Ottawa still has warm days left before fall sets in, and the National Capital Commission has laid out a set of waterfront bike itineraries built around its NCC Weekend Bikedays program, which closes stretches of parkway to cars so cyclists, runners and walkers can take them over.
The main route: west along the river
Start at the recently renewed Westboro Beach, where new lookouts, a playground, a café, the Grand Pizzeria and Bar, and a sandy shoreline make it an easy launch point. From there, the route follows the Kichi Zībī Mīkan during Weekend Bikedays, which the NCC calls one of the best views anywhere in the capital. Riders can stop at the NCC Bistro at Remic Rapids to refuel and watch the river go by, then continue on to Bate Island for river tubing with Ottawa Turbo Tubing. The day wraps up with a cold drink at Tavern on the Island, a patio the NCC describes as genuinely feeling like the cottage.
Four more ways to ride
The west route isn't the only option. A south itinerary follows the Capital Pathway to Patterson Creek, where Dow's Lake Pavilion rents kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and pedal boats for anyone who wants to get on the water partway through the ride.
An east itinerary uses the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway, which becomes a scenic car-free route during Bikedays, with kayak rentals available from Escape Rentals just 100 metres down the pathway.
Going north takes riders into Gatineau Park, with bike rentals at Relais Plein Air. Anyone without their own set of wheels can also catch a free NCC shuttle from downtown Ottawa on weekdays, departing from Montcalm.
A central loop crosses the Alexandra Bridge and returns over the Chief William Commanda Bridge, with bike rentals at the Maison du Vélo in Jacques-Cartier Park. From there, the Voyageurs Pathway leads to Leamy Lake Park and beach, which the NCC calls a great place to cool off and have a swim.
When to go
In 2026, NCC Weekend Bikedays run from May 9 to October 12, on Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays, so there's still a stretch of the program left this fall. The closures that make these routes car-free vary by corridor: both westbound lanes of the Kichi Zībī Mīkan from Vimy Place to Carling Avenue, a 9-kilometre stretch, close to cars from 8 a.m. to noon. Both lanes of the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway from Aviation Parkway to St. Joseph Boulevard in Orléans, 8 kilometres, close from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Earlier this month
The car-free program isn't just good for riders. New research out of Carleton University found Ottawa's Weekend Bikedays measurably cut air pollution and noise along Queen Elizabeth Driveway compared to car-open days, as ottown's earlier report detailed.
With the closures still running most weekends through mid-October, there's time to piece together whichever version of the day, west, south, east, north or central, fits best before the water gets too cold for a swim.
Sources: National Capital Commission, National Capital Commission
