Trent Severn Waterway – Everything You Need to Know with Le Boat

The Trent Severn Waterway is the largest inland waterway in the world. Most people who navigate it either own their own boats or have outrageously priced cottages on the water.  However, there is a fun and affordable way to sample a taste of the Trent Severn. Le Boat offers self-drive, luxury houseboats to rent for a couple of days to a couple of weeks, allowing you to explore the Trent anywhere you want. 

About the Trent Severn Waterway

The Trent-Severn Waterway is a National Historic Site that stretches 386 kilometers from Lake Ontario’s Bay of Quinte in Trenton to Georgian Bay in Port Severn. Completed in 1920, the waterway features 44 locks, including the world’s highest hydraulic lift lock in Peterborough, which raises boats 19.8 meters in buckets. When driving a Le Boat through the Trent Severn waterway, you get to pass through this incredible lock.

Summer Savings with Le Boat

Hire A Captain with Le Boat

To make boating even easier for first-time cruisers, Le Boat, the leader in private boating vacations in Europe and Canada, announces the launch of its innovative Skipper for Hire program.

Available exclusively along the picturesque Canal du Midi in France starting in the 2025 season and priced at just US$199 per day, travelers can enlist the expertise of a seasoned Le Boat skipper to accompany them on their maiden voyage. On the first full day of the voyage, the appointed skipper provides guests with hands-on instruction on boat operation, navigation techniques, and maneuvering through locks. This personalized guidance instills confidence, empowering guests to navigate independently for the remainder of their excursion.

For more information about Le Boat’s Skipper for Hire program visit https://www.leboat.ca/en/new-season or call 1-800-734-5491.

Le Boat’s Horizon 2+ Boat

This was our fifth Le Boat trip so we felt very comfortable in the captain’s chair of our Horizon 2+ luxury houseboat. My brother and sister-in-law Jim and Janice joined us for this adventure, and the boat comfortably sleeps four people. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a full kitchen with a full-size refrigerator, oven, stove, and barbecue on the top deck. Dishes and cookware are supplied along with washcloths and a broom and mop.

While the boat sleeps four people, you can easily drive this boat with two people, but it is certainly a lot more fun to have extra help with ropes when going through locks and mooring for the night.

Watch our video to learn what to pack, how easy it is to drive the boat, and what to expect when renting a Le Boat Houseboat on the Trent.

Trent Severn Waterway With Le Boat

We took a seven-day cruise from the Le Boat marina just south of Peterborough to Bobcaygeon. During our trip, we went through 13 locks and had an incredible adventure on one of the world’s most beautiful waterways.

The boats are very well equipped with sheets, duvets, and pillows. Bath and Hand Towels are supplied, as are all cooking utensils. There is a huge water tank on board, and we have rarely needed to refill our tank during a Le Boat trip. However, you can fill it at the marinas. When taking showers, keep it short and sweet so you won’t have to keep refilling the tank.

We suggest bringing beach towels, extra dish towels, and cleaning towels for a seven-day trip. We also packed shampoo, soap, and extra toilet paper. However, you can use the toilets at the locks each night, and they are very clean. We recommend using the public toilets as much as possible, that way you won’t have to worry about emptying your tanks or filling up water during your seven day trip. If you do need a pump out, there is an extra fee, but they are offered at marinas along the waterway.

One thing we highly recommend packing is some extra hangers for your clothes. It is much easier to organize in the closet with more hangers.

Day 1-Arrival

We requested an early check-in for 1 pm and spent an hour loading our boat with all our supplies. We packed two coolers full of food for the week and clothes for both hot and dry weather and cool and wet weather. Canadian summers see it all.

Le Boat Marina at Horseshoe Bay

After organizing our boat, we met the staff who walked us through everything we needed to know about the boat and then took us on the water for a lesson on hour to drive and steer the boat, how to use the thrusters, navigate through locks and how to park a boat. By 3pm we were on the water cruising to our first location.

