The whole corridor
Every town on the 7
Nineteen stops from Ottawa to Peterborough — each with its own guide to what's worth pulling over for.
On the highway
East to west — distances from downtown Ottawa. km 0 Ottawa The eastern bookend — where the drive begins. Town page km 50 Carleton Place Mississippi River town and the corridor's on-ramp. Town page km 85 Perth The anchor of the corridor — stone heritage, good food, and a park worth a picnic. Town page km 105 Maberly A hamlet on the highway with a provincial park beach at one end and two working halls behind it. Town page km 120 Sharbot Lake The midpoint — two lakes, trail junction, and the heart of cottage country. Town page km 150 Kaladar The crossroads — small on the map, big as a gateway. Town page km 165 Actinolite The hamlet named after a mineral, where Highway 37 meets the 7. Town page km 190 Madoc Gold-rush history and a proper bakery-and-diner stop. Town page km 205 Marmora The mine lookout — the corridor's most underrated five-minute stop. Town page km 230 Havelock Gateway to the Kawartha Highlands — and forever Jamboree country. Town page km 240 Norwood Quiet most of the year, enormous on Thanksgiving weekend. Town page km 270 Peterborough The western bookend — canoes, the Lift Lock, and the Kawarthas beyond. Town page
Just off the 7
Side-road towns worth the detour. ↳ 20 min south — Hwy 43 from Perth, or Hwy 15 from Carleton Place Smiths Falls The Rideau Canal's working heart — locks, trains, and a chocolate factory's second life. Town page ↳ 25 min north of Maberly on the Elphin road McDonalds Corners A volunteer-run Ag Hall up the Elphin road, with a Sunday market all summer and a fair in its 172nd year. Town page ↳ 3 min south of the 7 on Mountain Grove Road, west of Sharbot Lake Mountain Grove The Olden war memorial, the village hall, and the Long Lake Road run down to Parham. Town page ↳ 5 min south of the 7, west of Kaladar Arden A hamlet on Big Clear Lake with more artists than intersections. Town page ↳ north of the 7 on Henderson Road, past Arden Henderson A pocket-sized hamlet in the lake country north of the 7. Town page ↳ 15 min north of Kaladar on Hwy 41 Northbrook The Land O' Lakes service hub — and the best stock-up before Bon Echo. Town page ↳ Flinton Road — off Hwy 41 north of Kaladar, or 23 km up the same road from Actinolite Flinton Billa Flint's other village — a waterfall and mill ruins in the middle of town. Town page ↳ 10 min south of Actinolite on Hwy 37 Tweed Stoco Lake, a very small jail, and the most persistent Elvis sightings in Canada. Town page