Follow me as I visit the Rideau Canal Locks

Estimated read time 7 min read

There was a lot of free time to fill during the pandemic.  For some this meant new hobbies, eating, watching Netflix as a sport, shopping online and so many other things.  For me it meant coming up with ideas I would never have.  While browsing the internet on an exceptionally uneventful evening during the Covid-19 pandemic in the fall of 2021 I came across information about the locks along the Rideau Canal.  I learnt that there were 45 locks and 23 lock stations along the Rideau Canal between Kingston and Ottawa.  I though that was really interesting.  Even more interesting was that I could probably drive to each one of them within a day. That’s when I decided I was going to visit the Rideau Canal Locks one lock station at a time, get a picture and make a calendar of all the locks / lock stations along the Rideau Canal. I didn’t have much time before the first snowfall, but I managed to get to most of the locks.  I still have a couple of lock stations at the Kingston end of the canal to get to. 

Starting at the end of the Rideau Canal Lock System in Ottawa and going upwards towards Kingston, which I have yet to get a picture of, we have the following locks / lock stations:

Rideau Canal Lock Stations:

Ottawa Locks

Black Rapids Locks

Long Islands Locks

Burritts Rapids Locks

Nicholoson Locks

Clowes Locks

Merrickville Locks

Kilmarnock Locks

Edmonds Locks

Old Slys Locks

Smith Falls Locks

Poonamalie Locks

Beveridges Locks

Narrows Locks

Newboro Locks

Chaffeys Locks

Davis Locks

References

History of the Rideau Lock Stations, URL: http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/locks/

Rideau Canal, Unesco, World Heritage Convention, URL: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1221/

Rideau Canal National Historic Site, Parks Canada, Government of Canada, URL: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history

Colonel By and the Construction of the Rideau Canal, The Canadian Encyclopedia, URL: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/building-the-rideau-canal-feature

Rideau Canal, URL: https://www.visitrideaucanal.com/plan-your-visit

Lockstations, Rideau Canal National History Site World Historic Site, URL: http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/index.html                                                                                             

Rideau Canal Lockstations, Evan Sepa, URL: http://evansepa.com/rideau-info/alt/

Rideau Canal, Wikipedia, URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rideau_Canal

Rideau Canal, Britannica, URL: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rideau-Canal

Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada, Canada’s Historic Places, URL: https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=5727&pid=0

Boating the Historic Rideau Canal, National Parks Traveller, URL: https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2021/06/boating-historic-rideau-canal

Rideau Canal, Ottawa Locks, blodts.net, URL: https://www.boldts.net/rideaucanal/1-8/

Pat’s Boating in Canada, Rideau Waterways Facts, Pat’s Boating in Canada, URL: https://boating.ncf.ca/rideaufacts.html

How a Lock Works, Some Interesting Lock Facts, Friends of the Rideau, URL: http://www.rideaufriends.com/lockworks/lock-facts.html

Rideau Canal Lock Stations, Rideau Lakes Directory, URL: https://www.rideaulakesdirectory.ca/rideau-canal-lock-stations.html

Charming Rideau Canal Towns – A Scenic Road Trip to Ottawa, Avrex Travel, URL: https://avrextravel.com/road-trip-ottawa/

Rideau Canal National Historic Site, Parks Canada, URL: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/visit/heures-hours

Ottawa Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/01-08-ottawa.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/activ/sentier-trail/ottawa

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/locks/h01-08-ottawa.html

https://ottawatourism.ca/en/ottawa-insider/best-ways-experience-rideau-canal-ottawa

Black rapids Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/13-blackrapids.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/docs/r/on/rideau/whl-lhm/chap2/chap2A1/chap2A1d

https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=fonandcol&IdNumber=2833770

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/locks/h13-blackrapids.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history/histoire-decluse-lock-history/blackrapids

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/locks/h13-blackrapids.html

http://www.historicalcarpentry.com/black-rapids-locks—unesco-world-heritage-site.html

http://www.parkscanadahistory.com/publications/rideau/shv/black-rapids-landscape-2017.pdf

https://www.hometownnews.ca/tag/black-rapids-and-lower-nicholsons-wharves/

Long Island Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/14-16-longisland.html

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/ontario/long-island-locks

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/docs/r/on/rideau/whl-lhm/chap2/chap2A1/chap2A1e

