The natural setting of Rideau Lakes Township is highlighted by the rugged Frontenac Axis, a branch of the Canadian Shield — with its rocks and granite baked and blended a billion years ago in the roots of the Grenville Mountains.

Now worn away to their very roots by time, rain, wind, rivers and glaciers, there are only echoes of those mountains left at Foley Mountain. Paleozoic seas washed over this rugged land half a billion years ago and left the beautiful layers of sandstone used in the building of Ontario's only UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rideau Canal. Our many lakes were gouged out of soft Precambrian marble and filled by the most recent melting of an ice sheet 10,000 years ago.

The Rideau waterway offers excellent canoeing, sailing, boating and fishing. Passage through the locks is an experience unto itself. This vacation paradise has many scenic villages and hamlets, surrounded by agricultural pursuits and recreational opportunities like swimming, hiking, golf, bicycling or antiquing. Download this handy map of the area.

Learn more about the fascinating stories of Rideau Lakes through this series of documentary films — including stories about the Rideau Canal’s Big Breakthrough in Newboro, the First World War cottage hospital of Agnes Etherington, and more! Courtesy of award-winning filmmaker Allison Margot Smith.

Come and see for yourself what everyone’s talking about!

To become a volunteer for Doors Open Rideau Lakes, contact Rosanne Lake, Heritage Program Event Assistant, at doorsopen@rideaulakes.ca.