Lakefield Lock Wall Was a Dreamy Stop – Trent Severn Waterway – Ontario, Canada

Lakefield Lock 26 was one of the most picturesque stops
on the Trent Severn Waterway

The historic little town of Lakefield resides in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. After transiting five locks, Lakefield was our planned stop for the day. The approach to the lock was a long, narrow, twisty, rock and tree-lined canal. We were the only boat there when we arrived, later joined by a young couple on a speedboat who camped, in a tent on land, by their boat. We tied up on the lock wall before the lock (the upside of the lock).

Although, at first it seemed a remote location, the downtown of Lakefield was a very short walk away, up the hill and across the rapids. We only walked into town to stretch our legs a little and visit the grocery store. Otherwise, a quiet night on the lock wall preceded a dewy, still morning. Perfect for picture taking and visiting with the other boaters.

At the start of our day, soon after leaving Bobcaygeon, we approached the lock in Buckhorn (above). There was a full-blown festival going on as we locked through. You can see how busy the lock was with several houseboats squeezed in with us. Buckhorn Lock-31 is in the heart of the small town. If there had been an open spot on the wall, after the lock, we would have stopped to see what the festival was all about. Not surprisingly though, there were no open spots, as a result, we continued on our way.

Jim will map out (below) the day’s cruise by first figuring out where we need to be and when we need to be there. Sometimes he starts with our end date and works backward. He always leaves for a few days for bad weather and unknown events. He does a great job of keeping us on schedule. We have to be home at the end of September, so keeping track of our itinerary is important.

After the Buckhorn Lock-31, we still had three more locks on this day, Lovesick Lock-30, Burleigh Falls Lock-28, and Young’s Point Lock-27.

Late afternoon, we made our way along the narrow channel that leads to Lakefield’s lock.

Jim and I walked this road up to the main road which crossed over the rapids and into town.