A Trent-Severn Waterway map: 1-day, 2-day, longer road trips

Canada’s Trent-Severn Waterway is a well-known and popular destination among recreational boaters. This 386-kilometre waterway of rivers and lakes includes 44 locks, 15 swing bridges, one marine railway, and the two tallest hydraulic lift locks in the world. Together, these engineering marvels bypass waterfalls and rapids and provide safe passage for boats traveling between Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay. Using our Trent-Severn Waterway map below, you can plan your own road trip to explore this fascinating waterway with no boat required!

All but two of the Trent-Severn Waterway’s 44 locks can be reached by road. Visiting the locks on land is completely free of charge, which makes this a fantastic Ontario road trip on a budget. It’s also highly customizable according to your interests and how much time you can set aside to enjoy it. Here’s a look at how to plan your own Trent-Severn Waterway road trip.

We visited 34 of the Trent-Severn Waterway’s 44 locks on a camping road trip we planned and executed on our own. Have questions about planning your own Trent-Severn Waterway road trip? Join our Facebook community!

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Trent-Severn Waterway map: What to know before you go

To view the Trent-Severn Waterway map above in full, click the icon with four corners on the top right that says “View Larger Map” as you hover over it. There, you’ll find layers you can toggle to see single-day, weekend, and full system drive directions, as well as pins for key destinations along the way.

From the Greater Toronto Area, it’s possible to capture the highlights of the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site and check out a couple of the Trent-Severn Trail Towns with a single-day visit. If you can dedicate a weekend, this road trip becomes accessible from most of Southern Ontario and you can explore a wider variety of lock stations and towns along the route.

If you’re really into it, you can explore the entire system in five to seven days, staying overnight in hotels, Parks Canada’s Trent-Severn Waterway accommodations, or at the many Ontario Parks conveniently located along the waterway. Regardless of how long you stay, expect to blend your boat watching with patio lunches, vibrant town centres, breweries and wineries, ice cream, and plenty of beautiful scenery.

Below, you’ll find sample single-day, weekend, and longer road trip itineraries for exploring the Trent-Severn Waterway. We suggest reading through all three sections to get a feel for everything there is to see. It just might inspire you to create a custom Trent-Severn Waterway itinerary of your own!

A Trent-Severn Waterway day trip from Toronto

If you’re curious but short on time, test the waters with this Trent-Severn Waterway day trip.

Start your morning in Peterborough at lock 21, the Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site. This impressive structure opened in 1904 and remains the tallest hydraulic lift lock in the world with a rise of 19.8 metres (65 feet). The two 1,500-ton tubs operate on gravity alone, and external power is only used to raise and lower the gates. Plan to spend at least half an hour here watching the lift lock in operation. (You may find it so interesting you decide to stay even longer!)

Check out a few more things to do in Peterborough >

Next, head north to take the scenic drive along Nassau Mills Road toward the village of Lakefield. You’ll find four more single lock stations along this route. We recommend stopping at Lock 22 at Nassau Mills, just north of Trent University. This is a great place to see a typical single lock in action. It’s easy to access from the road and has plenty of parking.

There’s also a lock station in Lakefield. It’s a little more complicated to access than the others. If you’re able, stop for some ice cream at the Canoe and Paddle, then walk across the bridge and stroll down Hill Street or Carolina Street to see Lock 26 in action. When you’re ready, grab some lunch and check out the shops along Queen Street.

Finding the missing lock at Burleigh Falls

Continue north out of Lakefield on Highway 28 toward Lock 28, the former flight lock at Burleigh Falls. A flight lock is a series of two or more connected locks that boaters pass through one after the other. Burleigh Falls was originally a flight lock, but it was converted to a single lock in 1967. When the second lock was removed here, Lock 29 was eliminated from the Trent-Severn Waterway system. This is why the final lock is numbered 45 but only 44 locks exist along the Trent-Severn Waterway today.

