Behind Parliament Hill?

I'm thinking of taking my family out in our tandem kayak on the Ottawa River behind the Hill to watch the fireworks on Canada Day.

Has anyone tried this before? Or have thoughts of safety at that spot?

I was told that launching from marina on the Hull side is okay, but I'd rather launch from Ottawa because I have a parking spot right down by the river, behind the National Library.

Can't be done, boats are banned from that area prior and during the fireworks. You can get fairly close just to the east of the bridge, but it is jammed with hundreds and hundreds of power boats. Paddling around there during the day is OK on a normal day, but there may be lots and lots of boat traffic on July 1. There are some interesting currents in the area below parliament that can certainly be challenging to inexperienced paddlers. Lac Leamy is a nice place to launch, you can paddle out to the Gatineau and then a short trip up to the Ottawa from there.

I'm not keen on dodging drunken powerboaters in the dark, so I think we'll stay on dry land for this one.

Thanks for the advice.

Is it possible to circumnavigate Parc Lac Leamy by going on the creek under the highway and Blvd Fournier?

That is, can you get to the Ottawa from the lake without going on the Gatineau River? I'm looking on Google maps but it's hard to tell.

There was a time it could be done, but not anymore. At high water as I recall the end of the creek brings you to within about 20 feet. But it's a bunch of large rocks on the lake side so the option of just lifting over is not very attractive.

I agree with every one else. Not recommended... Too many drunken sailors!

Ref: Lac Leamy .

No. I have recently paddled this and they closed it off when they built the new casino. All traffic is controlled threw the opening on the gatineau river.