Rideau Waterway Data

Kingston to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

From the Ottawa River at Ottawa, Ontario, the canal rises 84 metres (275 feet) to the Rideau Lakes, then descends 49 metres (161 feet) to Kingston, on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. You can continue east to the Atlantic, west to Lake Ontario, Quinte, Trent-Severn Waterway, and the Great Lakes, or south to the New York State Canal which leads to the Hudson River and New York City or south to the Erie Canal. In winter, the Ottawa reach is lowered to create the longest skating rink in the world.

Boat Traffic:
Every year, 90,000 boats pass through its locks. Traffic is about 20% U.S. boats; about 10% are sailboats. The Ottawa lockstation gets the most tourists, but the Narrows Lock linking the two largest lakes has the most boat traffic.

Boat Ramps at Lock Stations:
There are ramps at Edmonds, Smith Falls (detached), Poonamalie, Newboro and Lower Beveridges.

Winter:
In winter, the locks are drained; the Ottawa reach is lowered to create the longest skating rink in the world; Long Reach (Manotick to Burritts Rapids) is lowered to offset spring flooding.

Recognition:
The Rideau Canal & Waterway was designated a National Historic Site (1926) and Canadian Heritage River (2000), and a World Heritage Site (2007) by the United Nations, recognized for it's place in Canada'a history, its amazing engineering feats, as well its beauty and importance to the area's development, both commercial and recreational.

History:
After the War of 1812, in which the invading Americans were defeated, the Canadian government feared attack by Americans along the heavily fortified St. Lawrence River. The Rideau Canal, built between 1826 and 1832, provided a secure route between Kingston and Montreal. The hand-operated wooden lock doors and sluice gates were built in the same fashion as the locks in England -- except in Canada locks are operated by lock staff not by boaters!

Rideau Canal Facts

• The canal is 202 kilometres long, from Ottawa to Kingston, Ontario, Canada
• It includes lakes, rivers, locks, and 29 km of canal "cuts".
• There are 45 locks at 24 lock stations. only 2 are electrically operated. Canal staff operate the others manually.
• Navigable depth is a minimum of 1.5 metres (5').
• Boats up to 27.4 metres long and 7.9 metres wide can use the locks.
• The average time to fill a lock with water is about five minutes.
• THe average time to pass through a lock is 15 minutes.
• The locks raise boats until they reach Newboro, the highest point in the system.
• The northern canal has a drainage area of 3740 square kilometres; the southern section, 910 square kilometres.
• The canal was built between 1826 and 1832.
• Lieutenant-Colonel John By supervised the construction of the Canal.