Stony Swamp Conservation Area in Ottawa – Trail Report

Stony Swamp Conservation Area in Ottawa – Trail Report

The Stony Swamp sector of the Greenbelt is amazing, I mean really, how lucky are we to have this much greenery within city limits?!?! Within Stony Swamp conservation area you’ll find Old Quarry, Jack Pine, Lime Kiln, Beaver, Chipmunk, Sarsaparilla trails. Each of those trails will be covered in this trail report.

Suggested Stops

Anywhere?!?! It’s the city, plenty of shops and cafe in the area. Google or Siri is best in this case!

Important Insights

Land Acknowledgement

These are the lands of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ and Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin) people.⁠ It is important as avid hikers and stewards of the land, to acknowledge and understand the full story our surroundings along with the people that care for her, both past and present. As sourced from native-land.ca, if there are corrections please send to victoria@girlgonegood.com.

Land Management

This property is managed by the NCC. Did you know that NCC trails are divided into six major sectors? They are; Shirley’s Bay, Phiney Forest, Mer Bleue, Green’s Creek, Stony Swamp, and Pine Grove. This property is managed by the National Capital Commission and is apart of Ottawa’s greenbelt. NCC states “The Greenbelt comprises 20,000 hectares of green space, including farms, forests and wetlands. It was created in the 1950s to protect the rural land bordering the Capital from urban sprawl. It has since become the largest publicly owned greenbelt in the world. Most of the Greenbelt (14,950 hectares) is owned by the NCC. The Greenbelt protects natural areas like forests, wetlands, streams and sand dunes that sustain biodiversity. The natural areas in the Greenbelt support human and ecological health in Canada’s Capital Region.

GPS Coordinates

45.301886152784085, -75.87456467286013

Street Address

NCC 23, Ottawa, ON K2M 1A9

Directions

To find the trailheads of each, use NCC Greenbelt P . Example, for Old Quarry Trail it’s P5 and in google maps
it’s NCC Greenbelt P5. Parking lot numbers are provided in the trail descriptions below and the NCC Greenbelt Trail Map.

Parking

Large parking lot at trailhead.

Cell Reception

Yes

Washrooms

Outhouses located at the parking lot.

Accessibility

No.

Trail Details

Entrance Fee

Hours of Operation

All seasons. Open dawn to dusk daily.

Trail Map

Available from the NCC.

Trailhead

Located at the parking lot.

Number of Trails

5

Total Distance (km)

20

Elevation Gain (m)

10

Cell Reception

Yes

Features

Woodlands, Marshlands, Interpretive Signs, Ponds

Activities

Hiking, Birding, Snowshoeing, Geocaching

Dogs

No dogs permitted on Old Quarry Trail.

Trail Description

Old Quarry trail is best hiked clockwise starting from the outhouses (it’s easier to follow the trail signs I find). Walking through the mostly red pine forest, you can do a full 5.5 km loop hiking trail 23 way points in this sequence trailhead, A, C, D, E, G, H, D, C, B, trailhead. Don’t worry, it’s easy enough to follow and there are map at the way points. I know, you might think, hey now, why don’t you post a picture of the trail map?! Well, in a word, copyright. And secondly, trail maps change when land managers need to give certain sections a break from overuse/overexposure from us humans. So it’s always best to get your trail map straight from the source, which in this case is the NCC. The trail is well maintained, aaaaaand wide enough to pass each other and still maintain physical distancing for the pandemic. #winning Stony Swamp trails include: Old Quarry, Lime Kiln, Jack Pine, Beaver + Chipmunk, and Sarsaparilla.

Other Hiking Trails