The Trent Severn Waterway is the biggest inland waterway on the planet. The majority of people who browse it either own their own boats or have actually insanely priced homes on the water. Nevertheless, there is an enjoyable and inexpensive method to sample a taste of the Trent Severn. Le Boat uses self-drive, high-end houseboats to lease for a number of days to a number of weeks, enabling you to check out the Trent anywhere you desire.
About the Trent Severn Waterway
The Trent-Severn Waterway is a National Historic Website that extends 386 kilometers from Lake Ontario’s Bay of Quinte in Trenton to Georgian Bay in Port Severn. Finished in 1920, the waterway includes 44 locks, consisting of the world’s greatest hydraulic lift lock in Peterborough, which raises boats 19.8 meters in pails. When driving a Le Boat through the Trent Severn waterway, you get to go through this extraordinary lock.
Summer Season Cost Savings with Le Boat
2025 Early Reserving Deal– Conserve approximately 25%: Benefit from Le Boat’s Early Reservation deal and conserve approximately 25% on spending plan, convenience, and Convenience Plus boat leasings throughout Europe. Get 15% off Le Boat’s Horizon Fleet offered for travel in Canada, France, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. Reserve before September 1, 2024, and protect your trip with simply a 25% deposit at the time of reservation.
Le Boat’s 2025 Lowest Rate Assurance: Reserve your 2025 boat rental trip in Europe or Canada with self-confidence. If the cost drops after you have actually reserved, Le Boat will reimburse the distinction. They ensure the most affordable cost approximately 90 days before departure. Early Reserving deals for the 2025 season, see https://www.leboat.ca/en/new-season or call 1-800-734-5491.
Work With A Captain with Le Boat
To make boating even simpler for newbie cruisers, Le Boat, the leader in personal boating holidays in Europe and Canada, reveals the launch of its ingenious Skipper for Hire program.
Readily available solely along the attractive Canal du Midi in France beginning in the 2025 season and priced at simply US$ 199 each day, tourists can employ the knowledge of an experienced Le Boat skipper to accompany them on their first trip. On the very first complete day of the trip, the selected skipper offers visitors with hands-on direction on boat operation, navigation methods, and steering through locks. This tailored assistance imparts self-confidence, empowering visitors to browse individually for the rest of their trip.
To find out more about Le Boat’s Skipper for Hire program see https://www.leboat.ca/en/new-season or call 1-800-734-5491.
Le Boat’s Horizon 2+ Boat
This was our 5th Le Boat journey so we felt really comfy in the captain’s chair of our Horizon 2+ high-end houseboat. My sibling and sister-in-law Jim and Janice joined us for this experience, and the boat easily sleeps 4 individuals. There are 2 bed rooms and 2 restrooms, a complete cooking area with a full-size fridge, oven, range, and barbecue on the leading deck. Meals and pots and pans are provided together with washcloths and a broom and mop.
While the boat sleeps 4 individuals, you can quickly drive this boat with 2 individuals, however it is definitely a lot more enjoyable to have additional assist with ropes when going through locks and mooring for the night.
See our video to discover what to load, how simple it is to drive the boat, and what to anticipate when leasing a Le Boat Houseboat on the Trent.
Trent Severn Waterway With Le Boat
We took a seven-day cruise from the Le Boat marina simply south of Peterborough to Bobcaygeon. Throughout our journey, we went through 13 locks and had an amazing experience on among the world’s most gorgeous waterways.
The boats are extremely well geared up with sheets, duvets, and pillows. Bath and Hand Towels are provided, as are all cooking utensils. There is a big water tank on board, and we have actually hardly ever required to refill our tank throughout a Le Boat journey. Nevertheless, you can fill it at the marinas. When taking showers, keep it brief so you will not need to keep filling up the tank.
We recommend bringing beach towels, additional meal towels, and cleansing towels for a seven-day journey. We likewise loaded hair shampoo, soap, and additional toilet tissue. Nevertheless, you can utilize the toilets at the locks each night, and they are spick-and-span. We suggest utilizing the general public toilets as much as possible, that method you will not need to fret about clearing your tanks or filling water throughout your 7 excursion. If you do require a pump out, there is an additional cost, however they are provided at marinas along the waterway.
Something we extremely suggest packaging is some additional wall mounts for your clothing. It is a lot easier to arrange in the closet with more wall mounts.
Day 1-Arrival
We asked for an early check-in for 1 pm and invested an hour packing our boat with all our materials. We loaded 2 coolers filled with food for the week and clothing for both hot and dry weather condition and cool and damp weather condition. Canadian summertimes see it all.
