Inline Skating Ottawa: 10 Best Places for Roller Skating in 2024

Find the best inline skating opportunities in Ottawa. Discover the most beautiful places and follow the top routes on a map.

Inline skating Ottawa 1

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Inline skating is a low-impact exercise that can help reduce the risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and stroke. Ottawa offers numerous opportunities for inline skating to its residents. Our experts have taken some time out to discover various opportunities for roller skating available to the residents of Ottawa. 

This blog post will discuss some of the best roller skating destinations in Ottawa, along with their pros and cons. We have also listed some of the places to buy your gear. 

Do you want to improve your fitness? Check out our round-up for the best gyms in Ottawa and the best volleyball courts in Ottawa.   

Where to Buy Skates in Ottawa?

1. Online Stores

Several online stores ship roller skates across Canada, e.g., Low Life, Nitro Skates, Coffin Skate, Retro Roller, and Roller Girl. Check out the websites of more than one store before proceeding to checkout. 

If you want to buy your supplies from a physical store, the following stores have all that you need. 

Address: 787 Somerset St W #1/2, Ottawa, ON K1R 6R3, Canada, Map

The store sells a selection of wheels, skate park gear, and protective pads. The store also offers many affordable options for new skaters, including recreational skates for outdoor and rink skating/dancing. 

Address: 380 Industrial Ave, Ottawa, ON K1G 0Y9, Canada, Map 

The store offers a variety of sports apparel and gear. There is a good selection of inline skating gear, too. 

The Best Places to Roller Skate in Ottawa

Some of the most common types of roller skating are trail skating, quad roller skating, roller derby, and park skating. We will briefly describe each type and give our recommendations for the best ones for each type. 

What is trail skating?  

Trail skating is a great way to explore the outdoors while having exercise. It is done on unpaved surfaces such as gravel roads. You have to be aware of your surroundings and skate cautiously. Sometimes, there are obstacles like rocks, leaves, or water on the ground that could trip you. 

Some of the best places for trail skating in Ottawa are the following: 

Watts Creek Pathway

If you are looking for an inline skating track in Ottawa, Watts Creek Pathway is the best choice. It is a 9.3-kilometre trail west of Ottawa in the Shirleys Bay area. The pathway is part of the Capital Pathway network.

Pros

  • It is one of the best places in Ottawa for inline skating

Pros

  • The pavement is not so smooth.
Rideau Canal Pathway scaled

The Rideau Canal is a system of canals that stretches for around 200 kilometres. During the winter, it freezes and becomes the world’s largest ice rink. During warmer weather, you can trail skate along the canal for kilometres at a time. The canal is surrounded by parks, trees, and historical buildings. It is one of the best places to skate in Ottawa. 

If you are looking for a smoother patch along the canal, we recommend the area between Dows Lake and onward to Downtown Ottawa.

Pros

  • You can enjoy the beautiful scenery. 
  • This pathway offers a very long trail for skating. 
  • There are several shops along the way to stop and grab a snack. 
  • There are several water fountains to fill up your water bottles.  

Pros

  • Some places along the pathway are uneven. 
  • Keep an eye out for bird poop. 
  • There is a wooden bridge along the canal that is quite challenging on rollerblades. 

3. Central Ottawa

Central Ottawa

Central Ottawa is a great place for inline skating. Although the pathways are not very smooth, you can have a great time rollerblading with your friends and family in the heart of the town. 

Watch out for water on the roads. You can accidentally hydroplane on puddles. This might cause the bearings in your wheels to get wet and rust. The water can also damage the leather skates. Sometimes, these pathways are covered with bird poop. You need to keep an eye out for it. 

Pros

  • Explore the downtown on wheels. 

Pros

  • The pathways are frequently covered with water and bird poop. 
  • Sometimes, the pathways are quite crowded, so watch out for pedestrians. 

4. City Hall

City Hall

The slab outside the city hall is a great place to skate. It is mostly dry and free of bird poop. It is also very smooth and has accessible parking. If you fancy a snack after skating, this is the best place. There are several shops close by where you can grab something to eat. Sometimes, you can access the free wifi from City Hall and watch cool jams and roller dance videos.  

Pros

  • A relatively quieter and cleaner place to practice skating. 
  • It is a great place for beginners to practice skating. 
  • There are many shops close by. You can grab a quick snack after skating.  

Pros

  • The trail is not very long or challenging. 
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Vincent Massey Park

Address: Heron Rd, Ottawa, ON K1V 2E4, Map 

This urban family park is mostly used in the summers by families for picnics. You can easily access this park through Heron Road, as it is situated along the Rideau River. It has beautiful wooded paths for walking, rolling meadows and lush green grassy areas. The park is also a habitat for many animals. If you are looking for trail skating in a beautiful natural environment, this is the best choice.

Pros

  • A perfect place for family picnics. 
  • Benches and fireplace for BBQ. 
  • An ideal place for cycling, walking, biking, and roller skating sessions.
  • This place is within walking distance from Hogs Back Falls and the park.

Pros

  • You have to pay the parking fees. 
Westboro Beach

Address: 745 Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, Ottawa, ON K2B 5L7, Map 

This place is ideal for rollerblading because of its trail, which stretches between Westboro Beach and Britannia Beach along the Ottawa River. The skaters can enjoy a refreshing drink at the Britannia cafe along with the beautiful scenic views of the river.

The best time for rollerblading at Westboro Beach is early morning when the place is less crowded, and you can enjoy the beauty of nature to its fullest without interruptions. 

