Moving to Pembroke & Petawawa: Ottawa Valley Living and Base Postings
Pembroke and Petawawa sit at the centre of the Upper Ottawa Valley, about two hours northwest of the city. Between them they cover two quite different kinds of move.
Pembroke is the older of the two — a river town and the valley’s commercial centre, with a downtown that predates most of the region’s housing. Petawawa’s rhythm is set by Garrison Petawawa, one of the country’s larger army bases, and the posting cycle that comes with it. Around both, the valley opens into rural properties, riverfront lots and a lot of long laneways.
Pembroke
The downtown and the streets near the Ottawa River hold older housing with the characteristics that implies — stairs, narrow entries, and a general need to take furniture apart rather than force it. Outside the core, Pembroke and the surrounding Laurentian Valley township are conventional: driveways, garages, ordinary access.
It is the practical centre of the region — where valley households come for services and shopping, which also makes it where a lot of downsizing moves land when someone leaves a rural property for something closer in. See Pembroke movers.
Petawawa and the posting cycle
Petawawa’s moving year is dominated by the summer posting season. Military families arrive and depart in a concentrated window, and for those weeks the entire valley’s moving capacity is committed. It is predictable, which means it can be planned for — but only if you start early.
Practical notes for a posting move: get your dates into a mover’s calendar as soon as your file allows, be specific about what is being moved and what is being stored, and flag anything that needs particular handling. Where a house-hunting trip is involved, the gap between selling one home and taking possession of the next often needs storage in between rather than two separate moves.
We move CAF families regularly, in and out. We are a moving company, not a relocation administrator — we work to whatever your file and timelines require. See Petawawa movers and military movers.
Rural properties and laneways
This is the recurring valley issue and it is worth being blunt about. A great many properties out here sit at the end of a lane that is long, narrow, soft, steep, or all four. Whether a 26-foot truck can reach your door — or whether the load has to be shuttled in a smaller vehicle — is the single biggest variable in how the day goes and how long it takes.
None of it is a problem when it is known in advance. It becomes one when the truck arrives and the lane turns out to be impassable. Describe it honestly at quote time: surface, width, slope, turnaround space, and roughly how far it runs.
Winter
Valley winters are real, and a good share of moves happen in them anyway. The drive itself is rarely the problem — Highway 17 is a well-maintained route. What matters is footing at both ends: where the truck can stand without sliding, and whether the walkway is clear enough to carry a dresser down safely. Clearing and salting before the crew arrives changes the day more than anything else you can do.
Coming from Ottawa
About two hours up Highway 17 to Petawawa, slightly less to Pembroke. Single-day moves in both cases, with the same crew at both ends and no transfer to another company. We are Ottawa-based and run the valley corridor regularly rather than keeping a depot up there. Outside Ottawa the pricing is flat-rate rather than hourly, so you have one number before the truck moves.
A short checklist
- Posting season move? Book as early as your file allows — that window fills first.
- Describe your laneway accurately: surface, width, slope, turnaround, length.
- Older Pembroke home? Measure the staircase and the front doorframe.
- Winter date? Clear and salt a path and a truck spot before the crew arrives.
- Gap between possession dates? Ask about storage in transit instead of two moves.
Planning a valley move? Call 613-800-0917, or start on Pembroke movers or Petawawa movers.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Petawawa from Ottawa?
Petawawa is roughly two hours northwest of Ottawa up Highway 17, with Pembroke about ten minutes closer. Both are comfortable single-day moves — one crew loads in Ottawa and unloads the same day, with no overnight leg.
Do you handle military relocations?
We move Canadian Armed Forces families regularly, including postings in and out of the Petawawa area. We are a moving company rather than a relocation administrator, so we work to whatever your file and timelines require — talk to us early in the posting season, because capacity in that window fills quickly.
When is the busiest season in Petawawa?
The summer posting season, by a wide margin. Military moves concentrate into a few weeks and absorb most of the available capacity across the whole valley. If your dates fall in that stretch, book as early as your file allows.
What about rural properties and long laneways?
Common throughout the valley, and worth describing accurately when you get your quote. A soft, steep or narrow lane decides whether a 26-foot truck can reach the house or whether the load has to be shuttled — which changes the day substantially if it is discovered on the morning of.
Can you move in winter up the valley?
Yes, and plenty of valley moves happen in winter. The practical issues are truck footing and walkway safety rather than the drive itself. Clearing and salting your path and a parking spot before the crew arrives makes the biggest difference to how the day goes.
