Driftwood Provincial Park

Sitting on the banks of a lake-calm section of the Ottawa River, an hour upstream from the river’s monster rapids and across the river from the mouth of Quebec’s famous Dumoine River, Driftwood is all about getting on the water. The Ottawa River campsites are sandy waterfront, perfect for swimming or launching a kayak or canoe. Plus, you can access the park’s 14 kilometres of hiking trails right from the campgrounds.

Things to do: Head downriver to Pembroke and hop aboard a commercial raft for a run down the world-famous Ottawa River rapids. Whitewater kayakers and canoeists can drive over to Quebec and run a section of the Dumoine River, or paddle the Dumoine right down to the Ottawa and then back to camp. Flatwater paddlers should explore the shoreline around the park and head across the river to the mouth of the Dumoine, where it cascades into the Ottawa. This is also lake country—there are plenty of water bodies to paddle, including those in nearby Algonquin Provincial Park. Or you could give your upper body a break and hike the short Oak Highland Trail to a lookout over the Ottawa River.

On scorchers, hit the Laurentian View Dairy, about a half hour south of the park, for primo ice cream.