The Trent Severn Waterway begins at Trenton on Lake Ontario and continues northwesterly for 240 miles to the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. Completed in 1920, it is Canada’s version of the Erie Canal, as the natural rivers and lakes are linked by canals and 45 locks, including two lift locks and a marine railway, all operated by Parcs Canada.
Today the locks are used primarily by recreational boaters and the lockmasters are all very friendly and helpful. The locks are mostly small and are often grouped in “flights” of five to eight locks in rapid succession, making for some arduous days for whoever handles the lines and testing the captain’s ability to maneuver his or her boat. Often boats will “raft up” together with as many as four large boats tied together in one small lock.
The waterway meanders through central Ontario’s small towns and fishing villages, past lush forests and the ”cottage country” of the Kawartha Lakes, where many of the small granite islands are topped with cottages and homes accessible only by water. Adirondack chairs and Canadian flags abound. It is unlike any other country we have seen, and we will pass a pleasant couple of weeks here before we reach Lake Huron.