Peterborough

Locks are open until 6 pm (or 6:30, depending on the time of year), and we had three hours to get to our first destination. This first day is a short day, so we suggest booking your first night at the Peterborough Marina. The mooring fees here are not included in your Le Boat rental, but staying at the marina allows you to enjoy time in Peterborough and to eat at our favourite restaurant The Lightouse Bar And Grill.

Canadian Canoe Museum

Located at Lock 20, the Canadian Canoe Museum is the newest attraction on the Trent Severn Waterway. This fascinating museum houses the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks, and watercraft. We spent about an hour enjoying its exhibits that showcase the Indigenous origins of the canoe, the role of the fur trade in these waters, and the evolution of recreational paddling. There are interactive displays and hands-on activities making it fun for all ages.

The Canadian Canoe Museum is open daily from 10 am to 5pm. We suggest spending the night in the Peterborough marina and then making your way back to the lock station in the morning to enjoy the museum before heading up the Trent Severn Waterway.

If you don’t want to pay for a night at the Peterborough Marina, all Le Boats include free docking at any of the locks on the Trent Waterway. You can stay at Lock 20 for free and walk the five minutes to the Canadian Canoe Museum in the morning, or you can also drive directly to the Peterborough lift lock and stay there. It is an easy taxi or Uber ride into town, or you can simply stay on the boat and enjoy the views.

Day 2 – Peterborough to Young’s Point

Peterborough Lift Lock

Day two is a great day to spend four or five hours on the waterway. There is a lot to see on this day, beginning with your trip through the world’s highest lift lock. The Peterborough Lift Lock is so much fun to go through. Boats drive into a huge bucket, and instead of waiting for the lock to fill up with water to take you to the next level, boats are lifted by a pully system in a giant swimming pool-like bucket, taking boats up 150 feet in a mere 58 seconds.

After getting to the top it is a beautiful day along the canal going through farmland, forests, golf courses, and lovely cottage country.

Stopping at Youngs Point for the night makes for a beautiful evening. Here, there is a restaurant, shop, and ice cream parlor. It is a scenic spot with waterfalls, bird life, and gorgeous sunset views. We chose to eat on the boat using the barbecue and enjoy the top deck to relax with cocktails.

Day 3 – Young’s Point to Buckhorn

Today is a long, scenic day driving through spectacular lakes and the Canadian Shield. The islands of Stony Lake are beautiful, with multimillion-dollar cottages spanning its shores.

You can stop for lunch on Love Sick Island, a unique lock located on an island in the middle of the lake. It is a historic destination with hiking trails (they are very rugged, though), picnic tables, and fire pits. Some people choose to stay overnight on this island for a quieter evening.

Once you reach Buckhorn, it’s a large dock with several parking spots on the lock. You can purchase power for around $10 if you want to use the air conditioning, kitchen, or any other electronics. There is a liquor store, waterfront restaurant, and local store to purchase any supplies, ice, and water. This is a really good choice to spend the night.

Day 4 – Buckhorn to Bobcaygeon

Today, you want to get going as early as possible because parking is limited in Bobcaygeon. However, you don’t want to miss spending the night in this famous Canadian town. The Tragically Hip wrote about Bobcaygeon, and they took advantage of their fame by selling T-shirts with the lyrics on them. Yes, we bought the T-shirt.

This is the place to go shopping with several stores selling clothing, shoes, and souvenirs. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from and there are bars, patios and microbreweries.

We ate at Gaz, which had a fantastic atmosphere and delicious food. It was just a short walk from the dock overlooking the canal.

Day 5 – Bobcaygeon to Burleigh Falls

If you have longer, you can visit Fenlan Falls, but with only two days left in our itinerary, we began the trip back. After having breakfast and ice cream in Bobcaygeon, we made our way slowly south to Burleigh Falls. Burleigh Falls is a beautiful waterfall where locals swim in the waves of the rushing water.

This is more of a wild camping evening with not a lot of amenities, but that is the best thing about taking a Le Boat vacation. The boat is fully stocked with everything you need. Tonight is a good night to have a barbecue on deck, play some cards or sit around the picnic table. If you want to walk to the Burleigh Inn, you can go there for dinner. It is just a five minute walk and there is a country store near there as well.

