Rideau Canal

Rideau Canal
Native names Rideau Canal (English) Canal Rideau (French)
The Ottawa Locks at Colonel By Valley
Area	Ontario
Length	202 km (126 mi)
Built	1832
Architect	John By
Governing body	Parks Canada
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iv
Designated	2007 (31st session)
Reference no.	1221
Region	North America
National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1925

Rideau Canal
Specifications
Length	202 km (126 miles)
Maximum boat length	90 ft 0 in (27.43 m)
Maximum boat beam	26 ft 0 in (7.92 m)
Maximum boat draft	1.5 m (5 ft), only 4ft guaranteed
Locks	47
Status	Open (seasonal)
History
Construction began	1826
Date completed	1832
Geography
Start point	Ottawa River
End point	Lake Ontario
Route map Legend Lock Nº MP (km) Ottawa River Rideau Falls Sussex Drive Minto Bridges 1-8 0.0 Ottawa, St. Patrick Street Plaza Bridge, Cummings Bridge Confederation Line Mackenzie King Bridge Laurier Avenue Bridge Adàwe Crossing Corktown Footbridge Highway 417 Pretoria Bridge Footbridge (old railway) Confederation Line Flora Footbridge George McIlraith Bridge Bank Street Bridge, Billings Bridge Bronson Avenue Dow's Lake Trillium Line 9-10 6.7 Hartwells Heron Bridge 11-12 8.4 Hog's Back, Hog's Back Falls Hog's Back Bridge Mooney's Bay CN/Via Bridge Hunt Club Road 13 15.0 Black Rapids Vimy Memorial Bridge Jock River 14-16 23.3 Long Island Long Island Roger Stevens Drive Highway 416 Kemptville Creek Merlyn Wilson Road 17 64.0 Burritts Rapids Burritts Rapids 18 69.4 Lower Nicholsons 19 69.7 Upper Nicholsons Upper Nicholsons 20 70.5 Clowes 21-23 73.8 Merrickville County Road 43 24 86.7 Kilmarnock Kilmarnock 25 92.7 Edmonds 26-27 95.4 Old Slys Old Slys Highway 15 Rideau Canal Museum 29a 96.8 Smiths Falls (formerly Locks 28-30) Abbot St 31 97.4 Smiths Falls Detached 32 101.1 Poonamalie Lower Rideau Lake   107.5 Tay Canal 33   Lower Beveridges 34   Upper Beveridges Big Rideau Lake   126.8 Colonel By Island 35 132.4 Narrows The Narrows Upper Rideau Lake Rideau River Cataraqui River County Road 42 36 140.8 Newboro Lock Newboro Lake Clear Lake   146.0 Ferry (cable) Indian Lake 37 148.7 Chaffeys Chaffeys Opinicon Lake 38 152.0 Davis Sand Lake 39-42 159.0 Jones Falls Whitefish Lake Brass Point Cranberry Lake 43-44 176.5 Upper Brewers Lower Brewers 45 179.3 Lower Brewers Kingston Mills 46-49 195.2 Kingston Mills Highway 401 La Salle Causeway Highway 2 Lake Ontario This diagram: view talk edit

The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long^[1] canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its 46 locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres (272 feet) upstream along the Rideau River to the Rideau Lakes, and from there drop 50 metres (164 feet) downstream along the Cataraqui River to Kingston.^[2]

The Rideau Canal opened in 1832 for commercial shipping. Freight was eventually moved to railways and the St. Lawrence Seaway, but the canal remains in use today for pleasure boating, operated by Parks Canada from May through October.^[3][4] It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America,^[5] and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[6]