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Ottawa in Autumn

The annual explosion of colour in Gatineau Park, Quebec, is called Fall Rhapsody. In October, 2001, we were fortunate enough to be in Ottawa to see the autumn colours at their finest. From October 9^th to the 12^th Joe had meetings, and on the weekend we explored the area and soaked up all the beautiful sights.

On Saturday, October 13^th, we drove to Gatineau Park, just across the border in Quebec. Gatineau Park is run by the National Capital Commission and is full of walking trails, lookouts, picnic areas and lakes. The roads through the park cut through the forest and the colours of maples, birch, oak and other trees were stunning. Although it was foggy, it was a warm day and we managed to get a lot of wonderful pictures of the area. We first drove along the Gatineau Parkway as far as Champlain Lookout. From here you can get a spectacular view of the Ottawa River Valley. Along the parkway we passed Pink Lake, Bourgeois Lake and several other lookouts and picnic areas. We saw a fox, heard lots of birds and watched the leaves fall gracefully from the trees.

After we took a wrong turn and ended up in the city of Hull (where we saw a beautiful old stone church surrounded by colourful trees), we drove back to the park and decided to visit Mackenzie King Estate. William Lyon Mackenzie King became the Prime Minister of Canada in 1921 and held that position for 22 years. He was the longest running Prime Minister in Canadian history. His estate, where at first he spent his summers and later retired, was left to the Canadian people in his will. He first built cottages near Kingsmere Lake, and lived in them until he bought more land and built a larger cottage called Moorside. The first cottages, at Kingswood, were then used as guest cottages. Today you can tour the cottages and there is a tea room at Moorside. We had a light lunch there and then explored part of the estate’s grounds.

As you can imagine, autumn is beautiful at the estate. The pathway leading from Moorside to Kingswood is lined with trees, and signs tell you a bit about the estate’s history. With the leaves changing colour and covering the ground, it seemed to be a favorite place for people to visit. The estate was busy with visitors and many artists had their paintings on display under the trees for sale. We saw the gardens (which must be beautiful in summer) and L’Arc de Triomphe, which King built to celebrate one of his political wins. We missed the ruins, however, and we did not walk to the lake. There was just so much to see and we still had more of Gatineau Park that we wanted to visit.

So we left Mackenzie King Estate and drove on to Meech Lake. Of course, every Canadian has heard of Meech Lake, but I was not aware that it was such a large and beautiful area. A narrow road takes you along one side of the lake and many people have cottages and summer homes along the lake. There are a few places where you can stop, such as rest areas and beaches. The fog had started to lift and we could see the trees’ colours reflected in the lake.

By this time it was getting late and we decided to head back to our hotel in Ottawa. Along the way we made a detour to the Casino de Hull, just to take pictures of the outside. We did not go inside, but the outside was impressive, with fountains and trees lining the road and a beautiful garden showing its fall colours.

On Sunday we explored Ottawa and saw more of the beautiful autumn colours. We walked around the grounds of Rideau Hall, the residence of Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. The grounds are meticulously kept and the brightly coloured leaves that covered the ground were beautiful. There were still some roses blooming in the rose garden and we saw several squirrels scampering around. You could spend hours walking around the grounds, looking at the sculptures and other works of art, reading the plaques by the trees that were planted by visiting dignitaries or just relax on one of the many benches.

After we left Rideau Hall we walked around the area of the Rideau Falls and Rideau River. We saw people canoeing in the river and listened to the falls as they crashed into the water below. We saw Mallards feeding in the river and even saw a cormorant swimming and diving. The view across the Ottawa River to the cities of Hull and Gatineau was beautiful with the fall foliage creating picture perfect views.

Of course, you don’t even have to venture outside of downtown Ottawa to see spectacular autumn sights. The Byward Market teems with fall colours in the form of produce from local farms. Pumpkins, gourds, corn, broccoli, tomatoes and many other vegetables fill the market stalls. The selection is wonderful, the prices amazing and there are even flowers for your dinner table.

Ottawa also has a lot of green space downtown and several parks with huge trees that are beautiful when dressed in their fall colours. Major’s Hill Park and Confederation Park are two areas to enjoy the sights, and the colourful trees contrasted with the brick buildings on Parliament Hill make for a lovely view. The Rideau Canal, Chateau Laurier Hotel and The National Art Gallery are all beautiful backdrops to nature’s beauty and the Fall Rhapsody makes Ottawa and surrounding area a beautiful place for a visit, especially in autumn.

-Karen Chappell

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