Cruise the Trent Severn Waterway in Style: A Guide to Ontario's Best Boating Experience

Navigating through a lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario, Canada is a bucket list experience for boaters. Here's everything you need to know about this incredible waterway.

With over 250,000 lakes to choose from in our province, boaters can't possibly visit them all—but transiting Lock 32 in Bobcaygeon used to be a regular experience for me. I used to live on Pigeon Lake, so the Kawartha Lakes section of the Trent-Severn was home.

Our boating adventures often took us further. Sometimes we'd visit Fenelon Falls on our way to Balsam Lake. Sometimes we'd head in the other direction, toward the city of Peterborough and the famous lift-lock. There's no shortage of great places to boat on the Trent.

In my early boating years, I participated in a couple of houseboat trips on different sections of this popular waterway, or so I have been told. I was only four. My memories of those adventures are fuzzy, but I expect I had fun. 

One thing is for certain, I am long overdue for an encore. So this summer I headed out to experience the Trent-Severn Waterway once again. First thing first: Time to rent a boat!

Trent-Severn Waterway and Kawartha Lakes Houseboat Rentals

Le Boat - Houseboat rentals Trent-Severn Waterway and Kawartha Lakes

H2O Getaways - Boutique Houseboat Rentals on the Trent-Severn

R & R Houseboat Rentals - The Largest Houseboat on the Kawartha Lakes

Egan Houseboat Vacations - Cruise the Kawartha Lakes

Places to Visit While Boating the Trent-Severn Waterway

Our itinerary includes the shops and restaurants of downtown Bobcaygeon, the scenic Fenelon Falls, the famous lift-lock in Kirkfield and Canada's freshwater summit, the highest point of water in Canada from where you can circumnavigate the globe without touching land. 

There's no better way to take in the natural beauty and small-town charm of the Kawartha Lakes region from the deck of a houseboat.

Our first lock was in Bobcaygeon, "the hub of the Kawarthas." It’s one of the busiest locks on the system, but traffic was light this time of year. We were hoping to have time to visit Bigley's shoe store, a veritable institution in Bobcaygeon, but we departed late from the marina and had to make up time. A great, boat-accessible option for lunch is the Royal Moose Grill and Waterfront Patio at the Bobcaygeon Inn.

We motored into Sturgeon Lake with plans to overnight on the lower side of the lock in Fenelon Falls. We tied up three hours later and had the entirety of the area to ourselves. We picked a spot with the best view of the falls and fired up the barbecue on the foredeck.

A nice spot for a meal in Fenelon Falls is Murphy's Lockside Pub & Patio.

Fenelon Falls has some extra flair this season, due to the incredibly high water levels on the Trent-Severn. The dam is wide open and the water is thundering over the falls. It’s an impressive sight. 

We locked through at 10 am the next morning. Right on the water, at the lock, you'll find Rosie's Dockside Restaurant Bar & Grill—the perfect spot for lunch. The lock chamber at Fenelon Falls is my favourite on the system. The limestone block walls tower over the boat and it feels like you're boating into a cave. Coming out the other side we made our way into Cameron Lake and headed to Rosedale. 

Rosedale is a beautiful spot. Plenty of space at the lock for camping. After the huge lift at Fenelon, the lock at Roses ale almost seems unnecessary. It only rises a metre or so, but the transit is quick and a brief conversation with the lockmaster told us we had time to visit Coboconk and still make it back to Rosedale before the last lock.

Coboconk is at the northern tip of Balsam Lake. It’s got some basic amenities, but no fuel dock. Our houseboat had excellent range, but if you need to fuel, stop at Pride of Balsam or Rosedale Marina as soon as you pass through the lock into Balsam.

There’s a great photo opportunity on the pier at Coboconk. Balsam Lake is known as Canada’s Freshwater Summit. It’s the highest point of freshwater in Canada from which you can circumnavigate the globe without touching land. Naturally, we snapped a few photos.

Back on the boat, we cruised back to Rosedale with an hour to spare. We locked through and had a leisurely trip back to Fenelon Falls for the night.

The top side of Fenelon Falls doesn’t have the spectacular view of the falls you get on the lower side, but it does have something almost as good, 30 amp shore power. 

You’ll want to be docked as early as possible for a couple of reasons. These spots fill up fast in peak season, and if you want power, you need to speak to one of the attendants. There’s a small fee for power and they need to unlock the outlets. If you arrive after hours, you’ll be out of luck.

Of course, with our fully-loaded houseboat, shore power is a convenience and not a necessity. The onboard generator provides power anywhere to charge the batteries and the batteries can run the systems on the boat all night long.

I learned a couple of things on this trip. First, if you want a boating adventure with all the comforts of home, this is entirely possible with a houseboat rental. They’re also the perfect boat for an extended trip with children. You won't have this kind of space on a cruiser.

Second, I was reminded that the City of Kawartha Lakes is a stunning example of the natural beauty and small-town charm you’ll find up and down the 386 kilometres of the Trent-Severn Waterway. There’s simply no better way to relax and soak up the experience than from the deck of a houseboat.

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