Highway 17 and its connecting routes through the Ottawa Valley are lined with things that most travelers never notice. Stone monuments to events that no one remembers. Historical plaques bolted to buildings in villages that the highway now bypasses. Abandoned businesses whose signs still advertise services no longer offered. Giant sculptures and folk art installations visible from the road but not marked on any map.
These roadside oddities are a legitimate form of heritage. They tell the story of how the valley has presented itself to travelers over the decades, and how the relentless improvement and rerouting of the highway system has left some of these presentations stranded on roads that no longer carry through traffic.
Monuments and Markers
The Ottawa Valley has an unusual concentration of roadside monuments. The lumber industry, the military presence at Petawawa, and the region's long settlement history have all generated memorials. Many of these are well maintained and clearly signed. Others have faded into obscurity, their plaques illegible and their significance forgotten by everyone except the local historical society.
Cairns commemorating early settlers, markers noting the sites of former mills and communities, and monuments to local figures appear along the county roads with surprising frequency. The Opeongo Line, the old colonization road between the Ottawa River and Barry's Bay, has several markers noting communities that no longer exist. These are often modest affairs, a stone cairn with a bronze plaque, easily missed at driving speed.
The military markers around Petawawa and Pembroke are more substantial, reflecting the importance of the military presence in the region. Memorial gates, cenotaphs, and plaques honour the units that trained at Petawawa and the individuals who served from the valley.
The Ottawa Valley's roadside landscape rewards slow driving and frequent stops.
Abandoned Businesses
The valley's highways have been rerouted and upgraded many times, and each change has stranded businesses that depended on through traffic. The result is a collection of abandoned motels, gas stations, and restaurants that chart the evolution of the highway system itself.
Some of these are simply empty buildings on the side of the road. Others have been repurposed as storage facilities, private residences, or small businesses serving the local market. A few have become minor landmarks, their distinctive architecture or prominent locations making them recognizable features of a drive through the valley.
The stretch of old Highway 17 between Arnprior and Renfrew has several examples. Where the modern highway now takes a straighter, faster route, the old alignment passes through villages that once saw constant traffic. The motels and restaurants that served that traffic are now quiet, their neon signs dark, their parking lots empty.
Folk Art and Oddities
The valley also has its share of genuine roadside oddities. Private art installations, oversized sculptures, decorated fences, and yard displays dot the back roads. These are not tourist attractions in any organized sense. They are the expressions of individual creativity, placed beside the road for passing traffic to enjoy or puzzle over.
Some of these installations have been in place for decades and have become local landmarks. Others are more transient, appearing and disappearing as the owners' interests change. The back roads between Eganville and Barry's Bay, and along the Madawaska River south of the Petawawa area, are particularly good for this kind of discovery.
How to Find Them
The key to finding unusual roadside stops is to drive slowly and to use the back roads rather than the highway. The county roads that run parallel to Highway 17, the concession roads that connect them, and the former highway alignments that have been bypassed are all more productive than the main route.
Local knowledge is invaluable. Historical societies, community Facebook groups, and conversations at gas stations and general stores can all point you toward things that are not on any map. The valley's residents are generally proud of the region's history and happy to point visitors toward things worth seeing.