Rideau River, Ontario Canada

Sheffield

Sheffield

New Member
May 7, 2007
24
Lake Ontario, Canada
We are thinking about going from Kingston, Ontario to Ottawa via the Rideau River and Rideau Canal system.

I am hearing a variety of stories about making the trip. I would like to hear from anyone who has done the trip.

Joe
 
We did that trip about seven years ago. We engoyed it. Do you have any spacific questions?

Scott & Gail
280 Sundancer "Misty"
Keswick, Ontario
 
We ran at a fairly steady pace and if memory serves it took three days. It all depends on how you hit the locks. The one set of locks that we hit, we just got there as the doors closed. That ment those boats had to lock down then another group had to lock back up before we could lock down. We lost four hours there. :huh: It is an enjoyable trip. I have thought about doing it again. It's a litte differnt than the Trent (our usual stopping grounds).

Scott & Gail
280 Sundancer "Misty II"
Keswick, Ontario
 
My parents made the trip in 2001. I passed your question on to my Mom, and here are her thoughts:

In our 35 foot Carver we cruised the Rideau from Ottawa to Kingston in 2001 as part of our Mini-Loop (Hudson River- Lake Champlain- Richelieu River- St. Lawrence River- Montreal- Ottawa River- Ottawa- Rideau River and Canal- Lake Ontario- Oswego Canal- Erie Canal- Hudson River). The Rideau is a beautiful waterway, varying from farmland, then huge mansions, then grassy marshes!

It is a bit more commercial closer to Kingston, more rural as you get toward Ottawa. As I recall there are lots of nice anchorages, and the marinas provide the usual variety of services - some very good, others adequate!

We were especially impressed with the friendliness of the Canadians and loved meeting them in the marina, the locks, other boats. There were quite a few other boats when we were there, especially house boats. Unfortunately we were having boat trouble which couldn't be solved by any of the mechanics at the local marinas, so we didn't dawdle through. We spent a total of one week in the canal although I've heard that many people stay much longer. The only negatives we found were the unrelenting heat (we went in August) and the endless locks (we learned to dread them!)

There is a lot of information on the Internet and available by mail. At one marina we found a "Guide to the Rideau" which was very helpful - don't know if it is still available.

Hope this helps!
 
We have a couple in our Squadron who transited the Rideau last week; their blog is: http://www.sandpiper2007.blogspot.com/ . We spent a week on the middle third of the Waterway several summers ago, and were in no particular hurry. I would particularly recommend the beautiful anchorage at Morton's Bay, below Jones Falls. The only town where we tied up at a public dock was at Westport, with another couple, and there were a couple of good restaurants there as well as some interesting shops.
 
Hello Misty 06.

I was cruising the forums and your post caught my eye as I live in Keswick also.
I was looking at the Rideau Canal posts as my wife and I are thinking of a trip
to Ottawa, summer of 2011. We have a 1987 30 ft Weekender in Penetang, and
our plan is to spen the month of June doing the Trent-Severn and Rideau. Maybe
catch the Canada Day fireworks, then a month return to Georgian Bay.
I have not been on the Rideau, so any tips would be appreciated.

David and Anna
 
We have been traveling on the Rideau Canal for the past 12 years. From Montreal to Kingston up to Ottawa and back to Mtl. Then the reverse. Now we spend most of our time just cruising on the Big Rideau. Three days is rushing it, five days is not bad, too many nice places to visit, Wesport, Merrickville, Perth...and on and on. We love to swim so, Big Rideau is the place, crystal clear lake. Colonel Bye island is a must, there is a dock there for overnighting. If you are in a hurry, all the locks and long travel days will make this trip a chore. Make a shorter trip, and enjoy the scenery... my 2cents

R.Blatter
 
cuda said:
Hello Misty 06.

I was cruising the forums and your post caught my eye as I live in Keswick also.
I was looking at the Rideau Canal posts as my wife and I are thinking of a trip
to Ottawa, summer of 2011. We have a 1987 30 ft Weekender in Penetang, and
our plan is to spen the month of June doing the Trent-Severn and Rideau. Maybe
catch the Canada Day fireworks, then a month return to Georgian Bay.
I have not been on the Rideau, so any tips would be appreciated.

David and Anna
Click to expand...


Hello Dave and Anna. Its been about ten years or more since we made it to the Rideau so I'm not sure If I can help you very much it is a nice trip though. I see you Boat out of Penetang. What marina are you at. We moved the boat from Crates in Keswick about a a year and a half ago to Penetang. We now keep the boat at Bay Moorings.

Scott & Gail
Misty II
 
cuda said:
Hello Misty 06.

I was cruising the forums and your post caught my eye as I live in Keswick also.
I was looking at the Rideau Canal posts as my wife and I are thinking of a trip
to Ottawa, summer of 2011. We have a 1987 30 ft Weekender in Penetang, and
our plan is to spen the month of June doing the Trent-Severn and Rideau. Maybe
catch the Canada Day fireworks, then a month return to Georgian Bay.
I have not been on the Rideau, so any tips would be appreciated.

David and Anna
Click to expand...

David:

Did you look at my web pages?
http://sites.google.com/site/rideaur/rideaucanalhomepage

The pages are from our trip in 2007.
BTW We are thinking of doing the Rideau again this summer. Probably launch from Clayton, NY around Mid June. I would like to do the Trent and spend some time in Georgian Bay. Trouble is that I have to get my wife off the Rideau.

If you do the trip, you should also head into the Thousand Islands and at least see Boldt Castle and maybe the antique boat museum at Clayton. Kingston is a great place to spend several days. Call ahead for a reservation at Confederation Basin.

Jerry
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,220
Messages
1,428,834
Members
61,115
Latest member
Gardnersf
Back
Top