Cruises

- Kawartha -

 
 
 

Cruise the Kawartha

Due to its proximity to the greater Toronto area, the Kawartha Lakes and the Severn River are very busy in the summer with a wide range of boaters. Our Kawartha cruises showcase a greater diversity of engineering including the Peterborough Lift Lock, the Kirkfield Lift Lock and the Big Chute Marine Railway.

In 1920, the Trent-Severn Waterway was opened to thru navigation across central Ontario from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. This 386 km stretch of scenic lakes, rivers and locks was created over a period of 87 years in conjunction with the water transport needs of the local lumber industry and the neighbouring communities. Subsequent ongoing development and improvements to the infrastructure since 1920 have resulted in a modern recreational waterway which locks over 120,000 boats per season.

Parks Canada is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the 43 locks and 125 dams controlling the water flows in this 18,600 sq km area. Of the 22 locks we travel through, there are some manually operated “heritage” locks as well as modern hydraulic locks built to service the areas of heavier boat traffic.

Our KAWARTHA FALL SERENITY cruise runs from October 15-20.  Enjoy the quiet splendour of our FALL SERENITY cruise from Hastings (east of Rice Lake) to Kirkfield Liftlock (west of Balsam Lake).  The itinerary for our FALL SERENITY cruise is as follows:

Sunday October 15    Park at the Holiday Inn in Peterborough and board our chartered bus at 6:45 pm for a 35 minute ride to Hastings

October 16  Depart Hastings at 9 am and cruise Rice Lake and up the Otonabee River arriving in Peterborough about 4:30 pm

October 17   Depart Peterborough at 9 am and cruise on up the Otonabee River through 7 heritage locks including the great liftlock at Peterborough.  Leaving Lakefield, we enter the Kawartha Lakes and arrive 3:30 pm at Youngs Point lock providing passengers the opportunity to visit the renowned Lockside Trading Company.

October 18  Departing Youngs Point we enter Clear Lake with its palatial summer homes followed by our passage through Hell’s Gate into beautiful Stoney Lake.  A modern lock at Burleigh Falls lifts us 27 feet to Lovesick Lake. Leaving Lovesick lock we cruise Lower Buckhorn.  There will be a stop in Buckhorn for a walkabout before we head on into Buckhorn Lake and Pigeon Lake with arrival in Bobcaygeon about 3:00 pm which gives our passengers a chance to browse the shops on main street.

October 19  Departing Bobcaygeon we cruise west through Sturgeon Lake to Fenelon Falls where we have a stop.  After leaving Fenelon Falls we cross Cameron Lake to our overnight stop at the Rosedale lockstation. Our “crew entertainment night” will add some more fun!

Friday October 20  Departing Rosedale we cross Balsam Lake which is the summit of the Trent-Severn Waterway.  At the west end of Balsam Lake we enter the 8 km Kirkfield channel which leads us to our final docking at the Kirkfield Liftlock.  After lunch our chartered bus will take about 1.5 hours to take you back to Peterborough.  The estimated arrival time in Peterborough is 3:00 pm

Our REGULAR in season Kawartha cruise itineraries are outlined below:

 
Fare
$2,336.00
13% HST tax
303.68
Cancellation Refund Plan
104.00
8% RST tax
8.32
2023
Total (CAD) $2,752.00
(for $US pricing please read below)
Fare
$2,472.00
13% HST tax
321.36
Cancellation Refund Plan
108.00
8% RST tax
8.64
2024
Total (CAD) $2,910.00
(for $US pricing please read below)

Fares

  • All fares per person double occupancy.
  • Single occupancy 75% over regular fare (except cabin #7 single).
  • Total price shown above includes your room, all meals and snacks aboard ship, luggage handling, bus transportation to depart from or return to cruise parking base, free parking, cancellation refund plan, 13% Harmonized Sales Tax on the fare and 8% Retail Sales Tax on the cancellation refund plan.
  • First meal served is breakfast on morning following embarkment. Snack will be served on boarding night.


