2 August, to Dundalk, ON

Port Severn

Port Severn on Georgian Bay hosts lock number 45 on the Trent-Severn Waterway. We love watching boats going through locks so we stopped here for a bit. Our daughter has a cottage near one of the locks in the Kawartha Lakes region of this waterway and a trip to the locks while there is always a treat.

The Trent–Severn Waterway is a 386-kilometre canal route connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to Georgian Bay at Port Severn. Operated by Parks Canada, it links rivers and lakes via a series of 44 locks, including the world’s highest hydraulic lift lock at Peterborough and a marine railway at Big Chute. Originally envisioned for commercial shipping, it now serves mostly recreational boating and tourism. The waterway winds through diverse landscapes—from farmland and forests to rocky Canadian Shield terrain—and supports communities along its route. It’s a historic engineering achievement and a cherished part of Ontario’s natural and cultural heritage.

Swing Bridge over lock 45 at Port Severn

Swing bridge needs to open along with the lock gates for higher boats

Operating the lock gates manually. Great Parks Canada job for students.

This is one of the smaller locks in the system. This being a long weekend and gorgeous weather, was packed. The lock master asked the boaters to be sure they didn’t all come back through at the same time tonight. “We close at 6 pm” he announced.

Our campsite tonight is in a community park in Dundalk Ontario. Community parks with swimming pools, baseball diamonds, playgrounds, gyms and hockey arenas etc are a feature of most Ontario communities. This one also has a small campground, brand new washrooms with showers and full hookups. Our campsite was up against the fence facing beautiful gardens. We had a pleasant afternoon and evening here even chatting with our neighbors for a bit.