Trent Severn Waterway Sea Doo Tour Ride Planner

Jet Ski From Trenton to Port Severn Ontario…

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Related: Best Trent Severn PWC Rides

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This Trent Severn Waterway Sea Doo Tour is a 387-kilometre, self guided, PWC adventure from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. I guesstimated this Ontario jet ski journey at five days, barring bad weather. Included was a sightseeing cushion that might be consumed by the other variables beyond my control…

Such as the 44 various manmade devices for transporting recreational boats through the Waterway’s 183-metre range of elevation (see How To Go Through Locks). Or the time required to cruise the numerous ‘Speed Limit’ zones en route. Or simply getting lost. I had visions of sleeping with the proverbial farmer’s daughter if I couldn’t make my intended overnight destination. Hummm, maybe a delay or two might prove interesting at that!

Trent Severn Waterway History…

At first sight, the Trent-Severn Waterway might be misconceived of as one giant canal, meticulously planned and built as a cohesive corridor. In fact, crews constructed it piecemeal in Canada over 87 years, from 1833 to 1920. With only 106 kilometres or so of man-made channel, the remainder follows natural existing watercourses, albeit considerably altered by dredging and flooding to achieve navigability. No portages for we modern day voyageurs on our Sea Doo tours on Sea Doo, jet ski or waverunner personal watercraft!

The crews did not complete connections to Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario until the end of construction. So for most of its early existence, the Trent-Severn remained fragmented and landlocked, serving only regional transportation needs. When these last linkages were finally opened, the Waterway’s promise as a major commercial thoroughfare had already been lost to railways and Great Lakes cargo freighters. With the demise of logging and steamboats early this century, the Waterway slipped into decline. Then the recreational boating boom gave it new life in the late Fifties. As a tourism destination and for Sea Doo tours, the Trent-Severn Waterway is now recognized as “one of the finest interconnected systems of navigation in the world”.

Trent Severn Waterway Sea Doo Tour Day 1 – Trenton to Campbellford…

View Trent Severn Seas-Doo Tour – Trenton to Campbellford in a larger map

 

We slated our first overnight stop for Campbellford, a mere 50 kilometres away. But Lock 1 was only three kilometres up river, with six more in the next 10 kilometres. Then eight more before Campbellford. Although the time required for locking through is unpredictable, we lucked out.

I’m Your Captain!

The Kawartha Voyager is the largest cruise boat on the system. It plies the Rideau Canal, Lake Ontario, and Trent-Severn. It carries about 40 passengers who sleep and eat on board. The ship has priority passage through the locks. Often, there is little room for other boats. But that’s one advantage of personal watercraft. We squeezed in with that behemoth, thereby assuring our own rapid transit.

All morning, we hung onto to the Voyager’s stern railing in each lock. We chatted up the passengers and crew, while being treated to soft drinks and snacks. At one point, a uniformed crew member asked for a Sea Doo ride to the next lock. As I happily obliged, those on board cried: “Hey, you can’t leave us. You’re the captain!” Sure enough, whenever I glanced up at the wheelhouse later, my smiling Sea Doo passenger was at the helm. Was it on autopilot when he jumped ship?

Dams Galore

At Lock 1 in Trenton, we observed one of the Waterway’s least appreciated structures, a dam. In all, 125 dams are associated with the Trent-Severn. Although locks are the most obvious feature to recreational boaters, dams provide the water control system to maintain a constant, manageable flow throughout the season. This control uses the Waterway’s natural flow supplemented by a series of reservoir lakes to the north. The dams back up the water to a navigable depth. This on going process creates long stretches of calm water where rapids might otherwise exist. At 14 locations, they also generate hydroelectric power for local consumption.

After our first eight hours of Sea Doo riding and fuelling up at a riverside station in town, we arrived at the Campbellford River Inn. Here, a sturdy and protected dock offered the only secure overnight parking for PWC’s in the area.

Trent Severn Waterway Sea Doo Tour Day 2 – Campbellford to Young’s Point…

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Healy Falls (near kilometer 64) is just past Campbellford. And that’s where we strayed too close to shore. Our watercraft started to lose momentum, growing progressively more sluggish. Suddenly, my warning light came on and the engine died. It was almost as if we were stuck in mud or something. Like maybe weeds from the huge bed that I’d inadvertently steered into!