The next lock in the system, Lock 30 at Lovesick, is one of only two on the Trent-Severn Waterway not accessible by road. If you have time for an overnight stay, you can see it for yourself by boat with this Burleigh Falls Inn stay and kayaking tour combo.

The next lock reachable by road is Lock 31 in Buckhorn. It’s located roughly 15 minutes west of Burleigh Falls along County Road 36. Many boaters stop to rest and restock in this small village. It has waterside dining and gift shops within easy walking distance of the lock. Don’t forget to snap a selfie with the Buckhorn Buck!

If you’d like to try some fruit wine, Kawartha Country Wines is also on County Road 36, five minutes north of Buckhorn. Here, you’ll find a variety of fruit wines and ciders. Adult passengers can enjoy samples of wines made from cranberry, Saskatoon berry, and even a strawberry rhubarb sparkling wine. (Remember, drinking and road trips don’t mix. Please travel with a designated driver.)

Bobcaygeon is home to the Trent-Severn Waterway’s oldest lock

Stay on County Road 36 to reach your next stop: Lock 32 at Bobcaygeon. This lock has the distinction of being the first lock completed on the Trent-Severn Waterway more than 160 years ago.

Downtown Bobcaygeon is a favourite cottage country destination in Ontario. It’s home to the famous Bigley family of shops, offering anything from clothing to kitchen gadgets, sweets and ice cream. Many smaller boutiques line the streets as well, and beer lovers flock to the Old Dog Brewing Company. This stop is also sure to resonate with fans of The Tragically Hip as the town inspired the name of one of the Canadian band’s best-known ballads.

Finally, take County Road 8 to end the day with a visit to Lock 34 at Fenelon Falls. There are numerous restaurants here where you can enjoy a meal overlooking the lock station or the town’s beautiful namesake waterfall.

As you plan your timing for this day trip, bear in mind that lock stations typically shut down at 5:30 PM on weekdays and 6:30 PM on weekends. You can enjoy the waterfront views any time, but boats will stop passing through the locks once the waterway’s operations end for the day.

Take a weekend road trip on the Trent-Severn Waterway

If an overnight stay in cottage country interests you, follow this route to visit all of the waterway’s most popular attractions in one weekend.

Start your first day in Campbellford, where you can walk across the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge for a view of Ranney Falls. Just a few steps away, you’ll find the Ranney Falls flight lock, locks 11 and 12. This is the first of the Trent-Severn Waterway’s two flight locks. If you can stay for long enough, try to watch boat traffic moving in both directions at once. It’s a very cool sight!

If you’re a camper, Ferris Provincial Park is conveniently located on the opposite side of the suspension bridge. Bring a cooler and stop at nearby Empire Cheese before you leave Campbellford. Here, you can often pick up fresh cheese curds, and you’ll always find some of the best cheddar in Ontario.

The Healey Falls Flight Lock, combining locks 16 and 17, is another interesting stop. It’s a little more remote, but at a total height of 16.5 metres or 54 feet, it’s an impressive structure to see in action. Plenty of parking is available at Lock 15 at Healey Falls, and the flight locks are a short five-minute walk away.

From here, join the single-day itinerary above at the Peterborough Lift Lock. Plan an overnight stay in one of the Trent-Severn Trail Towns. Bobcaygeon makes a great stopping point if you plan to continue along this recommended road trip.

See the world’s two tallest hydraulic lift locks

Once you depart Fenelon Falls, continue on to Lock 36, the Kirkfield Lift Lock. This is the second-highest hydraulic lift lock in the world, meaning the two highest hydraulic lift locks are both along the Trent-Severn Waterway! This lock is typically a little less busy than the Peterborough Lift Lock. Fun fact: the Kirkfield Lift Lock sits at the highest elevation point along the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Next, head toward Lock 41 at Gamebridge. This lock is easy to reach from Highway 12 and sits at the end of a long man-made canal. You can view most of the canal from this lock on a clear day, and it’s quite the sight! If you’re feeling energetic, you can walk along the canal to Lock 40 and Lock 39 via a closed access road. At a steady pace, this walk takes roughly an hour round-trip.

