Crazy Horse Trail

Welcome to the Crazy Horse Trail, created and maintained by Friends of the Carp Hills under an agreement with the City of Ottawa.

The trail is open for hiking all-year round.

  • In winter the trail is suitable for snowshoeing. 
  • Due to pedestrian traffic and the terrain, the trail is not suitable  for cross-country skiing.
  • During the spring melt, the trail can be very muddy and wet.
Crazy Horse Trail trail markers in the Carp Hills.
Crazy Horse Trail in the Carp Hills.

Check our Facebook group for the latest trail information.

You can find all the information you need about the trail on this page.  To go directly to a specific topic, click on a link below.

Why Did We Create the Trail?
Important Information to Read Before You Visit the Trail.
Trail guide for smart phones. NEW!
Trail Guides and Map
Trailhead Location and Parking
DUC Property Extension
Trail Code
Dogs on the Trail

Why Did We Create the Trail?

People care about what they can experience.  We want people to enjoy the beauty of the Carp Hills and learn more about it.

An authorized trail like the Crazy Horse offers an environmentally sustainable way for people to hike, snowshoe, and be in nature for physical and mental well-being.  The trail is marked and maintained.  It has scenic lookouts.  There are maps and interpretive guides to promote learning.  The trail code encourages stewardship of the land and respect for others.

One of our founding goals in 2014 was to create an authorized trail near the village of Carp. (Read Our Manifesto.)

Under an agreement with the City of Ottawa, we opened a rugged trail in 2015 called the Crazy Horse Trail in honour of the old bar  that used to stand adjacent to the trailhead on March Road.  

The Crazy Horse Trail lies on 200 acres owned by the City of Ottawa.  It is surrounded by private land. Land owned by the City in the Carp Hills is part of the Carp Hills Municipal Nature Reserve.  It is governed by the City’s by-laws. 

There is no Crown land in the Carp Hills. Private landowners own over 75% of the land in the Carp Hills.

Read this information before you visit the trail.

Use the trail at your own risk.  You are responsible for your own safety.

Download a map.  This is the most important thing you can do.  Download a map to your smart phone or print a map and take it with you.  Cell phone coverage is not guaranteed.  People have got lost.  This is not an easy city trail.

Wear the right clothes.  The trail is narrow, rocky, rugged, and can be very slippery. It has raised  boardwalks, many exposed rocks, uneven terrain, and wet, muddy, or icy  areas. Hikers should be relatively fit and use appropriate footwear;  i.e. hiking boots with good ankle support.  Crampons are useful in winter.  Running shoes and sandals  are not suitable at any time of the year.

Be aware of ticks.  The Carp Hills are a tick hot spot.  Ticks are particularly prevalent in the spring and fall, but they are present all year round, even in winter on days above freezing where the ground is visible.  Staying on the trail reduces the likelihood of picking up ticks.

Be aware of poison ivy.  Poison ivy grows along some portions of the trail. 

Be aware of wildlife.  Bears, coyotes, and fishers frequent the trail area.

Be aware of hunting.  In the fall, there is hunting in the vicinity of the trail.  Wear orange to make yourself visible.

Contact us to report trail issues.  We do our best to maintain the trail, but trees come down regularly,  vegetation rapidly grows into the trail during the summer, and trail markers fall off. 

Crazy Horse Trail Guide for smart phones. NEW.

October 2023. Our new GPS-enabled interpretive guide for smart phones has 16 points of interest to help you to understand and appreciate the land around you. Learn about salamanders, beavers, carnivorous plants, and the one billion year old bedrock under your feet.

Find our how to download it.

Trail Guides and Map

We have prepared a downloadable, two page Trail Guide (PDF) with a code of use, safety points, and a map of the Crazy Horse Trail.  You are asked to observe the trail use guidelines and respect this natural area.  Lichen and mosses on rock outcrops can take years to grow, so please stay on the trail:  take only photos and leave only footprints or ski tracks.


We’ve developed an Interpretive Guide (PDF) to the trail, which provides information about the natural history and ecology of the trail area.  Learn about what you are seeing as you traverse the Precambrian Shield terrain.

An Abridged Interpretive Guide (PDF) is also available for download.

