Pretoria to Fifth

Background

It started with hand shovels. On January 18, 1971, the NCC's chairman sent a crew out to clear the first 5 km of ice by hand -- and the world's largest naturally frozen skating rink was born (yes, that's an actual Guinness World Record). Today it stretches 7.8 km, and the NCC won't open a single metre of it until ice at all 24 checkpoints measures at least 30 cm thick, checked twice a day. Stop by Dow's Lake for a BeaverTail -- they've been part of the tradition since 1981. Hoping for elbow room? In 2021 the NCC's own advice was to come during the week and skip the 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. rush; that February the busiest entrances were Dow's Lake and Mackenzie King.

Sources: History of the Rideau Canal Skateway, From 0.0 to 7.8: A Trip Down the Rideau Canal Skateway, Largest naturally frozen ice rink (temporary) - Guinness World Records, The Rideau Canal Skateway: Creating the World's Largest Skating Rink, Looking to get outdoors in Ottawa? Avoid these busy times on the Rideau Canal and other NCC assets -- Global News (Feb 2021)

A short stretch of skating at under a kilometre — enough for a quick out-and-back rather than a long haul.