Throughout this summer, CTV News Ottawa is exploring eastern Ontario and showing off hidden gems in the region to give you ideas for day trips that can be done on a single tank of gas. Located deep underground, tucked away in a quiet corner of Renfrew County, are the Bonnechere Caves. “We have our cave system that goes through a bed of limestone that formed during the Ordovician time period, hundreds of millions of years ago,” says tour guide Lucas Rosandic. The Bonnechere Caves are located along the Bonnechere River, between the communities of Douglas and Eganville. The drive from downtown Ottawa is roughly 125 kilometres and would take 1.5 hours. This is a one-of-a-kind, family-friendly experience in eastern Ontario that can be enjoyed rain or shine and can turn anyone into an official cave explorer. “We take folks on guided tours. You go underground, see the wonders of geology that’s taken thousands of years to form, and you’ll hear the story of the first gentleman to come exploring through this cave system here in the 1950s,” says Rosandic. With admission $25 for adults and $15 for kids, this is a day trip that is easy on the wallet and hard to pass up. “Visiting us here at the caves usually takes a few hours by the time you get here, arrive, go through a tour and see the river beside us. We’re right alongside the beautiful Bonnechere River.” Rosandic adds that there are stops that can be added along the way to and from the Bonnechere Caves to fill out the day. “Shaw Woods is a really great site that’s not too far away either. They have free-to-access hiking trails that give you some nice lookouts through an old-growth forest. There are a few beaches in the area as well.”
