Trent-Severn Waterway

The Trent-Severn runs three hundred and eighty-six kilometres from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay through rivers, lakes and cuts, with forty-four locks and a rise and fall of about eighty-four metres. It took ninety-one years to complete, finished in 1920 by which time railways had made its commercial purpose obsolete, so it has been a recreational route almost from the start. Its engineering is unusual: two hydraulic lift locks at Peterborough and Kirkfield, a marine railway at Big Chute that carries boats overland on rails, and long stretches of natural lake. The lock stations are Parks Canada sites with grounds open to walkers.

What you actually see

• The forty-four locks - a full crossing of southern Ontario by water.
• The two lift locks - hydraulic lifts at Peterborough and Kirkfield.
• The Big Chute railway - boats carried over a ridge on rails.
• The lock station grounds - Parks Canada sites open to non-boaters.

When to go

May to October is the navigation season and lock hours vary within it, shortening at each end. Peak boat traffic is July and August. The towpaths and lock grounds are walkable year-round.

Honest expectations

The waterway is closed to navigation outside the season, roughly late October to May. Full transit takes about five to seven days by boat. Lock hours reduce in shoulder months.

Nearby

Peterborough Lift Lock is on the route; Big Chute is at the western end.