Trent Canal

Navigational system in southern Ontario, which connects Lake Ontario at Trenton with Port Severn on Georgian Bay, an inlet of Lake Huron – a total distance of 390 km/240 mi. The Trent Canal was constructed in stages between 1833 and 1920.

From Lake Ontario the canal system runs in a generally northwesterly direction. Its route takes it through the Murray Canal to the Bay of Quinte at Trenton, along the Trent River to Rice Lake, and along the Ontonabee River through Peterborough (the canal's major port). It then crosses the Kawartha lakes to Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching, before proceeding along the Severn River to the southern shore of Georgian Bay. There are more than 40 locks on the canal, including a huge hydraulic boat lift at Peterborough. It was built to serve early logging ventures, but is nowadays primarily recreational, and also provides water for communities and hydroelectric projects in the area.