The Skateway is 7.8 km long and free to skate on. It goes from downtown Ottawa to Hartwells Locks near Carleton University. It opens only once the ice reaches 30 cm, typically between January and early March. There is no opening date announced for 2026-27.
Is the Rideau Canal open for skating today?
No. It is closed for the off-season as of 2026-10-29. The NCC ice conditions page showed no open sections on that date, and Parks Canada drains the canal in mid-October every year. The Rideau Canal Skateway is a 7.8 km long ice rink on the frozen canal. It stretches from downtown Ottawa to Hartwells Locks by the Carleton University Library. The National Capital Commission (NCC) operates it and it is free to use. The NCC typically lists the season as January to early March, depending on weather conditions.
When the Skateway is open, the NCC rates the ice on each section as Very good, Good, Fair or Poor. They update the ice conditions twice daily, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Ottawa Tourism states the times as 7 am and 1 pm. They also list the phone number 613-239-5234 to check ice conditions. The NCC also posts updates on Facebook (RideauCanalSkateway), Instagram (rideaucanalskateway) and X (NCC_Skateway).
When does the Rideau Canal Skateway open? Past opening dates
Nothing has been announced for 2026-27. Ottawa Tourism lists the dates for winter 2027 as "to be announced". They state that the ice must be 30 cm thick before the canal can open. This takes about 10 to 14 days in a row of -10 to -20 C. Parks Canada drains the canal in mid-October and raises the water again in mid-November. Once the ice is safe, crews flood the surface with water pumped from under the ice. The NCC states that the ice can grow 5 cm in a few hours when it is -10 C outside, but growth slows as it thickens. Once the ice reaches 20 cm it can take days to grow another 5 cm.
NCC opening dates for recent seasons: 2013-14 opened Dec 31 (58 days). 2014-15 opened Jan 10 (59 days). 2015-16 opened Jan 23 (18 days). 2016-17 opened Jan 14 (25 days). 2017-18 opened Jan 5 (35 days). 2018-19 opened Dec 30 (59 days). 2019-20 opened Jan 18 (31 days). 2020-21 opened Jan 28 (26 days). 2021-22 opened Jan 14 (41 days). 2024-25 ran from Jan 11 to Mar 10. We have left out 2022-23 and 2023-24 as the NCC history page gives conflicting information for these two seasons.
The NCC states that the average season is 50 days. The longest season on record is 90 days, in 1971-72. The earliest it has opened is Dec 18, in both 1972-73 and 1981-82. The NCC's table shows the shortest season was 18 days (2015-16). The longest season with a day count listed is 68 days (2000-01). In 2025-26, a 3.4 km section from Somerset Street to the Bank Street Bridge opened on Dec 31, 2025, and the full 7.8 km opened on Jan 5, 2026, according to CP24. After a week of mild, rainy weather, the NCC reopened the whole Skateway on Jan 16, 2026.
How long is the Skateway, and is it the longest rink in the world?
The Skateway is 7.8 km long. It is listed by Guinness World Records as the "largest naturally frozen ice rink (temporary)", with 165,621 m2 of maintained surface. The NCC states that Guinness first recognized the Skateway in 2005. As this is a record for size, not length, we do not call it the longest rink. Ottawa Tourism calls it the "world's largest skating rink".
The first season was 1970-71. The NCC states that the Rideau Canal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. The busiest season was 2018-19, with 1,493,524 visits.
Rideau Canal Skateway map: entrances, rest areas and food
There are about 30 staircases and 5 universal access ramps on the Skateway. The NCC recommends the following entrances, in the order the NCC lists them: Rideau (accessible, Rideau station), Mackenzie King West (accessible, Parliament station), Laurier East (new, Rideau and uOttawa stations), Somerset East (uOttawa station), Concord (uOttawa station), Pretoria, Holmwood (accessible), Fifth, Bronson (accessible), Dow's (accessible, Dow's Lake station) and Library (Carleton station). Patterson Creek was closed for the 2025-26 season while its bridge is rehabilitated. The NCC has not said if it will reopen for 2026-27. Most entrances have paid parking nearby. The NCC access points page lists the lot for each entrance.
There are four rest areas on the Skateway: Rideau, Concord, Fifth and Bronson. Each rest area has accessible washrooms, change rooms, picnic tables, benches and fire pits. The fire pits run Friday through Sunday. Dow's Lake has portable washrooms on land. For 2025-26 the NCC listed BeaverTails at all four rest areas, Brown Bag Coffee Roasters at Concord, Guylaine Cafe and Snack O'Shack at Fifth, and 3Brothers at Bronson. The NCC states that other food is available at Dow's Lake Pavilion. Fifth also has Puck n' Putt (paid) and the lost and found. None of these stands appear in our ranked lists, so we do not rank them.
Once there is enough snow, a packed-snow walking lane runs from Waverley to Bank and from Lakeview to Dow's Lake. On Elgin Street, a few blocks west of the canal, we have Meow Tea ranked #6 for bubble tea, Perfect Books #2 for bookstores, Elgin Street Diner #36 for breakfast, and Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake (#37) and Brown Loaf Bakery (#44) for bakeries. Dow's Lake Peninsula is ranked #31 of 537 on our parks list.