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/locks/h14-16-longisland.html

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=197844520271466&paipv=0&eav=AfbxzYg7_bhAJyISsqk0zVhibIDxuAT8Wki7xFjTpRiMijo5Ti5fPuuk8LdV9VjhuOU&_rdr

Burritts Rapids locks

http://burrittsrapids.com/

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/activ/sentier-trail/burrittsrapids

Nicholoson Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/19-uppernicholsons.html

https://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/trails/view/nicholsons-locks–vicinity

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history/histoire-decluse-lock-history/nicholsons

Clowes locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/20-clowes.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history/histoire-decluse-lock-history/clowes

https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=fonandcol&IdNumber=2833766

https://www.kingston2ottawa.com/lockclowes

Merrickville Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/21-23-merrickville.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/docs/r/on/rideau/whl-lhm/chap2/chap2A1/chap2A1i

https://www.waterwayguide.com/lock/5-193/locks-21-22-23-merrickville

Kilmarnock Locks

https://www.waterwayguide.com/lock/5-192/lock-24-kilmarnock

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history/histoire-decluse-lock-history/kilmarnock

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1796491053718814

https://www.waterwayguide.com/lock/5-192/lock-24-kilmarnock

Edmonds Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/25-edmonds.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/docs/r/on/rideau/whl-lhm/chap2/chap2A1/chap2A1k

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history/histoire-decluse-lock-history/edmonds

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1967650383269546

https://www.gpsnauticalcharts.com/main/ca1512c_5-edmunds-lock-nautical-chart.html

Old Slys Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/26-27-oldslys.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/docs/r/on/rideau/whl-lhm/chap2/chap2A1/chap2A1l

https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?app=FonAndCol&IdNumber=2833762

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Old%20Slys%20Locks/119180554890158/

https://vitacollections.ca/smithsfallsdigitalarchive/3730914/data

Smith Falls Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/29a-smithsfallscombined.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history/histoire-decluse-lock-history/smithsfalls

https://vitacollections.ca/smithsfallsdigitalarchive/3726721/data

http://evansepa.com/rideau-info/alt/

Poonamalie Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/32-poonamalie.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history/histoire-decluse-lock-history/poonamalie

https://trailertrawlerlife.com/poonamalie-lock/

https://www.bigrideaulakeassociation.com/recent-news/2018/12/11/poonamalie-lock-32-rideau-canal-masonry-repairs-progressing-well

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/locks/h32-poonamalie.html

Beveridges Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/33-lowerbeveridges.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/docs/r/on/rideau/whl-lhm/chap2/chap2A1/chap2A1p

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/ontario/rt-beveridges-locks-blue-trail

https://www.raccc.ca/resources/trip-report/2065-tay-canal-to-beveridges-locks

https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7099565/beveridges-locks-trail

Narrows Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/35-narrows.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/docs/r/on/rideau/whl-lhm/chap2/chap2A1/chap2A1r

https://www.rideaulakes.ca/experience/things-to-see/culture-heritage/historic-settlements/the-narrows

https://www.facebook.com/NarrowsLockRVing/

Newboro Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/lo

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/histoire-history/histoire-decluse-lock-history/newborocks/36-newboro.html

https://www.rideaulakes.ca/experience/general-info/our-villages/newboro

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=174296345960566&paipv=0&eav=AfakGpct6QQ63azjiM7Lcef-7iUIGvmblc3vZ6QxayD3zQymYuYuSD9NN1T9h7OeyUc&_rdr

Chaffeys Locks

https://www.rideaulakes.ca/experience/general-info/our-villages/chaffey-s-lock

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/locks/37-chaffeys.html

http://www.chaffeyslock.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/5765058882/

https://ontarionaturetrails.com/city-town/chaffeys-lock/

Davis Locks

http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/locks/h38-davis.html

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/activ/camping/maison-house/maison-davis-house

https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=fonandcol&IdNumber=2837398

Lani and Norm
Lani and Norm

I enjoy learning and sharing that knowledge. Sharing has been in many forms over the years, as a teaching assistant, university lecturer, Pilates instructor, math tutor and just sharing with friends and family. Throughout, summarizing what I have learnt in words has always been there and continues to through blog posts, articles, video and the ever growing forms of content out there!

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