Nearly as important as the bike you are riding is the trail you are riding on.

Thankfully, Ottawa is home to nearly 1,000 kilometers of bicycle-friendly infrastructure, which means all kinds of options for finding a scenic, safe, and local paths to enjoy.

The National Capital Commission has produced a comprehensive interactive map that can help you visualize the options near you. However, there are a whole lot of options on that list, and we’d like to help you pick some of the best trails to get out and ride on.

Trans-Canada Trail

Let's begin with the Trans-Canada Trail. It's hard to beat this well-maintained scenic pathway that travels through all ten provinces and even has stretches in all three territories. But if that sounds too ambitious a trip, don’t worry—we are just going to focus on the Ottawa stretch.

The Capital Pathway is 25.7 km of paved pathway that starts near Bells Corners and travels up to and along the Ottawa River. It will take you past the Parliament buildings in downtown Ottawa, providing fantastic views of both nature along the river and the downtown core. As a bonus, it passes right by us at Teslica eBikes, so on your way down, drop in, check out the bikes, and say hi!

The Voyageurs Pathway

The other side of the scenic Ottawa River journey takes you past many of the same views on the Gatineau side, allowing you to get another angle on the Ottawa River and Parliament buildings.

Prescott-Russell Trail

We hear all about this trail from our customers constantly, so we knew we just had to include it. The Prescott-Russell Trail is 72 kilometers of former railway trail on the eastern border of Ottawa. Expect to be riding on well-maintained gravel, and make sure your battery is charged for a long trip!

Greenbelt Pathway East and West

Around 15 kilometers of paved and stone trail through the beautiful nature of the Ottawa Greenbelt. This trail can be easily combined with the Ottawa River Pathway since it joins up with that trail at the Rideau River.

Experimental Farm Pathway

This short 8.5-kilometer trail takes you through forest and field, ending at the Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum. A great little trip if you are in the area.

Osgoode-Leitrim Pathway

20 kilometers of multi-use pathway from the south of Ottawa to Osgoode. This trail benefits from a lot of tree cover, so if you are looking for some shade on your ride, this is a great option.

These are just some of the options available to you in Ottawa and the Ottawa area. There truly are hundreds of options for cycling in town. Hopefully, this little list inspired you to try something new. Hope to see you out on the path!