Exploring the Rideau Canal by houseboat

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Where is the Rideau Canal?

The Rideau Canal, or Rideau waterway, connects Ottawa, Canada’s captain city, to the St. Lawrence River at Kingston. It is approximately 220km long, and incorporates two rivers – the Rideau and the Cataraqui – and several lakes.

What is the Rideau Canal?

Back in the 1820s, tension between the US and Canada (or what was then known as Upper and Lower Canada) was still high after the war of 1812. There was fear that part of the St. Lawrence River, the major water artery between Montreal and the major military base of Kingston, would become occupied by the US. In response, the Rideau Canal was designed as one arm of an alternative river route. It would run through Ottawa (then known at Bytown), after John By, an officer who supervised the canal’s construction.

The canal was an engineering success. Unfortunately (and Daniel finds this part amusingly ironic), the final cost of the canal system was over budget, as most things in life seem to be, and John By was sacked from his position and recalled to London.

For years, the Rideau Canal was a commercial waterway. In recent years, it is mostly used for pleasure craft and tourism. In 2007, it was designated a UNSECO world heritage site.

Why we chose to explore the Rideau Canal

In the era of the COVID pandemic, our family did a lot of road trips and local outings. We planned this trip during the first year of the pandemic, when everyone was still quite cautious, avoiding big cities or traveling altogether.

The canal was the perfect choice. We wanted to introduce the children to Canada’s heritage, but there was still a lot of uncertainty about many indoors spaces like museums and restaurants. We love being in nature, and there is plenty of hiking, biking, swimming, and beaching to be done along the Rideau Canal. Our trip exceeded all our expectations. It is a prime destination, even without a pandemic in sight.

A trip along the Rideau Canal would be perfect to combine with a few days in either Kingston or Ottawa, or even a cruise/boat/cottage trip to the Thousand Islands.

When to go?

The Canal system is operated by Parks Canada, and is open for boating from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving (mid-May to mid-Oct). We traveled during the very beginning of September, when the weather was just beginning to turn.

The days were mostly sunny and still warm. It was the perfect weather for hiking, exploring trails, and biking from the docks into town. Being on the water was cool and breezy, but it was a little too cool for a comfortable swim. (Even so, the kids took a few dips right off the back of our houseboat.) Mornings and evenings were chilly, and we definitely needed to turn on the heat in our houseboat.

If we do this trip again, I think we would choose to go a little earlier. We’d probably consider the end of June or July, when the water is warmer. Our kids love swimming, and it would have been nice to spend a little more time in the water. Another option is to go late September or October, when you can enjoy the dramatic colour-changing fall season in Ontario.

Our houseboat adventure

Exploring the Rideau Canal by houseboat just makes so much sense. You’re on the water. Seeing the water. You can drive from Kingston to Ottawa by car, and there are plenty of places to pullover and explore the canal system, but there are SO many instances where you pass fields and woods, and know there is a lake or river-view JUST on the other side.

It is also very cool (quote verbatim from Big S) staying on a boat. We used the company Le Boats. Le Boats operates in many European cities, but the Rideau Canada is its only Canadian destination. The boats are a bit like motorhomes, with cabins for sleeping, a bathroom and a small kitchenette area. You drive your own houseboat, and you can go wherever your heart desires. You can pull over anywhere there is a place to moor your boat and throw a line. For nights, it is best to find a dock or park at a lock, where you can find some amenities. (For information about each lock, visit rideau-info.com). You do not need a boating license. The company spends an hour or so before departure teaching you how to drive the boat.

Pre-COVID, Le Boat had two bases along the waterway, one at Smiths Fall and another at Seeley’s Bay. You could plan a one-way route and someone from the company will drive your car to the second base. Unfortunately, with COVID, only one base is open, so you do need to plan for a round trip.

Day one – arrival, overnight in Smiths Falls

It took us nearly four hours to drive from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to Smiths Falls, the Le Boat base. We left in the morning and stopped in Kingston for lunch and a walk along the waterfront.

We arrived at Smith Falls by mid-afternoon, and it took awhile to check in with Le Boats and get our luggage, coolers, and bikes from the parking lock to the docks. (Le Boats have wheelbarrows for transport. The kids thought this was hilarious.)

By the time we had settled in and one of the staff had come around to give us a tour of the boat, it was too late to set out. We would have needed to get through a lock in either direction, and they were closed for the day. The locks are staffed by Parks Canada, and are open generally 9-10am to 5-7pm, depending on the season and the day. Plus, it was raining. We used this time to make our first meal on the boat, and the kids had fun exploring the cabins. The rain stopped after dinner, and we saw the most glorious sunset from the deck.

