Hog's Back Park

Hog's Back Falls is one of Ottawa's best-kept secrets — a thundering, multi-tiered waterfall right inside the city, where the Rideau River drops dramatically over a wide rock shelf before feeding into the Rideau Canal. The falls are not some gentle cascade; after spring melt or heavy rain, the volume of water is genuinely impressive, sending mist across the pedestrian bridge and creating a roar you can hear from the parking lot.

The park surrounds the falls on both sides of the river, with picnic areas, open green space, and trails that follow the riverbank in both directions. A pedestrian bridge crosses directly above the falls — standing on it during high water, feeling the bridge vibrate beneath your feet, is a visceral experience that catches first-time visitors off guard. The viewing platforms on both banks offer different perspectives; the west side gives you the best head-on view, while the east side lets you see the full width of the cascade.

What makes Hog's Back special beyond the falls themselves is its position in the broader Rideau Canal system. The Hog's Back Locks — a set of hand-operated locks just downstream from the falls — are part of the UNESCO World Heritage canal, and watching boats navigate through them in summer is a pleasant, meditative way to spend an hour. Parks Canada staff operate the locks manually, exactly as they have since the 1830s.

The park connects to an extensive pathway network along the Rideau Canal and Colonel By Drive, making it a natural stop on a cycling or jogging route. The trails heading south along the river toward Mooney's Bay are particularly scenic and mostly flat.

For guests staying near the airport, Hog's Back is one of the closest significant natural attractions — a quick detour that delivers a surprisingly powerful landscape without the commitment of a half-day excursion. It's the kind of place where you stop for twenty minutes and end up staying an hour.