Pros

  • The visitors can enjoy a beautiful sunset and scenery at this park
  • It is a very family-friendly place. 

Pros

  • It becomes a very crowded place during the summer months. 

What is park skating? 

Park skating is a type of skating in which you perform tricks or stunts. This type of skating is for experienced skaters who already know how to skate and want to perfect their skills. 

Landsdowne Park is the best place to practice park skating in Ottawa. 

Landsdowne Park

Address: 1525 Princess Patricia Way, Ottawa, ON K1S 5J3, Canada, Map 

This park has a beautiful and separate area for skating, which is known as a skate park. You can safely perform all the stunts and tricks here.

Pros

  • A cafeteria for having a post-skate snack
  • Clean washrooms

Pros

  • This place is often very crowded. 

What is quad roller skating? 

It is a recreational form of skating that is done with the help of quad skates. These are specialized types of skates with four wheels. You can exercise and have fun at the same time with quad skates.  

Here are some places for quad roller skating in Ottawa:

4 Wheelies Ottawa Roller Skating Center scaled

Address: 1-1101 Baxter Rd Ottawa ont K2C 3Z3
Phone: 613-665-4444 
Map 

Are you into indoor inline skating in Ottawa?4 Wheelies Roller Skating Center is the best choice. It is a place where you can enjoy your skating with an amazing live jam session. This place has a wooden floor rink. You can have a fun-filled roller skating experience at this place under the supervision of professional instructors. 

Classes

This skating centre offers classes for all skill levels. All you have to do is just sign up for the classes and become a pro roller skater in no time. The Stress-Free Wednesday Class at this centre is all about skating and music. This midweek Wednesday class releases all the stress and the participants have an amazing roller skating experience with the Afro beats, Caribbean and Latin music.

Amenities

  • A Luxurious Restaurant and Bar: The restaurant offers a variety of menus which includes vegan and halal options too. The bar offers all your favourite drinks and cocktails.
  • Arcade games: These include all the classic games.
  • Rental skate/ lockers: You can always rent the 4 wheelies custom skates. The place has specialized digital lockers.
  • Pro shop: The Pro shop sells a wide range of skates and accessories, along with t-shirts and hoodies. You can even purchase all these items online.
  • A private party room: You can always host parties in our party rooms. These rooms have a large screen and a variety of food choices.

Pros

  • Highly qualified professional instructors.
  • The restaurant at this centre caters to all types of people. It has vegan and halal options, too.

Pros

  • None
ottawaquadsession

It is a not-for-profit club dedicated to recreational roller skating. The club is not restricted to seasons, nor is it bound by age, style, or skill level. Also known as Ottawa Quad Sessions, this club provides a platform for socialization, games, and workouts. On Friday nights, the club organizes a two-hour skating session at different locations. The skating enthusiasts can also enjoy the special roller-themed parties and other skating events organized by this Ottawa inline skating club.

Pros

  • The skaters can rent quad skates. 
  • They have specialized children-friendly indoor sessions. 

Pros

  • None
Don't let sports injuries hold you back
With physio & chiro treatments, we can help you get back to your active lifestyle.

From diagnosis to treatment and rehabilitation, we're here to support you every step of the way.

Dr. Maryam Hassanzadeh, D.C

Sports Specialist

Roller Derby

It is a fast-paced and aggressive game played by two teams with five skaters in each team. This game is very popular among the women. Ottawa has several roller derby leagues. 

Here is a list of places that offer Roller Derby in Ottawa:

Ottawa Roller Derby

It is Ottawa’s first roller derby league that offers skating lessons for people of all ages and skill levels. They have excellent classes, expert instructors, and a fun environment. 

If you are a beginner, you can attend a specifically designed seven-week crash course, “101 for Beginners,” to learn about the basics of roller derby. At level 2 of this course, the skaters participate in low-contact scrimmages. In level 3, the skaters can easily give and receive full-body hits and low and full contact bouts. If you are into “inline speed skating in Ottawa,” this is the best choice. 

Pros

  • A family-friendly environment where sportsmanship is valued.
  • Supportive and welcoming community.

Pros

  • None

Conclusion

Ottawa has multiple opportunities for inline skating lovers. They can enjoy their inline skating with picturesque views of Watts Creek and the Rideau Canal. The national capital has some of the finest indoor inline skating centers with lots of amenities, such as the 4 Wheelies Roller Skating Center. Skating lovers can also get the safety gear from the stores available in Ottawa, such as Rideau Rollers and Figure 8 Shop. Happy skating! 

Are you an athlete looking to get back in top shape, or are you recovering from an accident?

Book an appointment with our expert physiotherapists today. 

FAQS

The best and easiest way to skate is that the person should keep the body weight on the top of the skates. Always take small steps so that your feet don’t slip out from under you, and keep your speed moderate. Each time, you must try to move a bit faster as it boosts up your sense of balance with movement. The beginners can also get inline skating lessons in Ottawa. 

Inline skating is a type of skating in which a person uses a specialized type of skates. These skates usually have a row of wheels on the bottom of each skate. Inline skating is commonly referred to as rollerblading or just blading due to the popular brand of inline skates, Rollerblade 

One hour of inline skating can easily burn around 360 calories. The additional benefit of inline skating is that it turns fat into muscle. The person skating at a faster pace can even burn more calories per minute.

Skaters must always wear baggy clothes as these clothes are less restrictive as compared to tight clothes. Baggy clothes prove to be very comfortable and protective during frequent movements by the skaters.

The skaters must always buckle up their skates. They can always prevent scrapes by using knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards, as they provide cushion to the bones if a skater falls.