Day 6 – Burleigh Falls to Lakefield

The rivers run in this direction, so the trip home was much faster. With only two stops on the way back, we made a great time from Bobcaygeon to Lakefield near Burleigh Falls.

This is a charming town to spend the night in, with a lovely downtown full of restaurants, pubs, and shops. Make sure to stop in the Chocolate Rabbit to pick up artisanal chocolates. If you have bicycles or paddle boards (two pieces of gear that you can rent from Le Boat), this is a good place to try them out. The water is calm, and there are cycling trails nearby.

Day 7 Lakefield to Le Boat

Today is your final day on the Trent Severn Waterway, so take your time and stop at all the locks and places you missed 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 simply relax on the waters.

You will need to be through the last lock by 6 pm so you can get to the Le Boat marina to stay overnight as the 9 am check out comes early. But you have the evening to pack up and load your car, make your final meal on the barbecue, and talk with other Le Boaters to see how their trips went. It truly is an amazing week on the water.

How Difficult Are Le Boats to Drive?

The Horizon boats by Le Boat are extremely easy houseboats to drive.

You have two options for where to steer the boat. You can steer it either from the top flybridge or below in the cabin. It’s an easy shift to flip the steering from below to above, and the Le Boat staff will show you how to do that.

Up top gives you the best view and control. So if you can drive from there, most of the time, unless it’s inclement weather,

The actual control of the boat is super easy. The boats come with both bow and stern hydraulic thrusters, which allow you to maneuver the front of the boat and the back of the boat, basically side to side, which really helps in docking and even going into the locks themselves.

One thing about renting with Le Boat is that y you do not need a boat license to drive one of these. Before leaving the dock, you will have an involved lesson to learn about how to handle the boat. They teach you to turn the boat, steer it, park it and run you through all the safety features.

There are limiters on the boat as well, so you can only go 10 km an hour (maybe 11 or 12 if you have the wind and current behind you. So, if you follow the buoys and markers, it is easy to stay in control.

Planning your Trent Severn Waterway Itinerary

From the Le Boat docks, you can choose to go south to Trenton or north to Peterborough and beyond. When you are planning out your route, just remember that you’re only doing 10 kilometers an hour at full speed. So when you’re planning where to go from one day to the next, you will want to think about the timing.

During the high season, you can spend an hour or so at the lock waiting for boats to go through. So our best advice is to ask the lock masters how busy the locks are ahead of you and how far they think you will be able to get. They know these waters well.

Lock Etiquette

Boating the Trent Severn Waterway is a unique experience. All locks are operated by Parks Canada, so there’s always someone at the lock stations to ask for advice. They carry a wealth of information about the history of the locks and the local area and waters.

So, how does going through the locks work? It’s easy, and if you are unsure, make sure to ask the staff before leaving the marina. However, we are here to help. Here are the steps of what to do when approaching a lock.

Drive up to the blue line and wait for the red light to turn green.

They lock staff will call you in if there is no red light or if the lock is already open. When driving in, use your thrusters to maintain control.

These boats are super easy to handle to go into the lock. Just drive slow, use your thrusters and make sure to flip it into reverse to stop.

With four people on the boat, there will be one person handling the ropes at the back and another on the front. When the boat gets into position, all they have to do is loop the ropes on the long cables attached to the lock that will help to keep the boat steady as the water rushes in.

You will be in the lock with other boats, so be respectful of their space and enter and leave in an orderly fashion. Whoever is in the front will leave first, and then that side will follow before the other side exits.

If you have any questions, ask the lock master; they will be able to tell you where to go.

Cruising the Trent Severn Water is one of the greatest boat trips on earth. It is a huge portion of the Great Loop Tour that boaters put on their bucket lists to take a year cruising from Florida. We recommend anyone (whether you are a boater or not) spend seven days cruising this beautiful part of Canada. As Dave said, words and photos cannot capture the beauty of the Trent. It is by seeing it with your own eyes that you truly appreciate how special the Trent Severn and Kawarthas truly are. So, start planning your trip today!