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 Andrew Haydon Park - Ottawa, Ontario Posted by:  MAPSIT
N 45° 20.980 W 075° 49.095
18T E 435902 N 5022120
One of Ottawa, Ontario's larger, family-oriented parks
Waymark Code: WMKPWP
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 05/13/2014
Views: 15
Location: The official address for Andrew Haydon Park is 3127 Carling Avenue, but the main entrance, and the sign for the park, is 3169 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario. The park lies on the south bank of the Ottawa River in western Ottawa, between the neighbourhoods of Bayshore on the east, and Crystal Beach on the west. An official city park sign bearing the 3169 Carling Avenue address appears at the park’s primary vehicular entrance at the intersection of Carling Avenue and Holly Acres Road. There is also a vehicular entrance and parking lot near the east end of the park, near its water park facilities, and the 3127 Carling Avenue address. There are also multiple pedestrian entries, including two tunnels that run across/underneath Carling Avenue, and others at the ends of the park.
Description: Andrew Haydon Park is a relatively large Ottawa park, stretching for roughly a kilometer in its longest dimension – east north-east to west south-west along Carling Avenue, and roughly 300 meters across between Carling Avenue and the Ottawa River. The park is named for Andrew Haydon, a historically popular previous reeve (roughly the equivalent of a mayor) of the City of Nepean, which contained the park before Nepean was annexed into the City of Ottawa in 2001. Besides the Ottawa River to the north, the park includes multiple streams, two interior mini-lakes, and a pump-fed waterfall, Keeley Falls. With all the water, the park includes a variety of pedestrian bridges connecting its several paved paths. During the summer there are radio-controlled model sailboat trials and races on a course marked by buoys on one of the internal mini-lakes. As well, several of the park’s benches and tables are situated to allow good views of the boat traffic on the Ottawa River. A portion of the Trans-Canada (hiking) Trail runs through Andrew Haydon Park.
Andrew Haydon Park is a very popular riverside park containing a wide variety of facilities and attractions. Three different parking lots serve different portions of the park. Andrew Haydon Park is oriented to family activities more than to sports. Given this focus, the park sees relatively little usage during the Canadian winter, during which its several parking lots are not plowed, and vehicular access is blocked. Facilities include a children’s waterpark and changing rooms, many picnic tables and benches, a picnic pavilion, multiple children’s play structures, a “moated” band shell, permanent BBQs, a snack bar, and restroom facilities. A number of open space lawns provide opportunities for family activities such as sunbathing, picnicking, playing catch or touch football, as well as informal soccer matches without benefit of regulation goal structures. Given the large numbers of pedestrians that may be present at times, including small children, bicycles must be walked, rather than ridden, through most of the park, though these regulations are regularly ignored.
The combination of ample open water, and abundant summer picnickers and trash cans means that Andrew Haydon Park is also a popular spot for ring-billed gulls and Canada Geese, leading to regular fouling of the park’s lawns and paths. Signs, largely ignored, discourage feeding the wildlife. A popular summer activity among smaller children is to run noisily into a flock of seagulls or geese to scatter them into flight.
Andrew Haydon Park appears in the City of Ottawa's official database of municipal parks, and is searchable on Google Earth, and Google Maps, with several images of the park available via the latter’s Street View feature.
Name: Andrew Haydon Park
Street Location: 3169 Carling Avenue
Local Municipality: Ottawa
State/Province, etc.: Ontario
Country: Canada
Web Site: [Web Link]
Memorial/Commemoration: Andrew Haydon, a prominent local politician
Date Established: Unknown
Picnic Facilities: Picnic tables, benches, covered pavillion, permanent BBQs, snack bar
Recreational Facilities:
Multiple children's playground structures, open lawns.
Monuments/Statues: None
Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): None
Fountains: Water aeration fountains at times in the summer
Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: Two mini-lakes, border with the Ottawa River, pump-fed waterfall, internal streams/bridges
Special Events: Concerts at the band shell, occasional community fairs
Traditional Geocaches:
None
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Visit Instructions:
One photo of the park that is a different view from the one on the page, and give the date and description your visit.
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