Old Quarry Trail — Attraction in Ottawa

Great chance to see nature in a 'close to home' location, and easy/beginner level trails.

Located on Eagleson road, directly across from the Hazeldean Mall.

Good amount of parking, but can be busy on weekends. Outhouse in the parking lot, and none in the trails, just in case you're wondering.

Trails are fairly easy, and several entry points to start. Mild slopes, gravel, dirt and woodchip trails. Some trails have roots and tricky footing, but overall basic level hiking.

Trails are used all year round, winter there is snowshoeing (bring your own), x-country skiing (bring your own), and hiking. Other seasons, lots of biking and hiking. Spring can see flooded parts, so make sure to wear proper footwear.

Want to see nature, there are plenty of chances to feed the birds chick-a-dees in abundance (bring some birdseed). Deer, porcupines, and there is a local beaver as well.

What to bring: Proper footwear Bike/xc skis/snowshoes Water bottle (no where to fill it at the trails) Sunglasses Sunscreen Bug Spray (mosquitoes and black flies) Boots if rainy(or rained day before) (Depends on season)

Enjoy...

Old Quarry Trail is a nice place for a walk. It isn't as scenic as some of the other Greenbelt trails, but still worth the visit.

The trail is accessible via Parking Lot 5, where there's plenty of free parking. There are several signs at the parking lot, but no trail map. It would be nice if the NCC added a map to the trail entrance. There's several maps / signs along the trail, but not at all trail intersections.

The trail is primarily flat, with very little variance in elevation. The section between P5 and A is very flat and wide, and not as interesting. The section between B and P5 has a bit more variety - a few short boardwalks, and some educational signage.

There were lots of birds and small animals along the trail. There are plenty of trees to shade you from the sun along most of the trail. Unfortunately there were also a lot of flies and mosquitos as well, definitely wear bug spray.

Overall - good short / easy walk for all ages, but nothing...

Big parking lot, close to road. Large map at the trail start. Also a washroom too. The trails are wide and well established. It’s a nice wooded area! What absolutely makes this one of the best areas was what I walked in to. Walking the trail two people were standing just holding out their hands. What I didn’t know was they had bird seed in them. So I stopped and just watched. The birds landed in their hands and took the seeds! They then shared some seeds with me. I can’t believe how many birds came to me, right in my hands. What a wonderful experience. ( now I will be going to get bird seed for all my hikes). It’s a busy place I saw maybe 10 people in the short time, but everyone was friendly. I also can’t believe the chipmunks that were inches away from me on the trail. I have never seen them that close. Normally they are lighting fast. I had one baby touch the toe of my boot. With mom just off to the side. Go...