Le Boat Marina at Horseshoe Bay
After arranging our boat, we satisfied the personnel who strolled us through whatever we required to understand about the boat and after that took us on the water for a lesson on hour to drive and guide the boat, how to utilize the thrusters, browse through locks and how to park a boat. By 3pm we were on the water travelling to our very first place.
Peterborough
Locks are open up until 6 pm (or 6:30, depending upon the time of year), and we had 3 hours to get to our very first location. This very first day is a brief day, so we recommend scheduling your opening night at the Peterborough Marina. The mooring costs here are not consisted of in your Le Boat leasing, however remaining at the marina permits you to delight in time in Peterborough and to consume at our preferred dining establishment The Lightouse Bar And Grill.
Canadian Canoe Museum
Found at Lock 20, the Canadian Canoe Museum is the most recent tourist attraction on the Trent Severn Waterway. This interesting museum homes the world’s biggest collection of canoes, kayaks, and boat. We invested about an hour enjoying its exhibitions that display the Native origins of the canoe, the function of the fur sell these waters, and the advancement of leisure paddling. There are interactive screens and hands-on activities making it enjoyable for any ages.
The Canadian Canoe Museum is open daily from 10 am to 5pm. We recommend investing the night in the Peterborough marina and after that making your method back to the lock station in the early morning to delight in the museum before directing the Trent Severn Waterway.
If you do not wish to spend for a night at the Peterborough Marina, all Le Boats consist of complimentary docking at any of the locks on the Trent Waterway. You can remain at Lock 20 free of charge and stroll the 5 minutes to the Canadian Canoe Museum in the early morning, or you can likewise drive straight to the Peterborough lift lock and remain there. It is a simple taxi or Uber ride into town, or you can just remain on the boat and delight in the views.
Day 2– Peterborough to Young’s Point
Peterborough Lift Lock
Day 2 is a fantastic day to invest 4 or 5 hours on the waterway. There is a lot to see on this day, starting with your journey through the world’s greatest lift lock. The Peterborough Lift Lock is a lot enjoyable to go through. Boats drive into a big pail, and rather of waiting on the lock to fill with water to take you to the next level, boats are raised by a pully system in a huge swimming pool-like pail, taking boats up 150 feet in a simple 58 seconds.
After succeeding it is a gorgeous day along the canal going through farmland, forests, golf courses, and charming home nation.
Stopping at Youngs Point for the night produces a gorgeous night. Here, there is a dining establishment, store, and ice cream parlor. It is a picturesque area with waterfalls, bird life, and beautiful sunset views. We selected to consume on the boat utilizing the barbecue and delight in the leading deck to unwind with mixed drinks.
Day 3– Young’s Indicate Buckhorn
Today is a long, picturesque day driving through magnificent lakes and the Canadian Guard. The islands of Stony Lake are gorgeous, with multimillion-dollar homes covering its coasts.
You can pick up lunch on Love Sick Island, a distinct lock situated on an island in the middle of the lake. It is a historical location with treking routes (they are really rugged, though), picnic tables, and fire pits. Some individuals select to remain over night on this island for a quieter night.
When you reach Buckhorn, it’s a big dock with a number of parking areas on the lock. You can buy power for around $10 if you wish to utilize the cooling, cooking area, or any other electronic devices. There is an alcohol shop, waterside dining establishment, and regional shop to buy any materials, ice, and water. This is a truly excellent option to invest the night.
Day 4– Buckhorn to Bobcaygeon
Today, you wish to start as early as possible due to the fact that parking is restricted in Bobcaygeon. Nevertheless, you do not wish to miss out on investing the night in this popular Canadian town. The Tragically Hip discussed Bobcaygeon, and they benefited from their popularity by offering Tee shirts with the lyrics on them. Yes, we purchased the Tee shirts.
This is the location to shop with a number of shops offering clothes, shoes, and keepsakes. There are a lot of dining establishments to select from and there are bars, patio areas and microbreweries.
We consumed at Gaz, which had a great environment and scrumptious food. It was simply a brief walk from the dock neglecting the canal.
Day 5– Bobcaygeon to Burleigh Falls
If you have longer, you can go to Fenlan Falls, however with just 2 days left in our travel plan, we started the journey back. After having breakfast and ice cream in Bobcaygeon, we made our method gradually south to Burleigh Falls. Burleigh Falls is a gorgeous waterfall where residents swim in the waves of the hurrying water.