The final stop on this weekend tour is a little more distant than the rest, but it’s an absolute must-see. Lock 44 is the Big Chute Marine Railway, a two-storey structure that’s part ferry, part rail car. The Big Chute Marine Railway is the only marine railway of its kind in North America.

First, the rail cart dips into the Severn River to allow boats on board. A sling system secures the boats into place. Then, it moves ahead and lifts out of the water, passing a road-level rail crossing and heading down a 17.7-metre (58-foot) descent. Finally, the boats leave the rail car and are deposited into the waters below.

On nice days, it’s common to see families enjoying picnics at the waterside and watching the railway for hours on end. After a 10 minute drive, you’ll be back on Highway 400 and heading toward home.

Take a week and explore the entire Trent-Severn Waterway

There are only two locks on the entire Trent-Severn Waterway that are not accessible by road. That leaves 42 locks for you to turn into an extended road trip!

This approach is very rewarding, but it does take a little more dedication. All lock stations have parking on-site, though at some of the more remote ones the parking lots are small and may be gravel pads on the side of the road. At some lock stations or in Trent-Severn Trail Towns, a small parking fee is required. We’ve marked the waypoints on our Trent-Severn Waterway map above as closely as possible to each lock station’s parking area.

There are plenty of quality hotels along this route. When we took our five-day Trent-Severn Waterway road trip, we towed a trailer and camped overnight at Ontario Parks convenient to our route. These are the parks that worked best for us:

• Presqu’ile Provincial Park, which served as our starting point before visiting Lock 1 at Trenton
• Ferris Provincial Park, which is just south of Campbellford near Ranney Gorge and the Ranney Falls flight lock
• Emily Provincial Park, west of Peterborough and Lakefield on the Pigeon River
• Balsam Lake Provincial Park, just east of Kirkfield, and
• McRae Point Provincial Park on the north end of Lake Simcoe (Mara Provincial Park would be a good choice here as well)

Parks Canada also has tent camping and accommodation rentals available for land-based visitors at some lock stations. Toward the east, there are walk-in campsites near Lock 8 at Percy Reach, and Oasis raised cabins near Lock 9 at Meyers and Lock 10 at Hagues Reach. There are also four Parks Canada oTENTiks at Lock 24 at Douro, and three oTENTiks, one rustic cabin, and two walk-in campsites on the shores of Lock 35 at Rosedale.

With the exception of the oTENTiks at Douro, the Parks Canada rental accommodations along the Trent-Severn Waterway all require a hike to reach. They’re very popular, so be sure to book early!

Take an extended Trent-Severn Waterway road trip

If you can dedicate a full week to exploring the Trent-Severn Waterway, you’ll have time to uncover some of the more remote off-the-radar destinations. Lock 7 at Glen Ross has beautifully manicured gardens and a swing bridge that’s great fun to watch. Lock 20 at Ashburnham is on the shores of Little Lake in Peterborough. It’s along the Trans-Canada Trail and offers direct access to the Canadian Canoe Museum as well as some of the city’s best parks.

Join the annual paddling party at Peterborough Lift Lock, Parks Canada’s Lock & Paddle >

Mnjikaning Fish Weirs National Historic Site, which today sits under a highway overpass in Orillia, is also part of the Trent-Severn Waterway. This site has been a sacred Indigenous fishing ground for more than 5,000 years. A moment of quiet reflection here provides an important reminder that these waters have been important to humanity for far longer than the waterway’s century of innovations.

Many locks have local shops and eateries nearby to explore, and you may catch a glimpse of the Kawartha Voyageur along your travels. And if you drive all the way from Lake Ontario and Lock 1 at Trenton to Lock 45 at Port Severn where the waterway empties into Georgian Bay, you’ll get a bookended perspective on just how expansive this system’s nearly 400 kilometres really is!

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Trent-Severn Waterway:

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