Dow’s Lake Pavilion

I rented a kayak with my boyfriend during a Monday afternoon.
There’s a lot of paid parking right across the street. It’s a maximum of 12 $ and it’s 3 $ per half hour.
The staff was not very accommodating. They seemed distracted and rushed, even though there were very few people.
It was a little confusing at first, since no one told us where to go and what to do after we have our ID. We just stood there waiting to ask someone, but all the employees seemed too busy to notice us.
Once we finally got our kayak, the outing was pretty fun. There was a nice breeze and there weren’t a lot of people on the water.
The water was pretty muggy, but the trip was still very nice, as the surrounding was very lush and green.
Overall, it was a fun trip!

We rented canoes on Dow’s Lake this Canada Day weekend. There were 6 of us, 3 of us to a canoe. The wait for the first canoe was approximately 45 minutes and the second followed soon after. Service was helpful and friendly. There appeared to be far more kayaks and paddleboats available so our wait would have been much shorter had we chosen them.
The experience was reasonable but unfortunately the food options at the Pavillion — Lago’s, Malone’s and Guadala Harry’s — leave much to be desired. The restaurants occupy prime real estate but are unfortunately quite unappealing or overpriced for what they offer. Rather than making the most of its captivating surrounds, they take the lazy approach relying on the constant stream of tourists and locals eager to take in a bit of nature in the middle of the city.
Visited July 2014

It’s hard not to be a fan of Dow’s Lake. A gathering spot for canoe and paddle boat enthusiasts in the summer, and a great starting point on the canal for skaters in the winter, this place is a hub for outdoorspeople.
As mentioned, they rent canoes, paddle boats and kayaks here, but it’s also a great spot to eat, with three venues (Lago, Malone’s and BAJA Grill) that all have excellent views of the canal.
If you’re coming to rent out any of their equipment, get in line as soon as you can. Boats can sell out quite quickly, and on a nice day, lineups can be quite long. Make sure to bring sunscreen, a water bottle and someone who knows what they’re doing! You do get lifejackets with your rental so no worries there.
Prices are pretty great — $ 15 for paddle boats, $ 16 for canoes, and single person kayaks for the first hour, then $ 8 for each hour after that. Two person kayaks are $ 20 and another additional $ 8 per hour.
Pro tip: be sure to keep your receipt and get them to validate it, as the only parking is in a paid lot across the street.

Dow’s Lake is a huge favorite of residents and tourists alike, particularly in the summer and winter months.
In the summer, it’s really popular amongst boaters. You can also rent kayaks, canoes, and paddle boats, all for reasonable prices. They provide life jackets, and they’re actually mandatory as far as I know, so don’t worry if you’re not a great swimmer or if you’re out there with your kids.
In the winter, this whole area turns into a skating rink, and is part of the famous Winterlude festival. They have sleigh rentals and skate rentals and sharpening close to the Pavillion on the ice.
They have a few bars, restaurants, and grills at the Pavillion, so if you ever get tired of the heat or cold outside, these places are great for taking a food and drink break with a beautiful view.

I worked on the Rideau Canal as a Skate Patroller for a season, so we were constantly in the Dow’s Lake Pavilion warming up and drinking hot chocolate when we reached that end of the canal. We mainly stayed around the skate sharpening area so that we could get back on the canal quickly if needed, but the staff were always friendly and welcomed us to hang around for a while.
I love their slogan «…where the only thing we overlook is the lake». It’s true, they have made the pavilion great for tourists and locals alike to enjoy the lake whether it be skating in the winter or doing water sports during the summer.
It’s also great to have restaurants here so after a long active day you can get something to eat (and drink!).

It’s not the depth of the lake that matters but the … OK, there’s really no metaphor I can use on this one.
Dow’s Lake is a hub for outdoor activities and when you’re finished them you have some indoor food (or beverage) options as well.
In the winter time this place is pretty busy with skaters and ice carvers (if it’s Winterlude) and restaurant patrons as there are three restaurants in the pavilion.
This is also one of the two places where you can rent ice skates to enjoy on the canal. For families this is probably the best place to start your canal adventure as there are more parking options at this location than downtown and the start of this skate is less crowded than downtown.
In the summer time this pavilion is even busier as boaters pull up to the docks to enjoy the restaurants or head further into the city. The lake also has fireworks on certain events and of course you can rent canoes and kayaks by the hour. IF you do take them out be careful in the stretch of canal from Bronson to Bank Street bridges — the canal is really narrow there and boat wake can get QUITE strong.

Dow’s Lake Pavilion offers many fun and healthy activities in the heart of Ottawa and their prices are actually very reasonable. In the winter, they’re the first (or last) lag of the Rideau Canal Skateway. They offer skate, sleigh and snow shoe rentals. If you’re an adult looking to skate for two hours, it will cost you $ 15 for skate rental, plus a $ 20 deposit with valid photo ID.
To be honest, I’m not much of a skater, so I’ve never been very interested in the pavilion’s winter offerings. In the summer, this is one of my favourite places to exercise, relax and enjoy Ottawa’s pretty scenery. For $ 15 an hour ($ 8 for every additional hour) you and a friend can rent a canoe and leisurely paddle down the Rideau Canal. If you’re looking for something more leisurely, rent a paddle boat ($ 13), go out into the lake, perhaps near the arboretum, and leisurely lay back in the sun and read a book or talk to your friends. Perhaps take a beer out there with you?
They also rent kayaks (one person, tandem and sea), inline skates and bikes. The prices are amongst the best I’ve seen and the scenery and Ottawa experience is more than worth the cost.