For official information visit (Government Directory) Parks Canada. This page may be outdated. Note that we do not have any affiliation with the government of Canada.
Lock passes may be paid at any lock station using Visa, Mastercard, personal check or cash, with discounts about 10% if purchased before the end of March. They may also be purchased by mail at any Canal Office.
Fees are in Canadian dollars. You can pay by cash, Visa/Mastercard or personal check with proper ID (most banks charge a hefty fee if you write a check in a different country).
Permits are free to seniors born in or before 1926 but only for boats 5.5m (18'1") in length or under. So anyone who's 70 can fish on the other side of the locks for free!
The term mooring means tying to a dock. Mooring and camping space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Boats may tie up on the blue line with the lockmasters permission at the end of the day, but must move by the first lockage in the morning. Boats may tie up for a maximum of 48 hours (2 days). Rafted boats pay the same fee as if they were on the dock. If you have stayed your maximum time, you may not return to the same dock or wall for 24 hours.
Camping is available to boaters only, and is arranged with the lockmaster. It is free with a mooring permit.
If you tow a boat (aluminum, fiberglass, rubber dingy or personal watercraft), you must buy a lockage permit for the towed craft. A mooring permit for a towed vessel is also a requirement. Any boat traversing Canadian canals must be registered or licensed, with appropriate markings for identification.
NOTE: MINIMUM 3.6 metre (12') vessel length is charged for boats under that size.
See Parks Canada for fees for locks, docks, camping, parking: Government Directory
See Government Directory: Parks Canada for dates and hours of operation for the current year. In previous years, the waterway locks were operational mid-May to mid-October, with longer hours in summer and weekends - 8:30 am to 7:30 pm.
Times of lockages are not guaranteed. Allow 30 minutes for each lock before closing. At Ottawa Locks, arrive at least 3 1/2 hours before closing.
A seasonal lockage permit and a seasonal overnight mooring (docking) permit for the Rideau Canal and Trent Canal is also valid at the following heritage sites:
| Ontario | Quebec |
|---|---|
| St.Lawrence Islands NP Georgian Bay Islands NP Fathom Five (Flowerpot Is) Trent-Severn Waterway Rideau Canal |
Carillon Canal Ste.Anne-de-Bellevue Chambly Canal St. Ours Canal |
Allow 10 minutes for swing bridges. City of Ottawa bridges will not open during rush hour traffic Mon-Fri 8:30-9:00 am, 12:30-1:15 and 3:30-5:30 pm.
Smiths Falls bridge follows a schedule June 14 to August 5 on weekday mornings: 8:45, 9:30, 10:15, 11:00, 11:45, and on-demand after 1:00 pm. Old Slys bridge will not operate weekdays from 11:55 am to 12:15 and 12:45 to 1:00 pm. Perth's Beckwith Street Bridge swings twice daily 11:00 am and 3:30 pm (2:30 pm in the fall).
Boat launching is available at Poonamalie, Beveridges, Edmonds and Smiths Falls Detached at $6.00 per launch (includes parking where applicable) or a Seasonal Boat Launch permit $75.
Picnicking, fishing and use of washrooms and trash cans is currently free! A donation box is set up at a prominent location at each Rideau Canal lockstation.
Temporary dockage is still free! The "blue line" is reserved for boats locking through. Most lockstations have additional docks for day use and overnight mooring. Day use is currently free unless the lockmaster asks you to move. Generally, you are expected to use good "boat manners" and leave the docks by suppertime to the boats stopping for the night.
Oh, I almost forgot -- the water is still free!
Superintendant Superintendant, Rideau Canal Office Trent-Severn Waterway 34a Beckwith Street P.O. Box 567 Smiths Falls, ON, K7A 2A8 Peterborough, ON, K9J 6Z6 Phone: 613-283-5170 Phone: 705-750-4900 FAX: 613-283-0677 FAX: 705-742-9644 Toll-free: 1-800-230-0016 Parks Canada (general) Phone Ottawa, Ont. 613-237-2309 Montreal, Que. 514-658-0681 Toll-free 1-800-668-6767
Office Manotick, Ontario Phone 613-692-2581 Supervisor Marcel Belanger Lockstation Phone (area 613) Ottawa 237-2309 no parking Hogs Back 224-5033 no parking Hartwells 235-2644 parking fee ($1/$4) Black Rapids 226-5434 parking fee ($1/$4) Long Island 692-3030 parking fee ($4) Burritts Rapids 258-4510
Office Smiths Falls, Ontario Phone 613-283-5170 Superintendant Frank Corrigan Lockstation Phone (area 613) Nicholsons #18 269-4960 parking fee Nicholsons #19 269-4931 Clowes 269-4426 Merrickville 269-5787 Kilmarnock 283-3792 Edmonds 283-4406 launch ramp, parking fee Old Slys 283-2663 swing bridge Smiths Falls Combined 283-2103 Smiths Falls Detached 283-0496 launch ramp/parking fee Poonamalie 283-3543 gravel ramp, parking fee Beveridges #33 267-2036 launch ramp, parking fee Beveridges #34 267-4221 Narrows 272-2700 Newboro 272-2575 town launch ramp/parking fee
Office Kingston Phone Superintendant Sandy Haining Lockstation Phone (area 613) Chaffeys 259-5914 Davis 359-5620 Jones Falls 359-5340 Upper Bewers 387-3564 Lower Brewers 542-2629 Kingston Mills 542-0622 Kingston Parking fee
Charts needed are #1512 Ottawa to Smiths Falls ($27) and #1513 Smiths Falls to Kingston ($38). It is mandatory to carry a copy of the Canal Regulations ($5). These are all available at most lockstations or can be ordered by making a check to the "Receiver General of Canada" and send your order to:
Government Directory: Hydrographic Chart Distribution Office
Friends of the Rideau - charts,
canal regulations, Rideau Boating & Road Guide. Address:
1 Jasper Avenue, Smiths Falls, Ont. K7A 4B5
Phone 613-283-5810
