TRENT-SEVERN WATERWAY, Ontario
story and photo by Scott MacGregor
Stephen Leacock had a good view from his bathtub. I know this not because I’m a peeping Tom, but because I soaked in his tub while I read a copy of his classic Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. The clawfoot tub sits by his bathroom window in the Stephen Leacock Museum on Lake Couchiching, mid-way through the Trent-Severn Waterway. The Trent Severn is a 387-kilometre-long system of lakes, rivers and canals joining Georgian Bay to the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario that meanders through classic Canadian Shield and down into waterfowl wetlands and lush farmland. The entire waterway is a National Historic Site and the Peterborough Lift Lock and the Big Chute Marine Railway are engineering marvels. Pay the money for the lockage permit. It’s the most unique aspect of paddling the system and portaging around the 44 locks, some with towering concrete walls, can be onerous.
Not everyone who paddles the Trent-Severn gets to soak in Leacock’s bathtub, but if you’re waffling about what adventure to undertake this summer, consider his wise words, “It may be those who do most, dream most.”
IT’S A LITTLE KNOWN FACT: And you thought con- struction of infrastructure was slow today. The Trent-Severn was out of date as a trade route before it was even completed. The first lock was a shabby wooden structure built in Bobcaygeon in 1833. The system wasn’t completely navigable for another 87 years.
BEST ROUTES: The most interesting stretches are the canals and rivers between Port Severn and Lake Couchiching, and between Stony Lake and Trenton.
MAPS AND CHARTS: Canadian Hydrographic Service 1:20,000 scale charts for the Trent- Severn Waterway (
www.chs-shc.dfo-
mpo.gc.ca/pub/).
LOCKAGE FEES: Unfortunately, Parks Canada charges per foot for lock access so two 17-foot sea kayaks cost as much as a 34-foot yacht that takes up the entire lock. Look into the six-day or one-way permits.
CAMPING: Sites are available at most locks for $15 for groups of up to 10 (
www.pc.gc.ca/lhn- nhs/on/trentsevern/).
WILDLIFE (ER, NIGHTLIFE): For the most part, kayaking the Trent-Severn is a semi-urban adven- ture. You might just choose to spend your evenings seeking out the local pubs or sharing Margaritas on the decks of moored houseboats.
CONDITIONS: Easily navigated by recreational kayaks.
SAFETY GEAR: The inland Trent-Severn is the place you’re least likely to need your safety gear, and most likely to be ticketed for being without it. Check with the Canadian Coast Guard for the required safety equipment (
www.tc.gc.ca/boat- ingsafety/
equipment.htm).
ADVENTUREkayakmag.com 31
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