Rideau Rogue Agents

Recommended Group Size: 8–10 participants
Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Terrain: ★★☆☆☆
Geocache Link: https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC9RR47

Recommended Tools & Equipment:

• Smartphone with GPS and QR scanner
• Notepad and pencil
• Sunglasses (for spy flair)
• Encrypted message sheet (provided at first location)
• Comfortable shoes or bikes

Introduction

Your team of undercover agents must follow the Rideau Canal corridor to complete a covert mission. An encoded message intercepted at Dow’s Lake suggests that a rogue operative is planning to sabotage Ottawa’s historic canal locks.

Only by retrieving hidden intel and decoding a string of GPS-tagged clues can your team solve the mystery and stop the threat before it reaches the Bytown Museum.

Group Strategy

Divide into two small teams:

• Team Alpha: Begins at Challenge 1 (Dow’s Lake Intercept)
• Team Bravo: Begins at Challenge 2 (Spyglass Station)

Complete both challenges, then reconvene at Challenge 3. Challenges 4 and 5 must be completed sequentially with the full team.

Challenge 1: Dow’s Lake Intercept

Coordinates: 45.3935, -75.7058

Under a specific bench on the west side of Dow’s Lake pavilion, you’ll find a magnetic container labeled “AGENT USE ONLY.” Inside is a codebook and a message:
“Six locks ahead, the mole has fled.”

Challenge 2: Spyglass Station

Coordinates: 45.3972, -75.7004

Beside the Flora Footbridge, near a mounted telescope viewer, a hollowed-out log conceals a small PVC capsule. Inside: a clue card with a number grid and QR code.

Scanning the QR code reveals a scrambled photo of a bridge. Rearranging the grid cells based on number clues reveals the Pretoria Bridge.

Challenge 3: Lockdown at Pretoria

Coordinates: 45.4145, -75.6837

At the base of the Pretoria Locks, use the photo from Challenge 2 to identify which lock gate has a small steel plate magnetized to its control post.

The steel plate has an alphanumeric puzzle. Using the codebook from Challenge 1, decipher the message: 
"KEY = ROUGE. NEXT: AGENT'S CHAIR."

Challenge 4: Agent’s Chair

Coordinates: 45.4233, -75.6901

Locate the green bench along the canal between Laurier and the Corktown Footbridge. One slat has a barely visible engraving. Use a crayon or pencil rubbing to reveal the message.

It reads: “Final debrief at the fortress. Bring the cipher.”

Challenge 5: Final Debrief – Bytown Museum

Coordinates: 45.4291, -75.6934

At the back side of the Bytown Museum, hidden in a false electrical box, lies the final cache.