The Township of Rideau Lakes is centrally located in the Golden Triangle of eastern Ontario, that bountiful wedge of Canada formed by the Ottawa River to the north and the St. Lawrence River to the south. The blue waters of the Ottawa surge down a remarkable rift valley that in ancient geological times was a precursor of the Rhine Valley of Europe and the Great Rift of Africa. More recently modified and sculpted by Ice Ages, the Ottawa in historical times provided a corridor for First Nations and for European explorers, fur traders and timber men to push further into the interior of North America. The St. Lawrence is a grand and truly unique river carrying to the ocean the fresh water of the five Great Lakes, collectively the largest sweet water sea of our planet. Tumbling among the Thousand Islands, native Canadians have for millennia rightly named this part of the St. Lawrence “the Garden of the Great Spirit”. Now ships to and from the world sail this Seaway that we share with our neighbour to the south, the United States.
Tributary northward to the Ottawa River is the Rideau whose beautiful falls reminded an early French explorer of a magnificent curtain, hence the name Rideau. Tributary southward to the St. Lawrence is the Cataraqui chain of lakes and streams. With an amazing series of dams, locks and channels, Colonel John By and the Royal Engineers linked the Rideau and the Cataraqui into the Rideau Canal. Constructed under British flag and cannons and Irish labour, the Rideau Canal was intended to provide an alternative route to the Great Lakes, thus to defend British North America from the ambitious Republic to the south. Now the peaceful Rideau Corridor welcomes visitors from across Canada, the United States and the world.
Many come to enjoy to the Rideau Canal by boat. Many more come to enjoy the Rideau Corridor by many means to hike across or fly over our diverse landscapes cloaked in mixed forests, to drive or cycle our highways and byways past heritage farmsteads and modern communities. Many come to fish the bountiful blue lakes or to golf the rolling greens. There are myriad reasons to come to Rideau Country and to come back and stay for a while at our resorts, cottages, B. and B’s and campgrounds. Many come in summer to enjoy our idyllic mid-latitude climate. Severe tropical storms rarely cross our landscape. Severe Arctic cold and blizzards rarely hamper ice fishing, snow mobiling and cross-country skiing in January and February. The greening of springtime gives occasion for renewal and vitality. The spectrum of autumn colour gives occasion for awe and reflection. Little wonder is it that The Rideau has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Geographic Destination. Come to the Township of Rideau Lakes, keystone of the Rideau, during any season for an “Experience to Remember”.
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