The Big Chute

When I became interested in paddling a couple of years ago, I also developed an interest in the waterways, canals, and locks throughout Southern Ontario.

One of the largest and most well-known ‘water trails’ in this area is the Trent-Severn Waterway.

The Trent-Severn is 386 km (240 miles) long, connecting Lake Ontario with Georgian Bay.

When Helen and I were travelling the TransCanada Trail through Peterborough a couple of winters ago, I featured Lock 21 on the Trent-Severn here. It stands about 6 storeys high and is the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world.

Recently however, I had the opportunity to visit the most “unusual” lock on the waterway … Lock 44, known as the Big Chute, and the last lock before Georgian Bay.

The Big Chute located near the town of Coldwater.

The Big Chute can be best described as a “marine railway” and is reported to be the only one of its kind in North America.

It is a highly customized, open-ended and open-topped, “railway car” that lifts boats out of the water, over a steep hill, across a road, and then relaunches the boats on the other side.

It is a marvel to watch.

Boats enter the rail car in the water on their journey to the other side.

They sit in a ‘harness’ while being transported by rail to the other side.

A view of the back end as it goes past.

These 2 guys on the ground got yelled at by the operator on the top right of the rail car.
They had ignored the fenced-off area and were trying to put pennies on the track.
Dangerous and stupid in one simple move.

Boats then exit the rail car on the other side to continue on their journey.

There was a queue on both sides of the lock, as boats waited for their turn to go through.

A traditional lock system had been originally contemplated for this area but was abandoned in favour of the rail system.

This was the obstacle that needed to be resolved …

There was no simple way for a boat to get through this, so going around it was the only solution.

Travelling along the Trent-Severn, either in whole or in part, is a major activity of many recreational boaters during the summer months.

In fact, the seniors’ club I belong to organizes a week-long paddling trip on a portion of the Trent-Severn each fall. This trip however is way out of my league. The typical participant has DECADES of paddling experience, not to mention a passion for camping that I simply don’t understand.

If they ever plan a B&B version, I might reconsider.

In the meantime, Lock 21 in Peterborough and the Big Chute will remain on my wish list of things to do one day in a boat.