Ontario is a vast province filled with history, small towns, big cities, vast wilderness and plenty of adventures to be had. The Ottawa Valley is home to us and a region in the Ontario Highlands between the Ottawa River and Algonquin Park - with 6 million acres to explore there is no shortage of adventure. In this mini series I will be highlighting a few road trip guides to help you discover some of the wonders of the Ottawa Valley, today's focus is: Eganville.
Eganville is located on the Bonnechere River where Highway 41 and Highway 60 intersect. The first resident was a man named Gregoire Belanger in 1825, he built the first lumber shanty on the Bonnechere river he sold the area to James Wadsworth in 1826 who then sold the area to the town's namesake John Egan who's grist mill stimulated the towns growth.
Eganville is also known as the Ordovician Fossil Capital of Canada with fossils in the area dating back to 500 million years ago - before dinosaurs!
Distance from Petawawa: 36 minutes
Distance from Ottawa: 1h25 minutes
Distance from Toronto: 3h 56 minutes
Our families favourite things to do:
- Grab coffee & a chocolate chip cookie from Fifth Chute Coffee located at 291 Bridge Street (home of the best chocolate chip cookie in the Ontario Highlands according to me)
- Walk the streets of Eganville. Pop into shops, admire the river, checkout the Bonnechere Museum open Victoria Day weekend to Labour Day weekend cost $5/adult $2.50/child aged 4-11, under 3 is free!
- Visit Eganville's Centennial Park. located in the heart of downtown. Park at Eganville's Tourist Information Centre at 38 Bonnechere St. Walk across the foot bridge over the Bonnechere River and watch the kids play at the playground while you sip your coffee from Fifth Chute!
- Walk the Geoheritage trail - guided tours are offered by the Museum every Saturday during the Summer at 1:30pm or you can take a self guided tour anytime where you will explore: the old railbed, a fossil pit, scenic lookouts, a riverside walk, a limestone trench as well an old limestone quarry from the 1800's
- Bonnechere Caves - a true gem of the Ottawa Valley. Take a tour through the natural cave system, hike on site trails and view the scenic Fourth Chute Waterfalls located just across the bridge. If you would like a tour of the caves admission is $19/adults, $17/seniors, $14/youth (13-17 years), $13/children (4-12) & kids under 4 are free!
- Finally finish your day off at one of the town's incredible restaurants! The Granary is a personal family favourite - a local schnitzel house with affordable prices, incredible flavours and something on the menu for everyone.. be sure to save room for the Apple Strudel for dessert, I dream about it!
Above: Fourth Chute Falls located across from the Bonnechere Caves
Need a place to stay? There are plenty of unique AirBNB's in the area for you to choose from!
Egan Inn - 4 unique rooms located directly above Fifth Chute Coffee with views of the Bonnechere River https://www.fifthchute.com/inn
Deacon Escarpment - Secluded cabins in the forest.. heaven on earth! 4 cabin's, 3 of them are hike in or shuttle in only to offer you the most seclusion and connection to nature https://deaconescarpment.ca/
Sands on Golden Lake - rooms, cabins and cottages located right on the beach.. what more could you want? https://www.sandsongoldenlake.com/
Below: Goodies from Fifth Chute Coffee, Pedestrian Bridge to Centennial Park, Rock formations at Bonnechere Caves
