Vincent Massey Park (Gay Cruising Area)

It's a nice park. I was there for the Dragon Boat Festival and I loved watching it. There was lots of things to check out. Would reccomend.

Just parked and went for a long fall hike.Excellent facilities...washrooms are still open and very clean and well lit.

I walked through the park, just past mid-October. Foliage was just past the peak, but still very nice at this time of year. The park was pretty empty even on a nice Saturday afternoon, since summer picnic season was well over. Bathrooms were still open, and very clean and well-lit by natural light. If you're strolling along the bike path on the East side of the river (or biking), you can take in the sights as you pass through. Or, you can plan a picnic in the park (in season), but as others have pointed out, you should note that no dogs are allowed in any of the picnic areas.

I went there during the Summer Soltstice Indigineous Festival and thought it would make a perfect picnic area. There are picnic tables and barbecue pits, wheelchair accesible wasrooms and you are right next to the Rideau river . Book early for a picnic in the summer (suggest April). Parking is not very expensive but be careful to park in the right area becasue there are parking spots that are connected to the governement building next to it. The bathroom pavilion is solar powered and its roof is designed to capture rainwater for non-drinkable use. The award-winning Massey Pavilion, built in 1957 by Hart Massey is beautiful. True, there are no dogs or alcoholic beverages allowed in picnic area but believe me - that is what you want in a picnic park uness you love irritating noise, dog feces and vomit on the grass.

Biking along the trail that follows the Rideau River my wife and I came across this large park! What struck me was the number of picnic tables and wondered why so many . This was a week day and there were only a few people using the park but we were told that it is extensively used by many of the culture communities on the week ends! The following week end we biked by there and sure enough it was full of people with sounds of music everywhere. We dropped in on a group of people from the local Nicaraguan community ..music, bbq, singing..it was festive scene which was played throughout this large park . The park well treed not only has many picnic tables but has a band shell, several picnic shelters and BBQ pits...beautiful rustic scene along the river for the locals and visitors to enjoy alike. Its part of the Green Belt ,that this city has done an excellent job to preserve for its citizens and visitors!

A somewhat large and often overlooked green space within Ottawa. It forms a part of the green space that stretches north from the arboretum to include Hog's Back Falls and the stretches of the canal and the Rideau River. There are some easy walks, but to visit the whole park would take some time. For those in Ottawa for more than a couple of days, they might want to visit this area to see how nature is incorporated into the city.

We came here to celebrate a friends 1 year old birthday party... Nice picnic area, but most guests all had dogs and weren't allowed to bring them! There are nearby trails to walk that are ok to have your dog on a leash, but most of the park, and all picnic areas are clearly labeled no dogs whatsoever, and threaten a minimum $100 fine for violation.

It is a meeting place for different communities of Ottawa, also a place where companies are having their get together. It is a nice park but lately not too much taken care of.

Located on the Rideau River across from Carleton, this is a wonderful park for picnics - especially big ones. There is lots of open green space for games, two covered picnic shelters and many sites that can be reserved, as well as ample areas for drop-in picnickers. It has bbq stands. There are fantastic bathroom facilities for a park. It has large stands of mature trees, and even a bandstand. It is accessible by the bike path as well as by car, from Heron Rd. What a wonderful spot for an old-time family picnic!