Sure enough, we’d crammed our intakes. One of us would have to climb overboard and clear the grates. We weren’t out of it either. It took an hour and a half to get gas and back to the main channel. Meanwhile, we also managed to tow in two anglers who had gone adrift for several hours after their motor quit. These unexpected delays put us behind our jet ski riding schedule. Certainly a concern with nine more locks before our overnight destination at Young’s Point!

On To Rice Lake

So far, we’d had smooth, sheltered sailing. I knew that Rice Lake, a long, narrow and shallow wind funnel, might be a different story. And I was right. It was also the first large body of water where shorelines and channel markers were far apart. Anticipating a little fun, I throttled into the three foot waves and played ride ‘em cowboy for the next 20 kilometres.

After the wavy chop of Rice Lake, the Otonabee River was a picturesque 50-kilometre ride. Wide sweeping curves and slow, calm water. Other highlights included Sea Doo riding under the fountain on Little Lake in downtown Peterborough. And the Peterborough Lift Lock, North America’s tallest, with its panoramic view. After a 111-kilometre run from Campbellford, we made it into Lakefield by mid-afternoon. Then arrived at our accommodation at Katchawanooka Resort, near Young’s Point soon after.

 

Trent Severn Waterway Sea Doo Tour Day 3 – Young’s Point to Bobcaygeon…

View Trent Severn Sea-Doo Tour – Young’s Point to Bobcaygeon in a larger map

We leisurely explored the Kawartha Lakes before overnighting at Eganridge Inn & Spa, just past Bobcaygeon. These sparkling waters are the tourism and recreational boating heart of the Trent-Severn. In fact, the system’s first lock was built at Bobcaygeon in 1833. By 1887, boats could travel from Lakefield to Balsam Lake.

The summer population of the Kawarthas uses the locks frequently for both day trips and overnight tours. This traffic makes its six locks, especially Bobcaygeon and Rosedale, the busiest on the system. Balsam Lake is the Trent-Severn’s height of land. So the Kirkfield Lift Lock provides the linkage between its two major watersheds. From Kirkfield, the Trent flows east into the Kawarthas and Lake Ontario. And west into the Severn, draining through Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay.

It’s crucial to remember that the ubiquitous marker buoys reverse here. From Trenton to Kirkfield red is on the right. But from Kirkfield to Port Severn, red switches to the left.

On Clear Lake, we gassed up at Kawartha Park Marina (near kilometer 173). Then we made our first side trip. Stony Lake may be the most spectacular of the ten Kawartha Lakes, noted for its rocky outcroppings, numerous islands and idyllic cottage settings. But the many submerged (or not so submerged) rocks and shoals necessitate navigating caution for jet ski riders. Especially in late summer when water levels are lower.

As a Kawartha cottager myself, I was especially intrigued to cruise through towns like Peterborough, Lakefield, Buckhorn, Bobcaygeon, and Fenelon Falls. All places I’d visited by car, never on PWC adventures. Out of curiosity, we steered into Chemong Lake for a visit. Then we eyeballed the shoreline of Lower Buckhorn’s Deer Bay before running the length of Pigeon Lake and into Bobcaygeon to top up our fuel (kilometer 222). With almost 100 klicks under our belts for the day, we docked at Eganridge about 5:30. And the resort whisked us to our luxury room in a golf cart!

Trent Severn Waterway Sea Doo Tour Day 4 – Bobcaygeon to Orillia…

View Trent Severn Sea-Doo Tour – Bobcaygeon to Orillia in a larger map

 

We were uncertain as to our timing for passing through the eight remaining locks into Lake Simcoe. And indeed, about conditions on Simcoe itself. So we embarked at 8:15 AM on day four. Our destination: the Best Western Couchiching Inn at the Narrows before the Port of Orillia, 87 kilometres away. En route, we explored Sturgeon, Cameron and Balsam Lakes, gassing up at Fenelon Falls Marina (kilometer 247). By noon, we were well into the last 32-kilometre stretch before Lake Simcoe. Mitchell and Canal Lakes tended to be marshy. The Talbot River had its fair share of weeds too. And from the Bolsover lock, the canal runs straight as an arrow to Simcoe. But there was no light at the end of the tunnel for we jet ski riders.

Riding Lake Simcoe

We’d overheard oncoming recreational boaters reporting waves on Simcoe. As we gazed toward that lake, neither of us could imagine what lay beyond the breakwaters. Turns out that Lake Simcoe was a furious cauldron of wind-whipped waves and huge swells. Riding like a bonsai buckaroo, I headed south to get gas at the Beaverton Yacht Club just in case.

