11 Aug, 2019
Hike to Eagle’s Nest Lookout, Calabogie
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Ottawa|Recipes and Food
I’m posting this today in case you are looking for something to do that includes a good drive, good food, good views, and a good hike. Spoiler alert: This outing covers all of those things!
Last weekend Mark and I drove to the Calabogie area to check out the trail to Eagle’s Nest Lookout. It’s been on my Ottawa bucket list forever and I’m happy to say we did it.
It takes about an hour to get there and it’s a pretty drive through the Ottawa Valley (anyone who ever went for Sunday drives as a kid will appreciate where I’m coming from.) There are a few restaurants in Calabogie and since we were arriving around lunch we opted for the Redneck Bistro. I knew we’d find something good on the menu – honestly, there is something for everyone here – and it had a ton of great reviews on Trip Advisor, so it was a pretty much a done deal.
There is an outdoor patio but we opted for indoor AC as it was a hot day.
Mark ordered a burger and fries (SO.MANY.FRIES.) and I chose the crispy spicy chicken sandwich in wrap format with a side salad. The sandwich was very good and the salad was surprisingly sophisticated for a place called the Redneck Bistro.
It was exactly what I needed. It’s worth noting that there is a good beer menu here as well, but since we were heading out for a hike I didn’t think that a lunchtime pint was a very good idea.
I repointed our GPS to Eagle’s Nest lookout trail but we saw signs for it along the road before we got to our final destination point. There were other cars parked along the road so pulled over and took this route too. (I’m assuming there are multiple places to park and reach the lookout.)
There’s a large sign at the beginning of the trail. Eagle’s Nest Lookout is part of the Manitou Mountain Trail Network, which is 9 km long. Eagle’s Nest is a 1.5 km segment of the larger trail network and, according to the sign, takes 25 minutes to hike in one direction. (This estimate was fairly accurate.)
I would also like to mention the Eagle’s Nest trail is dog-friendly! Dogs are allowed here, and we saw quite a few. We also spotted some other creatures, including this guy, who was imitating a cobra, but not nearly so dangerous:
Happily, the trail wasn’t as steep as I expected, which is great considering there was a massive plate of food in my belly. In fact, I thought we made a wrong turn because we were actually going downhill at one point. Overall, I’d say it’s a relatively easy hike although proper footwear is key since the path is rocky in parts. Bring water too!
The trail is clearly marked and if you stick to the main path, which is very obvious, you won’t get lost (this is always a fear of mine).
You will be at the lookout before you know it!
It’s important to note that this is a sacred site, so please be respectful. When you reach the top, take a moment to take a few deep breaths and express your gratitude to the god of your choosing.
You made it. Isn’t it great to be alive?
