Rockcliffe Park is the one of the wealthiest neighborhood in Ottawa. The area has very few sidewalks and is relatively inaccessible to through traffic. Much of Rockcliffe is still wooded and the houses are set far apart on wide lots. Rockcliffe Park real estate consists of single family homes on large lots.
The area is northeast of downtown, on the southern banks of the Ottawa River. It encompasses MacKay Lake and the Rockeries, a rock garden and playing field maintained by the National Capital Commission. The area is home to Elmwood School and Ashbury College, two private schools.
Also located in Rockcliffe is a community hall/library complex. Unusual for branches of the Public Library, it has a special collection of art-related books called the Margaret A. Bailey collection. The elementary Rockcliffe Park Public School is located beside the library and community hall.
The sale of the long-disused Canadian Forces Base CFB Rockcliffe, near Rockcliffe Park, has brought forth plans to make an entirely new neighborhood as an example of a community built on “sustainable” principles.