Attractions

The Rideau Canal

Built in the 1830's under the guidance of Colonel By and his Royal Engineers, this heritage waterway remains one of the historical engineering feats in the world. Smiths Falls is the halfway mark on the Rideau Waterway which extends 202 Km. (125 mi.) from Ottawa to Kingston. Built as a military passageway in the event of war, it is designed with a total of 24 lockstations that make travel by water possible as it steps up or down through the rolling landscape of the Canadian Shield. Whether visiting one of our 5 locks on foot or passing through by water, your mind will look back in awe to the stonemasons whose strength, hard labor and craftsmanship created this ingenious system. With both hand-operated and electric lockstations, Smiths Falls is the best place along the entire canal to see how the locks work. Today, as we head into the new century, the Rideau canal, operated and maintained by Parks Canada, continues to delight on and all through its unique blend of historic and natural environments.

Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada & UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Rideau Canal is part of the Canada-wide family of special places. Each national park, national historic site and canal, and marine conservation area in the Parks Canada family tells its own story. Historic canals trace the routes of exploration, defence, commerce and transportation that helped shape Canada as a young nation. Built in turbulent times for national defense and commerce, the Rideau Canal is now a treasured national resource. In 2007, the Rideau waterway, including Fort Henry and the Kingston Fortifications, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it remains the best preserved example of a slackwater canal in North America. It is the only canal dating from the great North American canal-building era of the early 19th century that remains operational along its original line with most of its original structures intact. The Rideau Canal is also an extensive, well preserved and significant example of a canal which was used for military purposes linked to a significant stage in human history - that of the fight to control the north of the American continent. Parks Canada is proud to maintain and share this World Heritage Site with you!

Contact: Rideau Canal Headquarters
Phone: 613-283-5170
Fax: 613-283-0677
Email: rideau-info@pc.gc.ca
Address: 34 a Beckwith St. S. , Smiths Falls, Ontario, K7A 2A8
Website: http://www.parkscanada.gc.ca/rideaucanal

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