Rideau Canal Skateway

Ottawa, ON · Public skating times & prices

A 7.8 km natural-ice skateway on the Rideau Canal, open since 1971

Public skating at Rideau Canal Skateway: the next 7 days

Currently out of season The National Capital Commission's Rideau Canal Skateway page says the skating season typically runs from January to early March and is weather-dependent; the Skateway is not open yet and no 2026/27 opening date is posted. The NCC page says the Skateway is weather-dependent and not yet open for the season. Official schedule update

Address
Rideau Canal, Fifth Avenue access, Ottawa, ON
Website
ncc-ccn.gc.ca
The Rideau Canal Skateway in downtown Ottawa on a sunny winter day, with skaters on the plowed ice, the Château Laurier and Parliament buildings behind — Rideau Canal Skateway
The Rideau Canal Skateway in downtown Ottawa on a sunny winter day, with skaters on the plowed ice, the Château Laurier and Parliament buildings behind Photo: John.B.Codrington, Wikimedia Commons · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Looking down the Rideau Canal Skateway in winter: a long plowed ice lane beside a snow-covered path with a few skaters, city buildings beyond — Rideau Canal Skateway
Looking down the Rideau Canal Skateway in winter: a long plowed ice lane beside a snow-covered path with a few skaters, city buildings beyond Photo: abdallahh from Montréal, Canada, Wikimedia Commons · Source · CC BY 2.0

The world's largest skating rink, on a 7.8 km UNESCO canal in the heart of Ottawa

The Rideau Canal Skateway opened in the 1970–1971 season. The idea came from the newly appointed National Capital Commission chair Doug Fullerton, and in January 1971 a crew with brooms and shovels cleared a small stretch of ice between the Mackenzie King and Laurier bridges near the National Arts Centre. The track was then extended toward Dow's Lake, and the NCC says hundreds of thousands of people came onto the ice that first season.

Today the Skateway winds 7.8 km through the heart of the capital and is a key site for February's Winterlude. The NCC puts the average season at 50 days, with a record of 90 days in 1971–1972. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized it in 2005 as the largest naturally frozen ice rink in the world, and the canal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. In 2018–2019 it logged a record 1,493,524 visits.

Because it is natural ice, the season depends on the weather and opens only when the ice is ready. A resurfacer called the Froster, introduced in 2011, changed how the ice is maintained, and five universal access ramps lead onto the canal.

Before you head out.

Admission, rentals and arrival details, researched from official rink information. Source checks stay current for 30 days.

Admission

When open, the Skateway is free and accessible seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Source checked · · Official source

Skates & rentals

Skates, sleighs and tricycles can be rented, and skates sharpened, at two locations on the Skateway (Rideau and Fifth); rentals stop at 8 pm and need a deposit, with reservation and payment online only.

Source checked · · Official source

Booking & check-in

The National Capital Commission's equipment rentals page for the Rideau Canal Skateway says all rentals require a deposit and that reservation and payment are online only, at the Rideau and Fifth locations (no equipment is rented after 8 pm).

Source checked · · Official source

Parking & arrival

O-Train stations and (paid) parking areas are near the Skateway entrances; the NCC's access-points page lists the recommended entrances with nearby stations and lots.

Source checked · · Official source

Accessibility

Five universal access ramps lead onto the Skateway, and its washrooms and change rooms are universally accessible.

Source checked · · Official source

A source check records what the rink published on that date. Session-specific booking details take precedence.