Categories: Travel

There’s an Ontario boardwalk within a 7,700-year-old bog with boreal landscape views

Image via National Capital Commission

Get in some steps and time with nature while the weather still allows it! The Mer Bleue conservation area is in Ottawa and features an easy-to-navigate trail. While it may be a short distance, the views are pretty major. Along this boardwalk hike, you’ll be treated to a northern boreal landscape within the 7,700-year-old bog.

Don’t forget to bundle up.

Located around 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa, the park is easy to get to and has free parking areas for visitors to take advantage of.

If you’re coming in from Toronto, the journey will take you around four and a half hours.

To access The Mer Bleue Bog Trail, you’ll want to park at lot P22.

Exploring the park and Mer Bleue Bog Trail

Once you’ve parked, you’ll have a direct path to the boardwalk trail. “The Mer Bleue Bog is one of the most outstanding natural features of the Greenbelt, and is one of its most visited areas,” shares the National Capital Commission.

Spanning one kilometre, the boardwalk is flat and winds through a gorgeous natural landscape. The trail is considered accessible and wheelchair friendly.

For conservation reasons, dogs are not allowed on the Mer Bleue Bog Trail at any time, so you’ll need to leave your furry pal at home.

If you’re still craving some views and want to get more steps in, the park also has The Dewberry Trail. This trail is also one kilometre in length, passing through a young forest and an old forest, with remarkable sights of towering trees.

The conservation area has washroom facilities if needed.

The gate at each parking lot opens daily at 8 a.m. and closes at sunset, so make sure to plan your day accordingly.

A peaceful journey awaits.