Skateway hours, rentals and rules
The ice is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week when the NCC has it open. The buildings have set hours. For 2025-26 the change rooms and washrooms were open Sunday to Thursday 8 am to 10 pm, and Friday and Saturday 8 am to 11 pm. BeaverTails was open daily 10 am to 10 pm.
Capital Skates rents skates, sleighs and tricycles. They also sharpen skates. Their Rideau location is open daily 10 am to 10 pm (819-921-6839). Fifth is open Thursday to Monday 10 am to 10 pm. There are two different phone numbers listed on the NCC page for Fifth, so book online. Nothing is rented after 8 pm. You can only book and pay online, and every rental needs a deposit. The NCC lists no prices.
Do not bring pets (except service dogs), bikes, skis, snowshoes, hockey sticks and pucks or alcoholic drinks on the ice, and no smoking or vaping. The NCC recommends a certified hockey or ski helmet, wrist guards, and elbow and knee pads. Please stay inside the Skateway edges, because the ice under the snow outside them may not be safe. There is a first aid trailer at the Fifth Avenue rest area, and the change rooms have defibrillators. Skate patrol: 613-366-7671. Ottawa Police: 613-236-1222. Emergencies: 911.
Winterlude on the canal
Winterlude 2027 runs January 29 to February 15, 2027, according to Canadian Heritage. This will be the festival's 49th edition. In 2026 the Skateway was listed as a Winterlude site every day from Jan 30 to Feb 16. You will still need to check if the ice is open to skate on during Winterlude.
Where does the Rideau Canal begin and end?
The whole Rideau Canal is 202 km long and runs from Ottawa to Kingston. There are 22 lockstations on the Rideau Canal. Only the 7.8 km stretch in central Ottawa becomes the Skateway. Parks Canada states that the navigation season runs from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving, which is mid-May to mid-October.
During the summer the canal is a sightseeing stop. In our attractions list, Rideau Canal Locks 11-12 at Hogs Back ranks #6 (4.8 stars, 104 reviews). Rideau Canal National Historic Site ranks #12 (4.7 stars, 4,012 reviews). Locks 1-8 in Ottawa rank #15 (4.7 stars, 1,603 reviews). Locks 9-10 at Hartwells, at the Skateway's south end, rank #22 (4.7 stars, 289 reviews), and the Bytown Museum ranks #72 (4.5 stars, 517 reviews). The Skateway's Bronson entrance itself ranks #29 (4.8 stars, 30 reviews). All rankings use public Google Maps ratings and review counts pulled 2026-10-29.
Questions and answers
Is the Rideau Canal open for skating?
Not right now. As of 2026-10-29 the Skateway is closed for the off-season, and the NCC ice conditions page showed no open sections. Once it opens, you can check the NCC ice conditions page, which is updated twice daily. Ottawa Tourism states that the updates are at 7 am and 1 pm.
When will the Rideau Canal Skateway open for 2026-27?
No date has been announced. Ottawa Tourism states that the Skateway opens once the ice is 30 cm thick, which takes about 10 to 14 days in a row of -10 to -20 C. In the ten recent seasons with NCC dates listed above, the Skateway opened between Dec 30 and Jan 28. In 2025-26 the first section opened on Dec 31.
How long is the Rideau Canal Skateway?
It is 7.8 km long. It runs from downtown Ottawa to Hartwells Locks by the Carleton University Library. The full Rideau Canal is 202 km long and runs to Kingston.
Is the Rideau Canal the longest skating rink in the world?
It is listed by Guinness as the largest naturally frozen ice rink, with 165,621 m2 of maintained surface. This is a record for size, not length.
What are the Skateway hours?
The ice is open 24 hours a day while the NCC has it open. In 2025-26, the change rooms were open 8 am to 10 pm Sunday to Thursday and 8 am to 11 pm Friday and Saturday.
Sources
- NCC: Rideau Canal Skateway. Checked .
- NCC: Skateway ice conditions. Checked .
- Ottawa Tourism: Rideau Canal Skateway. Checked .
- NCC blog: Creating the world's largest skating rink. Checked .
- NCC: History of the Rideau Canal Skateway. Checked .
- Guinness World Records: Largest naturally frozen ice rink. Checked .
- NCC: Access points. Checked .
- NCC: On-ice amenities. Checked .
- CP24: Entirety of Rideau Canal Skateway officially open (Jan 5, 2026). Checked .
- NCC news: Rideau Canal Skateway back in action today (Jan 16, 2026). Checked .
- NCC: Equipment rentals. Checked .
- NCC: Safety tips. Checked .
- Canadian Heritage: Winterlude. Checked .
- Canadian Heritage: Winterlude 2026 Skateway listing. Checked .
- Parks Canada: Rideau Canal National Historic Site. Checked .
- fromOttawa place data, best-attractions, best-parks and food lists (pulled 2026-10-29). Checked .