Welcome to Westport & Rideau Lakes

A warm welcome from the Westport and Rideau Lakes Chamber of Commerce, its members and partners. We work in cooperation with the Village of Westport to operate a Visitors Welcome Centre that provides public washrooms and up to date travel information. The welcome centre is located on Spring Street in Westport. The building is open:

• May 24 to June 30: open weekends
• July and August: open 7 days a week, from 9am to 4pm
• September to end of October: open Mon-Fri, from 9am to 4pm and weekends from 10am to 4pm

People slow down and relax when visiting Westport and Rideau Lakes

Indoors or outdoors put the Rideau District on your list of things to do! Photo by Gord Harrington

Looking East-Northeast, with Westport at left

High Flyers

Visitors usually discover the Rideau area by roadway or water although some do get a birds-eye view from the sky. That’s because the Township of Rideau Lakes operates an aerodrome on the west end of the Upper Rideau Lake just outside of the Village of Westport. Owned by the township, the air field is managed by the Rideau Lakes Flying Club; it was registered by Transport Canada in 2001 and is listed in the Canadian Flight supplement as CRL2.

Rideau Lakes Flying Club

This group of high fliers hosts two events each year. The first is a Fly In for chili & a bun held in February. The largest event is the annual breakfast Fly In held the last Saturday in May. This event typically attracts 40 + aircraft when weather permits. The Rideau community is invited to attend and participate in these events. Without their support continued success would not be possible. For more information about the Rideau Lakes Flying Club call Bill Green @ 613-273-5282. Click here for flight supplement data.

Info & photo courtesy Township of Rideau Lakes

A Natural Asset: The Rideau Waterway

The Rideau Canal is one of 36 natural and cultural sites included on the World Heritage List. Those of us who live, work or play in the Westport and Rideau Lakes area know how unique the waterway is. Over 200 kilometres of lakes and rivers joined by manmade canals and locks make their way through a diverse Canadian terrain and unveils an authentic holiday get-away destination. The canal is North America's oldest continuously operating waterway and was built between 1826 and 1832.

Tour the Rideau Canal

The Kingston Whig Standard newspaper prepared a multi-media slideshow in celebration of the Rideau Canal becoming the 14th Canadian location to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can view it here: Whig Standard Article

The Whig Standard news team also took a boat tour all along the Rideau Canal, from Kingston to Ottawa. You can view the tour here: Whig Standard Slide Show

A panoramic view over Westport
from the Spy Rock lookout

Trails to our Natural Heritage

Foley Mountain Conservation Area is one of the region’s gems. The park features 325 hectares (800 acres) of scenic lookouts, nature trails, mature pine forest, beaver ponds all located on near the shoreline of Upper Rideau Lake. Hike, swim, and picnic in summer or cross country ski and snow shoe in winter. The view of Westport from Spy Rock is truly spectacular. Westport and Rideau Lakes is a core for hiking and cycling enthusiasts. The 300 km Rideau Trail linking Kingston and Ottawa passes through Foley Mountain Conservation Area where other trails can also be explored.

There’s also many other Parks and Conservation Areas within easy driving distance that offer hiking opportunities. Cycling is not allowed in most of the parks but the back roads and the new Cataraqui Trail offer cyclists the perfect opportunity to enjoy the country side.

A newly constructed trail allows access for people of
all physical abilities to enjoy the beauty of Foley Mountain.

(Hits since January 13,2005)