Rideau Canal Schedule and Fees

Accounts of trips taken in Boston Whaler boats; organization of rendezvous for Boston Whaler boats
jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Rideau Canal Schedule and Fees

Postby jimh » Fri Feb 12, 2016 4:24 pm

For the 2016 season, Parks Canada plans the following schedule of operation of the locks in the Rideau Canal system:

May 20 to June 26
Monday to Thursday
10:00am – 4:00pm
Friday to Sunday; and Victoria Day
9:00am – 7:00pm

June 27 to Sept 5
Monday to Thursday
9:00am – 6:00pm
Friday to Sunday; and Canada Day, August Civic Holiday and Labour Day
9:00am – 7:00pm

Sept 6 to Oct 10
Monday to Friday
10:00am – 4:00pm
Saturday - Sunday; and Thanksgiving
9:00am – 5:00pm

Beveridges lockstation will also provide a full upon arrival service for
the entire season and will operate under the same hours as the rest of the
Rideau Canal.

NOTE: Lockstations are unstaffed after hours. Authorized visitors are asked
to exercise caution. Unpermitted access to lockstations is prohibited
between 10pm and 6am.

For the latest updates on hours of operation see http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/visit/visit2.aspx

The fee schedule is available at

http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/v ... p?park=101

For a one-way transit of the system, the 2016 fee is going to be CA-$4.65-per-foot. With the present rate of exchange, that converts to US-dollars at about $3.35-per-foot. For a 22-foot boat to transit the system, the cost would be about $75. (I am using CA-$1.00 = US-$0.72 for the exchange rate.)

Overnight docking at a lockstation requires an added fee of CA-$0.90 (or about US-$0.65) per foot per night. There are also some marinas along the route where you can stay.

The fees assessed to recreational boaters seem to be quite reasonable this year. There was some concern that fees would be raised significantly in 2016, but that has not seemed to occur. Due to the fluctuation in currency rates, 2016's fees are actually quite a bit less than our last trip through the system.

The fees paid by recreational boaters are probably not sufficient to really maintain the system. Infrastructure improvements are very costly. At the Kingston Mills locks alone there are $4.5-million in infrastructure improvements and maintenance being planned.

A transit of the Rideau Canal is a very enjoyable cruise in a small boat. We have made this voyage twice, and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. You can read more about those trips at

--Rideau Canal 2013 Cruise

--Rideau Canal 2007

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djahncke
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Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 6:30 pm

Free lockage on Canada Canals in 2017

Postby djahncke » Thu Jun 02, 2016 9:24 pm

It seems that Canada has announced that lockage on their canal systems in 2017 will be free. Next year could be a good year to plan a trip on the Trent Severn or Rideau canal systems.


http://www.waterwayguide.com/latest-news/news/6589/canada-announces-free-lockage-in-2017

peterd
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Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:25 am

Re: Rideau Canal Schedule and Fees

Postby peterd » Tue Jun 28, 2016 8:33 am

[The hyperlink below has the] latest update on the Trent Severn lock system [and announces a CA$270-million investment in Trent-Severn canal maintenance and repairs].

http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/feds-to-invest ... 1.2962599#

jimh
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Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Rideau Canal Schedule and Fees

Postby jimh » Mon Jul 18, 2016 2:23 pm

Thanks for posting the link to the article announcing the CA$270-million investment in the Trent-Severn canal. That is good news.