Most visitors are there to walk their dogs.

The path along the south edge is lined with trees.

Shrubs and trees are taking over from meadow in all but the driest areas now that NCC mowing has ceased.

Sumac is spreading into the meadow in several areas.

A jogger on the central east-west path.

Picking wild strawberries.

It used to be possible to see Parliament Hill from the meadow, but today buildings block all but the tip of the Peace Tower.

There are many walking paths among 70-year old trees in the McCarthy Woods, listed as an ecologically significant area by the City of Ottawa mostly due to its size.

The forest floor of most sections is covered with young maples.

A few areas have flowering plants, such as this jack-in-the-pulpit.

Some damp sections are covered only by leaves of years past.

No logging has been done since the property was bought by the Federal District Commission in 1953, so some trees are beginning to die of old age. Here, a path intersection is marked by a tree that was 83 years old when it was felled for safety reasons.

The rings of this tree and others that had fallen naturally were used to estimate the growth rate of the maple trees of the woods, and hence the ages of those still standing. All except possibly half a dozen at the north edge are less than 90 years old.

There are 16 public entrances to the corridor on the south and east sides, and perhaps a hundred private ones north and south.

The southern edge is mostly two-storey housing.

The western edge is Riverside Drive, seen here from the bluff at the end of the northern path.

The meadow is bisected by a 110 kV hydro line,

the woods by the CN Beachburg Subdivision rail line.

The north edge is dominated by a hydro corridor.

There are many encroachments along the south side that block the southern east-west path. Encroachments on the north side are more extensive, but do not affect public access.

The Hunt Club Creek at the south-west corner is polluted and overgrown.

Several fire pits in the woods are regularly used for late-night parties.

Several sleepover shacks in the woods are surrounded by garbage.

Most dog walkers don't bother with poop bags - those that carry them often dump them near an entrance on the way out.