One of Ottawa’s most beloved routes is this 32 km loop which is entirely on separate pathways and a bit of farm lane. I have no hand drawn map of it yet, so you’ll have to do with this screenshot for now.
This loop is very popular among Ottawa’s residents. The route is nearly all on pathways, except a few kilometers on super quite lanes on the Experimental Farm (the lanes are closed for motorised traffic in the weekends). You’ll be cycling along the Rideau Canal, through the Arboretum, continue on the Farm where you could consider a short detour to the north end to visit the Agricultural museum, which is very kids oriented with often special activities.
From there, you follow a long path called the Experimental Farm pathway, (passing past a large construction site for Light Rail – at the far left on the map above) and eventually arriving at the Ottawa River pathway. This pathway along the river gets you back downtown eventually (with temporary detours at Westboro beach and the war museum).
Note: a short stretch behind Parliament Hill is closed until the Spring of 2025. You could consider crossing the river at the Chief William Commanda bridge towards Quebec, turn right and follow the river in Gatineau and come back to Ottawa via the Alexandra bridge following the separate bike lanes along the river.
Download the farm and river GPX file: download
Farm and River GPX file: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HUV5YEi4n82xJIm70Mai3P2wnCZE7SrZ?usp=drive_link