This is more of a wild outdoor camping night with not a great deal of features, however that is the very best feature of taking a Le Boat trip. The boat is totally equipped with whatever you require. Tonight is a great night to have a barbecue on deck, play some cards or relax the picnic table. If you wish to stroll to the Burleigh Inn, you can go there for supper. It is simply a 5 minute walk and there is a nation shop near there also.
Day 6– Burleigh Falls to Lakefield
The rivers run in this instructions, so the journey home was much quicker. With just 2 stops en route back, we made a fun time from Bobcaygeon to Lakefield near Burleigh Falls.
This is a captivating town to invest the night in, with a charming downtown filled with dining establishments, clubs, and stores. Make certain to drop in the Chocolate Bunny to get artisanal chocolates. If you have bikes or paddle boards (2 pieces of equipment that you can lease from Le Boat), this is a great location to attempt them out. The water is calm, and there are biking routes close by.
Day 7 Lakefield to Le Boat
Today is your last day on the Trent Severn Waterway, so take your time and stop at all the locks and locations you missed out on in between here and Horseshoe Bay at Le Boat. Stop and have a picnic lunch, pop into Peterborough, lay on the beach at lock 20 or just unwind on the waters.
You will require to be through the last lock by 6 pm so you can get to the Le Boat marina to remain over night as the 9 am have a look at comes early. However you have the night to leave and fill your vehicle, make your last meal on the barbecue, and talk with other Le Boaters to see how their journeys went. It genuinely is a fantastic week on the water.
How Tough Are Le Boats to Drive?
The Horizon boats by Le Boat are exceptionally simple houseboats to drive.
You have 2 alternatives for where to guide the boat. You can guide it either from the leading flybridge or listed below in the cabin. It’s a simple shift to turn the steering from listed below to above, and the Le Boat personnel will reveal you how to do that.
Up leading provides you the very best view and control. So if you can drive from there, the majority of the time, unless it’s severe weather condition,
The real control of the boat is incredibly simple. The boats feature both bow and stern hydraulic thrusters, which permit you to navigate the front of the boat and the back of the boat, essentially side to side, which truly assists in docking and even entering into the locks themselves.
Something about leasing with Le Boat is that y you do not require a boat license to drive among these. Before leaving the dock, you will have an involved lesson to discover how to deal with the boat. They teach you to turn the boat, guide it, park it and run you through all the security functions.
There are limiters on the boat also, so you can just go 10 km an hour (perhaps 11 or 12 if you have the wind and existing behind you. So, if you follow the buoys and markers, it is simple to remain in control.
Preparation your Trent Severn Waterway Schedule
From the Le Boat docks, you can select to go south to Trenton or north to Peterborough and beyond. When you are planning your path, simply keep in mind that you’re just doing 10 kilometers an hour at complete speed. So when you’re preparing where to go from one day to the next, you will wish to consider the timing.
Throughout the high season, you can invest an hour approximately at the lock waiting on boats to go through. So our finest suggestions is to ask the lock masters how hectic the locks lead you and how far they believe you will have the ability to get. They understand these waters well.
Lock Rules
Boating the Trent Severn Waterway is a distinct experience. All locks are run by Parks Canada, so there’s constantly somebody at the lock stations to request suggestions. They bring a wealth of info about the history of the locks and the area and waters.
So, how does going through the locks work? It’s simple, and if you are uncertain, make certain to ask the personnel before leaving the marina. Nevertheless, we are here to assist. Here are the actions of what to do when approaching a lock.
Increase to the blue line and await the traffic signal to turn green.
They lock personnel will call you in if there is no traffic signal or if the lock is currently open. When driving in, utilize your thrusters to keep control.
These boats are incredibly simple to deal with to enter into the lock. Simply drive sluggish, utilize your thrusters and make certain to turn it into reverse to stop.
With 4 individuals on the boat, there will be someone managing the ropes at the back and another on the front. When the boat enters into position, all they need to do is loop the ropes on the long cable televisions connected to the lock that will assist to keep the boat consistent as the water enters.
You will remain in the lock with other boats, so be considerate of their area and get in and leave in an organized style. Whoever remains in the front will leave initially, and after that that side will follow before the opposite exits.
If you have any concerns, ask the lock master; they will have the ability to inform you where to go.
Travelling the Trent Severn Water is among the best boat journeys in the world. It is a big part of the Great Loop Trip that boaters placed on their pail lists to take a year travelling from Florida. We suggest anybody (whether you are a boater or not) invest 7 days travelling this gorgeous part of Canada. As Dave stated, words and pictures can not record the charm of the Trent. It is by seeing it with your own eyes that you genuinely value how unique the Trent Severn and Kawarthas genuinely are. So, begin preparing your journey today!