Hours of Operation and Details for The Trent Canal are offered here with "NOTED" areas of concern pointed out. All hours of course are subject to change due to emergencies, repairs or whatever else the current Government deems necessary. Please enjoy your use of the Trent Canal and the entire 387 Kilometers of The Trent Severn Waterway.
Monday to Thursday 10:00am – 4:00pm
Friday to Sunday; and Victoria Day 9:00am – 7:00pm
Monday to Thursday 9:00am – 6:00pm
Friday to Sunday; and Canada Day*, August Civic Holiday
and Labour Day 9:00am – 7:00pm
*Stat Holiday is July 3rd
Monday to Friday 10:00am – 4:00pm
Saturday - Sunday; and Thanksgiving 9:00am – 5:00pm
NOTE: Lockstations are unstaffed after hours. Authorized visitors
are asked to exercise caution. Unpermitted access to lockstations is
prohibited between 10pm and 6am. For emergencies after hours, please
call 911 for police, fire, ambulance. To report illegal harvesting
of fish or wildlife, please call the Ministry of Natural Resources
and Forestry TIPS line at 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667).
Follow these guidelines to maximize chances of being locked through
at the end of the day:
All vessels must arrive at the designated blue zone at least 30 minutes
before closing time.
At swing bridges, the last bridge swing will be 20 minutes prior to
closing time.
New to Boating? Talk to our friendly lock staff for tips and information
on locking through safely. Have fun!
Station opening and closing times, as well as first and last lockage,
are not guaranteed and may be affected by water management duties,
maintenance activities or other types of navigation interruptions.
Seasonal overnight mooring permits are also valid for use at Thousand
Islands National Park, Georgian Bay Islands National Park and Fathom
Five National Marine Conservation Area (boaters using a campsite must
also pay a camping fee)
5 Nights - Locks 1 to 18
2 Nights - All other locks, Murray Canal swing bridges and bridge #50.
Lock 6 offers electrical hook ups and showers (nearby); Lock 34 offers
electrical and water hook ups.
NOTE: Overnight Mooring passes include one free camp site.
Nautical charts can be purchased during the navigation season at Locks
1, 18, 36, 42 and 45, or at the Peterborough Lift Lock Visitor Centre
Gift Shop.
Commercial cargo vessels may request off season passage through the Murray Canal until the first Friday of November by writing the Southern Sector Manager, Trent–Severn Waterway, Box 850, Campbellford, ON K0L 1L0 or by phoning 705-653-3240.
At least 24 hours notice is required and a fee is charged for this service. Murray Canal swing bridges monitor VHF Channel 14 only during navigation season hours of operation.
Operators whose vessels weigh more than 68t (75 tons), have a peculiar
hull configuration or who foresee problems lifting the hull by sling,
must contact Trent–Severn Waterway at 705-756-8802 at least 48
hours in advance of trip.
CN Swing Bridge above Lock 42
Expect delays at this bridge. Trains are frequent and have priority
over vessel traffic. Clearance when bridge closed is approximately
3.96 m (13 ft.).
Official Page in Case of Changes - The French Version is available from here. Please note you are leaving our secure pages and will get re-directed to the last known Government Page Location
TrentCanal.com although unique, we present you with all
the maps, coordinates, distance between all locks from TheTrentSevernWaterway.com.
Trent Severn spans a distance of 387 km (240 miles) and a rise of 180 meters (590 feet) above Lake Ontario and 80 meters (260 feet) above Georgian Bay at the Trent-Severn's highest point, Balsam Lake.
We offer businesses free advertising at our regional site: ShopKawartha.com that encompasses the Centtral Ontario Region.
Brief
History of The Trent-Severn Waterway
The start to finish time line spans eighty-seven years with the systems construction starting in 1833 at Bobcaygeon and finishing in 1920 at Port Severn, three hundred and eighty-seven kilometers from Lake Ontario.
The Navigation channel runs a depth of six
feet from start to finish. The locks vary in raising the water level
some exceptions are; flight locks, the Big Chute Marine Railway with
a lift of eighteen meters (58 feet), the Kirkfield Lift Lock with an
average lift of fifteen meters (49 feet) )and the Peterborough Lift
Lock (finished in 1904) with a lift of twenty meters (65 feet).
Peaking at Balsam Lake at 180 meters (600
feet) above Lake Ontario and 80 meters (250 feet) above Lake Huron’s, Georgian Bay.
Standard lock dimensions are one hundred
and twenty feet long by thirty-two feet wide. The two exceptions are
the lock 44, the Big Chute Marine Railway at
one hundred feet long by twenty-four feet wide and lock 45 at Port
Severn is only eight-four feet long and twenty-three feet wide setting
the limit if you wish to traverse The Trent Severn Waterway from one
end to the other.
Two major upgrades were at Big Chute
in 1960 and combining two locks at Burleigh Falls in 1968 eliminating
lock 29.
• The Trent Severn Waterway is Central Ontario's 387 kilometers of waterway
utilizing 41 locks, a marine railway and 2 hydraulic lift locks. The highest
point, Balsam Lake is 180 meters (590 feet) above Lake Ontario and 80 meters
(260 feet) above Georgian Bay.
• Navigation here is easy, all the key data is on one page. A click to
the printable map or business directory or towns you pass by with quick links
to their street map, grocery shopping, LCBO and region.
• Enjoy relaxing, activities or the sights of Central Ontario including
the Peterborough Lift Lock or the Big Chute Marine Railway.
• We use 387 km instead of 386 km because that is what we get things to
add up to.
• Balsam Lake is the highest point in the system, not Rosedale or Kirkfield.
Kirkfield is 14.9 m below Balsam and Rosedale 1.2 m below.
• The Kirkfield Lift Lock Chambers rise to one foot below Balsam Lake,
the system works when Balsam fills this area in the chamber increasing the weight,
allowing it to descend so the opposite chamber to can rise. The chamber coming
down must always have more water (weight) for the design to function.
• There is no lock 29 as two locks were replaced by one at Burleigh Falls.
• Purdey's Mills aka Lindsay aka City of Kawartha Lakes, is a side branch
of The Trent-Severn Waterway accessing Lake Scugog.