The three local clubs which are part of the Rideau Trail Association (RTA) organize their own activities, which now and then combine two or more of the clubs in the same outing. Overall in the RTA, a total of over 250 outings are held each year. An association group outing occurs each year in the Spring at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which always includes some kind of outdoor activity.

Members of the association automatically gain membership in either the Kingston, Central or Ottawa Rideau Trail club. The clubs undertake the essential work of maintaining the trail, re-routing when necessary, and organizing local hikes and outings. All outings are listed in the newsletter, published four times each year. Typically, six or seven outings are held each month in the Kingston and Ottawa Clubs. In Ottawa, from April to November, this number increases as double outings occur on many weekends, which usually offer the choice of hikes of different degrees of difficulty. Car-pooling is used to reach the trailhead for organized outings; participants are expected to share trip expenses such as the cost of gas, parking and any entry fees to provincial parks or conservation areas.