Mer Bleue Conservation Area

A 3,500 Ha Peat Bog, One Of The Largest In Southern Canada And A Ramsar Wetland, With A Boardwalk, Cranberry And Pitcher Plants, Birds, Cross Country Skiing And A Cycling Path. A Wild Stretch Of Boreal Wetland At The Edge Of Ottawa · Ottawa, Ontario

Mer Bleue Conservation Area protects a vast peat bog on the eastern edge of Ottawa, in the Greenbelt about 15 km from downtown (confirm). The bog covers around 3,500 ha and is one of the largest of its kind in southern Canada, a Ramsar wetland that grew over some eight thousand years in a hollow left by the ancient Champlain Sea (confirm). A boardwalk of about a kilometre leads out over sphagnum moss to leatherleaf, Labrador tea, pitcher plants and stunted black spruce and tamarack. Birds sing from the edges, and in autumn cranberries redden the moss and the tamaracks turn gold. Gravel trails circle the bog for walkers and cyclists, and in winter the area becomes a ski and snowshoe landscape. The National Capital Commission manages the land. There is little shade on the boardwalk, and mosquitoes are thick in June. Services are limited to parking lots, trailheads and a few signs, so bring water and snacks from the city.

Mer Bleue Conservation Area, a large peat bog on the eastern edge of Ottawa near Anderson Road, in the Greenbelt about 15 km from downtown; coordinates approximate, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The conservation area is open daily from dawn to dusk in all seasons and the trails have no gate, though the parking lots may be plowed only in winter and some roads close in spring thaw (confirm hours and lot access). The boardwalk is usable year round when not iced, and winter brings snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on trails groomed after snowfall (confirm). Mosquitoes and deer flies are worst from late May to early July, plants bloom from May to July, and autumn colour peaks in the middle of October. Daylight shortens quickly from September.

Mer Bleue Conservation Area on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos