L'îles Pétrie - Petrie Islands - Rivière Outaouais river - Ottawa Petrie Island is located on the Ottawa River, in the eastern part of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is accessed from Highway 174 (The Queensway) at Trim Road. If you are in downtown Ottawa, take Highway 417 east until "the split". Keep left at the split onto 174, which is still a four-lane limited-access highway that leads into Orleans. The first traffic light you will encounter is at Trim Road, at which you should turn left. Petrie Island boasts two large public beaches on the north-east corner of the island. One is the North Beach or River Beach, the other is the East Bay Beach. Public parking for 320 vehicles is provided (parking fee is $2 for 5 hours, 7:00-18:00, 7 days a week). The beaches are operated by the City of Ottawa and are supervised by lifeguards Parking costs $2 for 5 hours There is also a picnic area near the interpretation center. It includes more shade trees than the main beach, as well as picnic tables and a shelter. It too has a sandy beach which is supervised. The picnic area is a great place to bring small children during the week. Gas barbeques are permitted in the picnic area, but not on the main beach. Please, no charcoal hibachis, there is no place to safely dispose of the hot coals. Open fires are not permitted. Approximately 30 picnic tables are in the picnic area, available from May to October. Several are left year round. The area operates on a first-come first-served basis. The public beach provides a great place to swim in the Ottawa River. During the summer lifeguards are present from noon to 7 pm. There is organized beach volleyball almost every weekend during the summer Volleyball net rentals: $14.50 per hour or $49.50 per day. Inquire at the Lifeguard office. There are many kilometers of nature trails on Petrie. Even when there are thousands of people at the beach, the nature trails remain surprisingly tranquil. You can rent peddle boats and kayaks from the Petrie Island Bait and Tackle Shop, located on the main access road, just down the hill from the Queensway. PIOC is a club of outdoors enthusiasts based at Petrie. They organize weekly paddles, hikes, skiing, and other outdoor events. Visit the PIOC web site for more information. The Friends of Petrie Island would like to invite children ages 2-5 or 6-12 to attend the Petrie Island Junior Naturalist program. Children accompanied by an adult will spend a fun hour and a half becoming Junior Naturalists by participating in various hands-on activities; hikes, crafts, games, songs. The cost is a nominal $2. Many people like to fish along the causeway where the river passes under the main access road. We ask that you do not fish on the public beach or on the turtle pond. You can purchase bait and lures or rent a boat at the Petrie Island Bait and Tackle Shop. During the winter, ice fishing is very popular in the bay to the east of the main beach; huts can be rented. The Friends of Petrie Island have built a nature center in an old cottage near the picnic area. It contains samples of nature found on Petrie, nature books, and facts on Petrie. Natural and historical information and notice boards are provided to educate the public on various aspects of the island. Although motor boats are not permitted inside the waterways of Petrie Island, it is still a good place from which to explore the Ottawa River. For a small fee, you can launch your trailered boat at the Petrie Island Bait and Tackle Shop, run by Yves Grandmaitre. Approximately 30 picnic tables are in the picnic area to the west of the main beach, available from May to October. Several are left year round. The picnic tables are used on a first come basis, but group reservations are available. Production JAMFROSS

• published: 08 Sep 2013
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