We all had a fantastic sleep on the boat. The beds were comfortable, and the kids slept exceptionally well with the gentle rocking of the boat.

Day two – setting out into the waterway, overnight in Perth

Because my kids are early birds, we had time after breakfast (cereal on the road) to take a walk through the park by the docks, and play on the playground. We even had time to walk to the grocery store (Andress Grocers) to pick up a few last minute supplies.

After we were ready to set out, one of the staff came onboard to teach us about all the controls and how to drive. There is a steering wheel and set of controls above deck (where we spent most of our time), and in the cabin, in case of inclement weather.

Driving a houseboat is a little bit like driving a go-cart (according to Daniel). You can steer by steering wheel, or by joystick. The boat has trusters to go sideways and backwards, which was very convenient. The staff had us practice these maneuvers, and then taught us how to bring the boat against the dock and how to moor and tie our ropes. We would need to do this many, many times, not only when we wanted to park, but also every time we went through a lock.

Afterward, the staff took us through the first lock – which was not only a lock but also a lift bridge! He showed us which side to approach from, and how to tie our boats INSIDE the lock (and then jumped off at the lock and abandoned us!) Kidding. Daniel quickly mastered the nuances of driving the boat. We were a bit intimidated going through our first lock alone, but the Parks Canada staff are all very helpful. The canal locks are all original from the 1820s, and navigating these was one of our most unique experiences of the trip.

Le boats provides you with maps of where to go. We decided to go south (toward Kingston) from Smith Falls, into marshland and lake territory. We noticed going north (toward Ottawa) had quite a bit more locks, and did not have as many options. All of the boats that started with us in the morning did the same.

We navigated into and across the Lower Rideau Lake, which felt very much like boating across cottage country. We had lunch at the Rideau Ferry docks. There was a restaurant there with a large patio, although we cooked our own food, and a small convenience store where we got ice cream!

Many other boats continue onward south into Big Rideau Lake. We didn’t want to spend our entire time boating on an open lake, so we chose to take the Tay Canal, a side river up to the side town of Perth. Le Boats did warn us the Tay Canal was tricky and some places were very shallow, but Daniel felt confident he could navigate us through. And he did! The river snaked through marshland, and the kids spotted many different kinds of birds.

There was only one other boat docked at Perth. The owners jumped out to help us tie down the boat when we pulled in. We felt a very strong sense of community among the boaters during our trip. There were more experienced Le Boat guests (believe me, after a few days of this, you definitely become more experienced) and local boaters willing to lend a hand everywhere.

The kids were itching to DO something, so we took unloaded our bikes and biked the short trail (20 mins or so) into town. Perth is a very quaint, historical town. Our bike route took us past a few scenic bridges and some old train tracks. Because we were biking, we didn’t stay long, but the downtown core was lovely and had a number of cute shops and restaurants.

In the evening, the kids went for their first swim, and we made us of portable grill to serve up some sausages.

When you’re in the middle of nature, you sleep when the sun sleeps, and all of us turned in early that night.

Day 3 – exploring nature, overnight at a lock

We set our very early the next morning (kids being early risers and all), back along the way we arrived. It felt completely different in the early morning. The lighting was different, there were tons of birds about, but there was a very peaceful kind of stillness.

We made it to the set of locks (Beveridges Locks) that connected the our side river to the Rideau Lakes. It was beautiful, and we stopped along the way to do some hiking and biking, which took up most of our day.

For the evening, we moored at lock that was maybe an hour out from Smiths Falls. If I thought the Perth docks were quiet, this was complete darkness and silence. It was a good night for stargazing!

Day 4 – return to Smiths Falls

So here is the catch. Le Boats check-out time is 9am. Most locks open at 9am. This means that unless you added a “late check-out”, you have to be BACK at the Le Boats base the night before. Knowing this, we opted for the late check-out time, which is 12pm. (Check IN time is after 2pm, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting out of Smiths Falls if you arrive early.)

This gave us plenty of time the morning of our return to hang around the lock and do some hiking. The kids loved watching boats pass through the locks.

We made our way leisurely back to Smith Falls mid-morning. Daniel backed the boat into our berth like a champ.

We drove back home the same day. Along the way, we pulled off at one of the locks close to Kingston and had a picnic lunch. This was neat, too, because we got to visit a lock we couldn’t have boated to with our itinerary.

Renting a houseboat on the Rideau Canal was one of the most memorable trips for us and the kids. The houseboat is definitely not a fast way to travel (in fact, the max speed is about 10km/hr), but this one of those trips that is never really about the destination, but the journey.

Have questions about visiting the Rideau Canal? Drop us a note!