Join us for...

bicycling ♦ canoeing ♦ cross-country skiing ♦ hiking ♦ skating ♦ snowshoeing ♦ walking ♦ day outings ♦ evening outings ♦ weekend trips ♦ social events

What's happening...week of May 6

With spring here, we've been hiking on Sundays and going for in-city walks on Thursday evenings.

Our bicycling season begins this Saturday with an easy ride along the Canal to the Experimental Farm and return. On Tuesday evening, Fresh Air Experience is presenting a basic bicycle maintenance clinic for us.

We have two hikes planned for this weekend, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Since most of the Gatineau Park trails are still closed due to the recent heavy rains, each of these hikes has an alternate hike in the NCC Greenbelt planned if the Gatineau Park trails aren't open. Check our schedule later in the week for possible updates.

Our urban walks are on Thursday evenings; their meeting locations alternate between the Supreme Court downtown (even-numbered dates) and the Pavilion at Dow's Lake (odd-numbered dates). This week, we meet at the Dow's Lake Pavilion.

We're repeating our popular canoeing course for beginners, starting with a classroom session this Saturday, May 11.

Here is information about our various types of activities.

For many of our activities, we usually meet at the Sandy Hill Community Centre, 250 Somerset Street East (map), around the back near the parking lot.

Check our schedule for details; meeting days, times, and places can vary. Not all activities occur every week, and some may occur on days different than the usual day. Questions? Check our FAQ.

The Ottawa Outdoor Club organizes daytime, evening, and multi-day, environmentally-sound, outdoor recreational activities year-round at minimal cost for residents of and visitors to the Ottawa and Gatineau communities. Daytime outings are planned for nearly every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year. Weekend trips are typically to destinations in Ontario, Quebec, and the mountain ranges in New York and New England.

Most outdoor activities are open to everyone. If you're not a member, we still look forward to seeing you; we'll ask you for the non-member activity fee, which you can apply fully to your membership fee when you join within a week. (Some caveats: the evening walks and Friday evening skates are free to all; some special outings, such as subsidized bus trips, are available to members only.) If you don't have a car, we carpool. Join us at the meeting location for the event, and we'll go from there.

Come alone or with friends. It's easy to join in:

  • consult the events page to see what interests you
  • check the requirements for the trip. A reasonable degree of—but not extreme—fitness is expected for most of our outings, as well as appropriate clothing, footwear, food, and liquid. If you have any questions about a trip, contact the trip leader in advance at the phone number, e-mail address, or Twitter handle provided
  • meet at the indicated starting location at the time listed for instructions and arranging carpooling

Members of the Club enjoy added benefits, such as Club discounts of up to 12% at local outdoor equipment shops; free general instruction of various activities; occasional subsidized courses in leadership training and wilderness first aid; and notification of social events throughout the year, including parties, movie outings, and other events.

We are a volunteer-run club and, as a result, prices are at cost.

Become a member!

Membership registration is now available here for our 2019 year. Memberships bought now will be valid until the end of 2019.

Who we are

Club members and visitors range from post-high-school to retirement age and, like Ottawa itself, are of many nationalities. We welcome children who are with their parent(s) or guardian(s).

Follow our Facebook group Follow our Facebook group

Member or non-member, follow our Facebook group to join our conversation and view photos of past activities.

Join us for...

bicycling ♦ canoeing ♦ cross-country skiing ♦ hiking ♦ skating ♦ snowshoeing ♦ walking ♦ day outings ♦ evening outings ♦ weekend trips ♦ social events

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