It may have been wiser to wait ashore until it calmed. But we stayed within sight of shore and pounded our way northwest against five foot waves that swept into us almost broadside. Surging crests rocketed us ahead. Our stomachs dropped out in bottomless troughs. Amid the huge swells, I couldn’t spot the markers from the mouth of the Trent-Severn to Orillia. Nor were there any boats to follow. We were on our own, with nothing to guide us but my sense of direction.

Thankfully, the inherent stability and handling characteristics of our touring Sea-Doo watercraft saw us through safely. We were relieved to dock at the Blue Beacon Marina (kilometer 318) around 4:30 PM to top up. And to relax at the Best Western that night. If Simcoe had been less challenging, we would have spent an hour or two exploring Cook’s Bay near Keswick, and Barrie’s Kempenfelt Bay.

Trent Severn Waterway Sea Doo Tour Day 5 – Orillia to Honey Harbour…

View Trent Severn Sea-Doo Tour – Orillia to Honey Harbour in a larger map

With only four transfers remaining for day five, we departed Orillia on the 84-kilomtere final leg of our journey. We planned to meet our wives with my Triton trailer at Honey Harbour’s now defunct Delawana Inn. From Lake Couchiching, our Sea Doo riding route headed into the southern region of Muskoka with its cottaging lakes and granite shorelines.

The Big Chute Marine Railway is unique to North America. We gassed up again at Big Chute Marina (kilometre 374) and floated aboard. The railway carries boats over a 17.7- metre elevation on a giant rolling carriage. After four days on water, watching it drain out beneath our feet as the marine railway raised and moved forward was a weird sensation. Especially surrounded as we were by large cruisers momentarily dry-docked in their giant sling cradles.

On the far side, the Waterway opened into one of the most gorgeous sections of the system, Gloucester Pool. Dotted by islands and interspersed with bays and inlets, the Pool made for enjoyable exploration with sojourns into Little Go Home Bay and Black Lake. Then it was on to Little Lake and the last lock at Port Severn.

Destination Reached

From Port Severn, we could have passed several hours visiting Waubaushene, Victoria Harbour, and Midland. But wanting to arrive at Delawana by mid-afternoon, we hightailed it the 20 klicks across the remarkably calm bay to the Honey Harbour Boat Club Marina for gas (kilometre 405).

That night at Delawana, Barry and I regaled the women with our Sea Doo PWC adventures, basking in the glow of a mission accomplished. We agreed that touring the Trent-Severn by Sea-Doo watercraft was a memorable adventure for jet ski novice and afficionado alike. Just the right mix to make each day unique and exciting.

Best of all, if you don’t have to do it all at once. Another great option is doing it section by section on different Sea Doo day rides over the summer. Whatever way you choose, your Trent-Severn Waterway PWC adventure will make some of your best Sea-Doo riding memories!

Trent Severn Waterway Sea Doo Tour Info – #ontariowaterways

• Trip Distance – 405 km
• Highway Access to Trenton: 401 exit 615
• Water body(s): Trent River, Kawartha Lakes, Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching, Severn River, Severn Sound, inner channel of Georgian Bay
• Launch(s): Centennial Park, Trenton
• Lodgings: Comfort Inn, Trenton; River Inn, Campbellford; Katchawanooka Resort, Young’s Point; Eganridge Inn & Spa, Bobcaygeon; Best Western Couchiching Inn, Orillia;  Delawana Inn, Honey Harbour.
• Lunch: To save time, we ordered take out lunches at breakfast and ate while locking through.
  
• Fuel: Frasier Park Marina, Trenton; Campbellford; Lakefield Marina; Kawartha Park Marina; Fenelon Falls Marina; Beaverton Yacht Club; Blue Beacon Marina; Big Chute Marina; Honey Harbour Boat Club Marina.
• Locks: 44
• Side Trip(s): Chemong Lake, Whites Falls at north end of Gloucester Pool
• Sea-Doo Dealer(s): Bay Marine, Trenton; Gateway Powersports, Peterborough; HB Cycle, Lindsay; St. Onge Recreation, Barrie; Leatherdale Marine, Orillia; Factory Recreation, Midland; The Cove, Mactier.
• More Info: Trent Severn Waterway

Like this ride? Check out my other Sea-Doo Rides!

Riders should reconfirm the routes and services mentioned in this article as they may have changed since publication. Any map is for reference only and any marked lines or locations are not intended as an exact or accurate depiction of positions.

 

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