Best National Forest Ottawa Near Me

4worldlovers: Our latest Urban Natural Area (UNA) stewardship project is the Chapman Mills West Woodlot located on Clearbrook Drive near the intersection with Strandherd Drive in Barrhaven. This is a 7 hectare low coniferous upland forest with minor wetland and hardwood elements. The City performed an ecological survey in 2004. Since then major development has occurred and the site has been bisected into two roughly equal areas by the new Clearbrook Drive, creating north and south sections. A new park, Mancini Park, will be built in 2016 abutting the southern end of the forest.

The community partner for this project is École secondaire catholique Pierre-Savard, which is directly to the west of the north section of the forest. The school has over 900 students, who will use the forest for green studies, community service, and exercise. The school has an Eco-School Gold Certification and is working towards its Platinum Certification.

Provide access to nature for the students; connect them to nature

The project began in the fall of 2015 with garbage cleanup and the removal of tons of invasive Common Buckthorn by the students. Over a period of weeks various classes dug out, pulled out, and sawed the buckthorn, creating huge piles to rot down into the forest. Students also mapped existing, informal trails and provided their GPS data to the City to help determine where formal trails should be created.

In areas cleared of Buckthorn, students planted 60 native trees and shrubs in May 2016.

We have a grant from the Community Foundation of Ottawa to fund the following activities for the students:

Planting of native trees and shrubs in areas cleared of buckthorn,

Marking the formal trail system, which will connect to the new Mancini Park to the south and to local streets,

Spring 2016 – Bio-Inventory. We conducted a bio-inventory of the forest on 29 May 2016 with help from the Grade 11 biology students and volunteer field naturalists. Experts will continue to rove the forest over the next year and record their findings. Information will be captured in a project on iNaturalist: Chapman Mills West Woodland Project.

Spring 2017 – The students planted 120 trees at five sites in the north and south forests. This included 10 Butternuts from the Butternut Recovery Program run by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

The students marked trails in the forest and built bat boxes.

The OSC now has 24 bat boxes, which will be distributed to suitable areas throughout the city needing mosquito control.

The students provided content to two interpretive signs that were installed in July at the entrances to trails in the north and south forests. The signs inform the community about the biodiversity of plants and animals that make this woodland, surrounded by suburbs, an oasis of nature to be enjoyed and respected.

4worldlovers: One section of trail is 11.5 km. Toilet facilities located at P12. Year-round parking, access from Hunt Club parking lot 11 and on Cedarview parking lot 12 & 13 (on National Capital Greenbelt map)

4worldlovers: Located in the southwest end of Ottawa, Stony Swamp features a network of beaver ponds, wetlands and forests, and is the most ecologically diverse protected area in the Ottawa Valley.

The Stony Swamp sector has more trails than any other area of the Greenbelt — over 40 kilometres. You can also ride your bike at Stony Swamp, on a section of the Greenbelt Pathway West, which connects to The Great Trail of Canada and the Rideau Trail.

When out enjoying nature, please follow the principles of outdoor ethics.

Dogs and other pets on leash are permitted year-round on the Greenbelt Pathway East. In winter, dogs are not allowed on any Greenbelt trails. When on the Capital Pathway, please be considerate and share the path.

To help you prepare for a safe and enjoyable outing, check out these tips about safety in the Greenbelt.

The Sarsaparilla Trail (22) has a dock extending onto a beaver pond. Start at parking lot P7.

The Jack Pine Trail (26) crosses beaver ponds where you can observe many species of ducks and frogs. Start at parking lot P9. For conservation reasons, dogs are not permitted on this trail.

Discover the Greenbelt’s trails for hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Bruce Pit is a popular off-leash dog park. Dogs are permitted off leash only in the designated area. They must be on a leash everywhere else, including the parking lot (P12), and are not allowed at the toboggan hill.

Pack up the family, and head out to the Bruce Pit Toboggan Hill (P12). The hill offers great daytime sliding, but is not lit at night.

On the Stony Swamp trails indicated below, you’ll find wetland boardwalks and interpretation panels about the geology and natural history of the area.

Take a walk on the Lime Kiln Trail, and see the ruins of a historic kiln.

The Old Quarry Trail is a 3.1-kilometre trail where you can learn about the area’s unusual geology.

The Jack Pine Trail features beaver ponds and beaver dams, and is an especially popular destination for kids and families.

The Beaver and Chipmunk trails (28) are loved by children. If you download iNaturalist before you go, you can record your wildlife encounters and learn more about what you saw together.

Parking: Free, year-round parking is available at parking lots P4 to P13.

Washrooms: Outhouses are located at the following parking lots: P5, P7, P8, P9, P11 and P12.

Picnic area: There is a picnic area by the Jack Pine Trail (P9) and a sheltered picnic area by the Sarsaparilla Trail (P7).

The swamp’s bedrock dates back to Precambrian times, the earliest geological era. Stony Swamp is classified as a provincially significant wetland and an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI).

The area has more than 700 species of plants, which is the highest number counted in any part of Canada’s Capital Region. Stony Swamp is home to 63 species of regionally rare plants, 11 of which exist nowhere else in the Greenbelt. It also has a lichen population designated as a species at risk.

A variety of reptiles, amphibians, mammals and birds make their home in this area. Stony Swamp has 251 regionally rare bird species. This includes 17 species at risk, one of which is the northern goshawk.

Enjoy cycling on the Greenbelt Pathway West. Along the way, there are farms, creeks, wetlands and forests.

Make the most of your outing! After your hike, visit a Greenbelt farm — and take home fresh, local produce. Eating well tastes so good!