CAD/USD Exchange

  • You are welcome to pay the $200. per person deposit in US funds. It will be converted to Canadian dollars at the current exchange rate and your confirmation will show your remaining balance in Canadian dollars.
  • If you would like to pay your final balance in US funds, you must call our office one week before it is due to obtain the figure.
  • The $US continues to be stronger than the $CA. With the $US exchange rate on September 13, 2023,  the total cost per person of our 2024 cruises including tax is $US 2,208. (subject to change according to when your final balance is paid)

2023 Schedule

DateCruise TypeRouteNights
June
Jun 16 - 21, 2023Kawartha Summer PET-BCPeterborough to  Big Chute5No
Jun 21 - 26, 2023Kawartha Summer BC-PETBig Chute to Peterborough  (parking in Peterborough)5No
Jun 26 - Jul 1, 2023Kawartha Summer PET-BCPeterborough to Big Chute5No
July
Jul 1 - 6, 2023Kawartha Summer BC-PETBig Chute to Peterborough   (parking in Peterborough)5No
Jul 6 - 11, 2023Kawartha Summer PET-BCPeterborough to Big Chute5No
Jul 11 - 16, 2023Kawartha Summer BC-PETBig Chute to Peterborough    (parking in Peterborough)5No
August
Aug 15 - 20, 2023Kawartha Summer PET-BCPeterborough to Big Chute5No
Aug 20 - 25, 2023Kawartha Summer BC-PETBig Chute to Peterborough   (parking in Peterborough)5No
Aug 25 - 30, 2023Kawartha Summer PET-BCPeterborough to Big Chute5No
Aug 30 - Sep 4, 2023Kawartha Summer BC-PETBig Chute to Peterborough  (parking in Peterborough)5No
October
Oct 4 - 9, 2023Kawartha Colour PET-BCPeterborough to Big Chute5No
Oct 9 - 14, 2023Kawartha Colour BC-PETBig Chute to Peterborough   (parking in Peterborough)5No
Oct 15 - 20, 2023Kawartha Fall SerenityHastings to Kirkfield    (parking in Peterborough)5No
Are you planning ahead?
View Cruises for 2024

Big Chute to Peterborough
Switch to Peterborough to Big Chute

Passengers board our chartered bus by 6:00 p.m. at the Peterborough Holiday Inn. There is free car parking at the Holiday Inn. Bus arrives at Big Chute by 8:30 p.m. for embarkation on the Kawartha Voyageur which will remain docked for the night at Big Chute.

Day 1 Big Chute to Orillia
After viewing the Big Chute Marine Railway we depart about 9:30 a.m. up the Severn River with its rocky gorges and islands. Our first lock is the highest mitre lock on the system, Swift Rapids. Then through Sparrow Lake, the upper Severn River to the aqua waters of Lake Couchiching, and to Orillia’s lovely downtown waterfront.

Day 2 Orillia to Kirkfield
A morning crossing of beautiful Lake Simcoe places us by noon at the Gamebridge entrance to a series of locks and canals above the level of the adjacent farms. Then on through man-made Canal Lake with its tiny “marble-arch” bridge–a must for photographers as we pass through. We reach our overnight stop at the massive Kirkfield Lift Lock in a tranquil rural setting.

Day 3 Kirkfield to Bobcaygeon
From Kirkfield we journey through several miles of narrow man-made canal to Balsam Lake which is the highest point of the Waterway between Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario. Across Balsam, through Rosedale Lock, and across Cameron Lake we come to Fenelon Falls with its scenic waterfall and rocky gorge. Then on through Sturgeon Lake to Bobcaygeon, the hub of the Kawarthas and a particularly pleasant setting for the night.

Day 4 Bobcaygeon to Lakefield
This day is a progression of beautiful Kawartha Lakes and their joining locks and villages: Pigeon Lake through Gannon Narrows into Buckhorn Lake; Lower Buckhorn Lake into Lovesick Lake with its legend of unrequitted love; Burleigh Falls into Stoney Lake and its thousand islands; Hell’s Gate with its Little Church on the Rock standing guard; then Clear Lake, Young’s Point and finally Lake Katchewanooka to our overnight stop at Lakefield.

Day 5 Lakefield to Peterborough
Our final day is a busy journey down the Otonabee River through a series of seven locks including the great Lift Lock to our base at Peterborough Holiday Inn around 2:00 p.m.

We are presently taking reservations for 2024

2025 Reservations will not open until May 15, 2024

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About the Route

Each cruise offers a unique experience. Find out where this journey will take you using the map below.


Click/tap to view interactive map