Ottawa Airport Viewing Area (Alert Road)

A dedicated viewing area at the threshold of Runway 25, with a large free parking lot you can sit and watch from. Good coverage of approaches, landings and taxiing traffic. Pilots have been known to wave before departure. The honest caveat is traffic volume - Ottawa is quieter than the big hubs and you will not see many widebodies. Not ploughed in deep winter, so effectively seasonal.

Lens guide

100-400mm for runway movements; 70-200mm for aircraft on approach overhead.

Best time

Best during Runway 25 operations. Open 24 hours, but access is unreliable mid-winter due to lack of snow clearing.

Parking

Large free parking lot on Alert Road. No facilities.