Rideau Canal

Self-drive boat rentals on the magnificent Rideau Canal in Ontario, Canada

On the east side of the Great Lakes, just above Lake Ontario, take an adventure of a lifetime cruise.

The Rideau Canal is the perfect destination for nature and outdoor lovers. It offers great fishing, hiking, biking, and bird-watching. For the active and sporty, there is paddle boating, canoeing, swimming, and even jet-skiing.

The canal is a slack water system that uses the waters of two rivers, the Rideau and the Cataraqui, and the Lower, Big and Upper Rideau lakes.

The canal was constructed in 1832. It is 202 kilometres (126 miles) long and has 47 manually operated locks. It connects Ottowa to Kingston via Smiths Falls, Merrickville, Westport, and Newboro. 

Now, pleasure boats only use the canal, and what a grand destination!

The Rideau Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also a National Historic Site of Canada.

Two hundred and two kilometres (126 miles) of pure waterway pleasure and adventure for every fan of the outdoors awaits you!

The boats are based at Smith Falls on the Rideau Canal and Selley's Bay. You can cruise southward to Kingston on the Ontario lakes or northward to Ottowa.
From 2020, one-way cruises between the two bases are possible when cruising for one week.

One-week return cruises:

Smith Falls - Portland - Jones Falls - Smith Falls: 27 hours cruising, 12 locks

Smith Falls - Newboro - Seeley's Bay - Smith Falls: 33 hours cruising, 20 locks

Smith Falls - Merrickville - Burritts Rapids - Long Island - Smith Falls: 34 hours cruising, 20 locks

Selley's Bay - Westport - Seeley's Bay - Kingston - Seeley's Bay: 33 hours cruising, 28 locks

One-week one-way cruises:

Smith Falls - Kingston - Seeley's Bay: 34 hours cruising 25 locks

10-14 nights return cruises:

Smith Falls - Merrickville - Long Island - Ottawa -Smith Falls: 43 hours cruising 36 locks

Smith Falls - Newboro - Kingston - Smith Falls: 50 hours cruising, 30 locks

3, 4 or 5 nights short breaks, return cruises:

Smith Falls - Pert - Smith Falls: 10 hours cruising, 8 locks

Smith Falls - Merrickville - Smith Falls: 13 hours cruising, 10 locks

Seeley's Bay - Kingston - Seeley's Bay: 17 hours cruising, 14 locks

Seeley's Bay - Smith Falls (minimum 4 nights): 17 hours cruising, 11 locks