I love living in a place with distinct seasons. What I particularly love is that just when I start to really, really enjoy something – swimming in the river, gardening, snowshoeing, falling leaves – it’s gone. Skating on the Rideau Canal in Burritt’s Rapids is like that. And its fleeting and unpredictable nature makes me appreciate it that much more.
The weather has been a roller coaster this year, from -20 to +8, never staying steady long enough to sustain ice suitable for skating. The upside of this most recent temperature pop was a quick melt and a quick freeze, leaving behind a glasslike surface that erased everything but the deepest curlicue tracks, traces of snowmobilers gone wild.
My daughter and I were first out this morning, rewarded by a glorious sunrise, a low winter sun that strew long shadows across the ice.
Although we brought shovels, no snowclearing was necessary. It was possible to skate from the village’s swing bridge almost to the lockstation, a rarity of length and a reflection of the excellent conditions. Just steps from the clumps of shore grasses and bullrushes, a fine small rink was cleared and hockey nets installed, a brilliant spot for the littlest of the village and their families.
The occasional car rumbled over the swing bridge but otherwise we were left alone with the rhythmic scrape and swoosh of our blades. We skated back and forth and back again, falling into a zen-like reverie as the sun warmed our faces and reddened our cheeks.
These are the days for making memories – unplanned, opportunistic and ephemeral. These are the days we all remember, which leave us yearning for more.
10 responses to “Skating the Rideau Canal in Burritt’s Rapids”
Hi Andrea –
First ice report of winter 2020/21!
After testing the ice thickness in dozens of locations along the canal, we skated for the first time today. It’s thicker than we were expecting: more than 4.5 inches almost everywhere we checked (the 4.5″ bit only drilled all the way through in one spot).
We skated tip-to-tip in the beautiful sunshine and enjoyed some hot chocolate at both ends. And then we did it again! 🙂 The ice is bumpy in stretches, but not terrible. 7/10?
By the time we were done, some kids were playing hockey by the swing bridge and several ice fishers were trying their luck a bit farther toward the locks.
Planning to skate again tomorrow with siblings/nieces/nephews — a fantastic pandemic-safe outdoor activity.
Hope all’s well with you & yours. Thanks again for this page.
Hi – thanks for this! I’m impressed that you measured – huge kudos for that. I heard people were skating but felt it was too early + Parks Canada saying stay off the ice. But sounds like all was well. Let me know when you’re coming back and I’ll bring my skates down… andrea@habicurious.com is best place to reach me with some timeliness. Just went on my site today to do ‘clean up’ and saw your note. Kindest, Andrea
Hi – love this post & photos.
We walked the Tip-to-TIp trail this weekend and were surprised at the ice thickness on the canal side – then again, November was colder than usual.
The ice we checked seems to be at least 3″, which is safe enough to skate on. And the conditions are very good — smooth as glass, no snow cover. We’re going to bring a drill to confirm thickness and go for a skate tomorrow if it’s OK!
Hi! Yes, the ice is looking promising. We had warming over the past few weeks so the snow cover melted (yeah!) and the ice is looking pretty clear. I, personally, don’t think the ice is ready; I would definitely wait for another week, hoping that we get enough deep chill to really get the thickness right. You’re welcome to drop me a line anytime andrea@habicurious.com if you want an ‘ice review’! Looking forward to having more skaters this year. Best wishes, Andrea
Ice review – thanks, I may take you up on that this winter. (If you happen to add a comment here if/when you skate again, I’ll also get automatically notified by e-mail.)
FYI: I brought a drill with a 4 inch bit, and checked the ice in more than a dozen locations: from the docks at the lockstation all the way past the trail “lookout” platform west of the bridge. I wasn’t able to drill all the way through *anywhere*. And the skating was fantastic.
Tomorrow’s forecast rain & mild temps are going to mess with the ice, but hopefully it’ll firm up again before we get another dump of snow.
Thank you, again, for posting this!
Wow! Thanks for taking the initiative to do SUCH great due diligence. Glad you had a fantastic skate. Freezing rain is always the bane of outdoor ice…maybe we’ll get lucky and the ‘weather’ will skirt by us. Kindest, Andrea
Dear Brockville – the ice is AMAZING! Skated at least 10 kms this morning from the bridge to the end of the island (@2.5kms round trip). Looked like the path continues down to the lock, but I only skated the west side. 🙂
THANK YOU for the update! I wasn’t sure what the rain had done to it. We will be back!
You are so right……perfectly perfect!
I’m going to have breakfast and head out again. You know, make hay while the sun shines and all…. xo