Crazy Horse Trail map in the Carp Hills.
Crazy Horse Trail. Main trail in orange. Side trails in yellow. Trail extension on Ducks Unlimited Canada property in blue. (Map image from Google Earth).
Trailhead Location and Parking

The trail is 6.2 km in length, which includes the loop around the beaver pond and return, but not the side trails. It is accessed on the northwest side of March Road at the intersection with Huntmar. The first 760m is on a narrow strip of City-owned land that runs parallel to a rough and uneven road allowance shared with snowmobiles. Private property and houses run on the left and right sides.  The trail overlaps with the road allowance at the end of this section; please respect the private property boundaries and let snowmobiles pass.

Crazy Horse Trailhead by Friends of the Carp Hills.
Crazy Horse Trailhead
Crazy Horse Trail boardwalk in the Carp Hills.
Boardwalk over wetlands on the Crazy Horse Trail.

After the first 750m, the trail turns left (southwest) onto a 200 acre parcel owned by the City.   The main trail is marked with orange tree markers. A side loop near the beginning of the trail is marked with yellow trail markers.
An out-and-back 500 meter side trail is accessed on the south side of the loop around the beaver pond. Scenic lookouts are marked with blue markers.

Parking, Crazy Horse Trail, Friends of the Carp Hills
Parking location at the trailhead.

Parking is limited to a narrow strip adjacent to the trailhead. You can park in the orange strip shown in the adjacent map. Click on the image to enlarge it.

If you park on private property, you run the risk of being towed.

DUC Property Trail Extension

In February 2021, Ducks Unlimited Canada authorized an extension of the Crazy Horse Trail on their conservation property. The 1.7 km loop crosses a mix of terrain: deciduous forest, swamp and marsh, and rocky uplands typical of the Carp Hills. This is a pedestrian only trail.

Trail marker on DUC loop in the Carp Hills.
DUC trail marker.

The trail uses green and white trail markers with the DUC logo.

Creation and marking of new trails is strictly prohibited to protect ecologically sensitive areas.

Friends of the Carp Hills have a stewardship agreement with DUC to help them manage and monitor the property.

See DUC’s Carp Hills web page for more information.

See our information about DUC’s conservation property, including background on its acquisition and management plan.

Trail Code

Please respect this special place: minimize your impact on the landscape and wildlife to conserve it for future generations.

  • Please stay on the trail. The trail is adjacent to private property in many areas. Do not trespass.
  • Your dog must be on-leash.
  • Pick up and take out all waste. It’s unsightly and it fouls water with pathogens that can transmit diseases to wildlife.
  • Don’t collect or damage plants and flowers, which may be rare. Lichens and plants on rock outcrops are particularly fragile.
  • Camping and fires are not permitted. The forest can be tinder dry in summer months. Fire has swept through the Hills in recent memory.
  • Please do not move rocks or create cairns. Rocks provide habitat for many animals like snakes, amphibians, and even bats.
  • Geocaches that are located away from trails, or that cause damage to trees or other City assets are subject to removal without notice.
Dogs on the Trail – Be a Considerate and Responsible Owner

The Crazy Horse Trail lies on City of Ottawa land. The City allows dogs on the trail, but they must be on-leash in accordance with the City’s By-law 2003-77.

Provincial regulations prohibit dogs running at large in areas frequented by deer and other large game.

Dogs on-leash on the Crazy Horse Trail in the Carp Hills.
Dogs on-leash on the Crazy Horse Trail.
  1. Your dog must be on-leash and under control at all times.
  2. You must pick up and haul out the poop. It’s unsightly for other trail users and it washes into the wetlands.
  3. Your dog must remain on the trail with you to protect the habitat.
  4. It’s not just your dog on the trail; it’s many dogs a day.  Dogs bring non-native seeds into an area on their paws.  They pee repeatedly and poop.  Keep their impact and yours on the trail.
  5. Your dog must be friendly to people and other dogs.  Some people are afraid of dogs or don’t want to be jumped on by your dirty-pawed dog. If you see other people approaching, hold your dog to the side until they pass. It’s the polite thing to do.
  6. Your dog must not harass wildlife.

Read our article Dogs in Natural Areas for more information about the research of dog impact.

Volunteers helping with maintenance of the Crazy Horse Trail in the Carp Hills.