It’s funny how you can search the world for something special, for a vacation or adventure that will surprise and delight you, only to discover it in your own backyard. That’s exactly what happened to me on my most recent Paddle Tales adventure along the Rideau Canal.
Growing up in Canada’s Capital City of Ottawa, the Rideau Canal was part of my childhood as it’s an integral part of the City. The canal, an UNESCO world heritage site, runs through the center of Ottawa, alongside a variety of iconic structures including Canada’s Parliament Buildings, the National Art Center, and Lansdowne Park. In the summer, the canal is an ideal route for boaters, paddlers, hikers and bikers. In the winter, it becomes an even more magical place, turning into one of the world’s longest skating rinks. But despite its significance to the city of Ottawa, surprisingly few people (myself included) have explored more than a few miles of the Rideau Canal, overlooking the full 126 miles of the route which winds its way through Eastern Ontario all the way to the city of Kingston. And so, when the opportunity to experience a new section of this historical waterway presented itself to me, I jumped at the chance.
It’s funny how you can search the world for something special, for a vacation or adventure that will surprise and delight you, only to discover it in your own backyard.
– Ken Whiting
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Day 1
My trip began about an hour outside of Ottawa, in the beautiful little town of Smith Falls. Smith Falls is home to Le Boat, a canal boat rental company that has been offering boating holidays for over 50 years and has the world’s largest fleet of self-drive boats. Two years ago, Le Boat set up an operation on the Rideau Canal, which has made it easier than ever for anyone to explore the waterway. Not only do the luxurious boats have all the amenities of a cottage, but the cool thing is that no boating license or previous boating experience is required to rent or drive the boats.
After a few hours of orientation and driver training with the Le Boat team, I set off on my Rideau Canal adventure. Now, I must admit that I was a little nervous about navigating a 44-foot boat through the narrow locks and canal waterway, but it was truly amazing how easy to drive the boats are. This is thanks in large part to the bow and stern thrusters, which let you spin the boat on a dime, or side slip the boat in either direction with the push of a joystick. In fact, even though the boat couldn’t go faster than 6 mph (10 kph), one of the biggest surprises of the whole trip was how much fun it was to drive.
Enjoying being the Captain on the Rideau Canal
While I didn’t get to set foot in my kayak on the first day of my trip, cruising from Smith Falls to Beveridges Locks (where we moored for the night) was an incredible introduction to the Rideau Canal, and set the tone nicely for the rest of the trip.
Day 2
Having paddled for over 30 years, there aren’t many paddling related experiences that I have yet to try.
I was excited about my second day on the canal, because on this day I was going to explore a stretch of water that I had always been curious about. The Tay Canal is an off-shoot of the Rideau Canal, which runs from Beveridges Locks to the Town of Perth. Having been through Perth many times as a kid, I had always looked down the Tay River and wondered what was around the corner. Today I was going to find out, as I was meeting up with Valerie from Parks Canada to paddle about 6 miles up the Tay Canal to the town of Perth. But first, I needed to get through Beveridges Locks.
Although I could have thrown my kayak on my shoulder and walked around the locks, I was surprised to find out that Parks Canada (who manages all the locks) welcomes kayaks and canoes through the locks. Only paddleboards aren’t allowed. Having paddled for over 30 years, there aren’t many paddling related experiences that I have yet try. But paddling through locks was completely new to me, and so I had to do it. And I can say, without a doubt, that it’s an experience every paddler needs to have!
After hooking up with Valerie on the other side of the Beveridges Locks, we made the 6-mile paddle to Perth. The Tay Canal didn’t disappoint. We passed through beautiful marshland and gorgeous hanging forests that were starting to show their fall colors. When we finally arrived in Perth, the light was mesmerizing as the sun was starting to set. As beautiful and fun as it was to paddle through the center of town, the smells from the riverside restaurants and bakeries finally got the better of me.
Day 3
My third day on the canal started early, as it should when you’re going fishing. I hooked up with RJ from RJnBirdees Outdoor Adventures, who runs fishing trips throughout Eastern Ontario. We had our sights set on some big largemouth bass, which the Rideau Canal is well known for. I hopped in my fishing kayak while RJ climbed into his bass boat, and we headed out to some fishy looking flats near the beautiful town of Westport. Unfortunately for us, the weather didn’t cooperate, and a light drizzle quickly turned into a steady downpour. On the flipside, it was a warm morning, and the fish didn’t seem to mind the rain. We both found ourselves pulling in some quality largemouth bass. I have to give RJ a big shout out for getting us on fish so quickly in these tough conditions. Of course, that’s why he’s considered by many to be the top fishing guide in the region.
After a full, albeit wet, morning of fishing, I dried off and set out to explore the town of Westport by foot. Although Westport is a small town (population just under 600), it boasts both a wonderful micro-brewery and an award-winning winery. With the rain passing, and the sun popping out, I decided the Scheuermann Winery was the place to go, as it sits on a hilltop that provides a stunning view of the whole countryside. The views didn’t disappoint! Neither did the wine, nor the wood-fire pizza that they handcraft and which many people (myself included) consider to be the best in Eastern Ontario.
Day 4
The fourth day started the way every day should start – with a beautiful sunrise. After heading out for a quick morning fish on my own, I started my cruise towards Chaffey’s Locks, where I was excited to meet up with my family for the rest of the trip. It was a beautiful cruise on a stunning section of the Rideau Canal. This section of the Rideau Canal has a lot more islands and narrow passages, and it seems to have less boating traffic as well. It also takes you through Newboro Locks, which represent the highest point of the whole canal system. What this means is that to this point, I had been traveling upriver to get to Newboro. Passing through Newboro, I was now going to be traveling downriver towards Kingston. For navigation purposes, this was a little confusing, as I now needed to keep the red buoys on my left, instead of on my right. It also meant that I would be going down through the locks, which was a fun change.
Arriving at Chaffey’s Locks, I’ll never forget my daughter’s reaction when she saw me pull in on the big boat. She lost her mind! After a thorough exploration of what was to be her new home for the next three days, we made the short trek up to Opinicon for dinner–a beautifully renovated hotel/resort, which was originally built in 1890.
When all is said and done, the best way I can describe my trip along the Rideau Canal is ‘surprising’. I was surprised by how much fun I had cruising on the big boat. I was surprised how cool of an experience it was to pass through the locks. I was surprised how beautiful and varied the Rideau Canal is, and I was surprised about how interesting and historically significant the waterway is.
– Ken Whiting
Day 5-6
The next two days on the Rideau Canal were like a dream family vacation. We cruised, we ate, we played, and we dropped anchor to go paddling a number of times. The section of river between Chaffey’s Locks and Seeley’s Bay is one of the most picturesque pieces of wilderness that I’ve ever seen. Particularly memorable was the Jones Falls Park and Lock station, which involved passing through a series of four locks in a truly spectacular setting. With each passing day, the fall colors continued to evolve, which made it that much more exciting to discover what was around every corner.
When all is said and done, the best way I can describe my trip along the Rideau Canal is ‘surprising’. I was surprised by how much fun I had cruising on the big boat. I was surprised how cool of an experience it was to pass through the locks. I was surprised how beautiful and varied the Rideau Canal is, and I was surprised about how interesting and historically significant the waterway is. I started this adventure excited to do a boating and paddling trip. What I discovered, however, was the ‘ultimate cottage life experience’ and that paddling was just one of the many adventures to be had along the remarkable waterway known as the Rideau Canal.
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