two of Ottawa’s rivers, the Rideau and the Jock. And there were lots of places to sit near and enjoy the water.

During a time where I couldn’t visit any of my usual favorites, I was SO grateful for this trail. It’s open year round (but not maintained during the winter). Dogs are allowed on the trail, and are allowed off leash at Beryl Gaffney Park. There are no washrooms anywhere along the trail.

Getting There

There’s no major reason to start this trail at one end or another- most of the good stuff is in the middle anyways! Beryl Gaffney is a City of Ottawa park that has… not much. It’s basically a big field with some trees around the perimeter. But an off leash dog would love it! W.C. Levesque Park has soccer fields, a playground, a covered gazebo to sit at, and just a ton of open green space. Perfect for a picnic.

There are also a bunch of spots along the trail where foot paths lead into nearby neighbourhoods, so there are tons of ways to actually access the trail.

If you want to start your walk at Beryl Gaffney Park, you can use these coordinates to get there: 45.246298, -75.708251.

If you want to start closer to W.C. Levesque Park, you can use these coordinates to get there: 45.261954, -75.727968.

The trail ACTUALLY starts at the overflow parking for W.C. Levesque Park, which is just a hundred metres away off of Longfields Drive, but you really don’t miss much if you skip that little section.

My Route

On a beautiful Saturday morning, I started off of Longfields because there’s a sign there with the name of the trail, and I can’t help but to get you guys a full trail report. The parking lot on Longfields is closed in the winter and was still closed when I was there early in May.

The trail through Levesque was wide (perfect for social distancing!), and followed the treeline across from the parking lot.

By the time I walked all the way through W.C. Levesque Park and entered the forest on the east side, I had already walked a kilometre!

The Forest

The trail remained quite wide, and the gravel cover was still good through this section, making it really easy for bikes or strollers to use.

I began to spot connecting paths on my right hand side where the trail could be accessed from nearby neighbourhoods. How lucky to have this in your backyard!

I could hear the river through the trees, and began to catch glimpses of it as I strolled along. In a few spots there were footpaths leading down closer to the river, ending at great little spots to sit near the water.

Bridges

After walking 1.6 km I descended a short set of stairs and crossed over a short bridge. On either side of the stairs there was space for bikers to take their bikes down a steep little hill. There was a small creek running down to meet the river- another great spot to sit and relax for a bit.

Then, just beyond that there was a little lookout alongside the river. There were lots of big rocks in this section of the river, so it was cool to watch the little rapids that formed.

I walked through a section of the trail surrounded by open field and sumac (as well as a few houses), but quickly found myself back into a forested area.

After hiking 2.3 km I walked down a steep hill and under the bridge that goes over the Jock River on Prince of Wales. Here, the Jock River met the Rideau River. On the other side of the river here was the Jock Landing, a place where small boats can be put into the water.

More Bridges

3 km in I crossed over a bridge, and a few hundred metres later there was a gravel pathway that led down to a nice little spot to sit by the river and throw rocks.

I crossed over another long bridge, and then, after walking 3.8 km the trail crossed over Maplehill Way. I re-entered the forest across the street, and immediately came across another lookout on my left hand side. There was a fairly steep drop off from the lookout down to the riverbed below, so anyone with little kids should be mindful of this when approaching.

Before, most of the trail had been maintained with gravel, but this section of trail was worn down to the dirt.

Beryl Gaffney Park

At the 4.2 km mark I crossed over a final short bridge, and found myself in a more open section, with skinny trails branching off around me. I headed to my right, and soon came upon the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority building. Heading up the road a little, I found the parking lot for Beryl Gaffney Park, and decided to complete the loop and head back to the river.

Between me and the river though was a very small creek that needed to be traversed. Some generous souls had laid out logs and sticks to help with the crossing, and I carefully picked my way across them.

On the other side, the actual trail widened up to about a metre, but meandered through an open field so there was lots of space around. As I continued on, the trail thinned out and I passed the official sign for Beryl Gaffney Park. Not long after, I was able to spot a massive dam through the trees, and found a little footpath to get a better view.

I continued on with the river on my right hand side, and after walking 5.4 km I went down a little set of stairs. Then I had to cross BACK over the creek that ran through the park. But here there were massive stones laid out that I could walk across. Much more civilized.

I headed up a steep hill, and soon found myself at the bridge where I had entered Beryl Gaffney Park.

Heading Back

I headed back in the direction I had come, and arrived back where I had started having walked a total of 9.45 km. I was able to cover that distance in just under 2 hours.

Walking or biking the length of the Stonebridge Trail is great. It lets you be out there moving your body and immersed in nature for a nice, long time. But even just walking a shorter section of the trail is enjoyable too. I was really surprised to find how much I enjoyed this trail (I thought it might not have as much to offer, being right in town). But there was just so much to see along this trail, and so many little nooks and crannies to explore down by the river.

This trail is perfect for anyone who just wants a relaxing stroll, families, or bikers. It’s really easy to navigate, and nice and wide at almost every point. Although this blog post will be up forever, so I hope by the time you’re reading it social distancing is a thing of the past.

I hope this trip report has enough info to get you there too. Let me know in the comments, or share and tag a friend to start planning your next adventure!

Map and Elevation Gain

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.

Gear We Brought

Nothing- this trail is more of a walking trail than a hiking trail.