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Lock 19 Scotts Mills to Peterborough


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Lock 19 Scotts Mills

ID Mile Kilometers lift length Sill Depth Preferred side
# 19 88.7 143.80 8' 155' 8' West


Lock 19 upstream approach

The dam here creates quite a current and is well protected up stream by permanently moored booms, while downstream there is nothing to prevent the unwary from venturing too close to the spillways. Your entrance is along the western shore and well marked, once in the lock you will normally be secured on the west wall in front of the lock office.



Lock 19 spillway

Scotts Mills is one of the Trent Severn Waterways oldest locks with its hand quarried limestone walls and ever present boat watchers today marks your arrival back to civilization. There is limited space to tie up both above and below the lock and it is a short walk up the hill to highway 7a as it crosses the canal. To your west is the Edgewater Cafe if you have spent the night here and want to catch some good fast food. Boat watching is a very common pastime at Lock 19

Boat watching is a very common pastime  at Lock 19

Scotts Mills is steps from Highway 7A as it enters Peterborough where those of you concerned with presentation will have a chance to show off your boat and chat to seemingly an endless supply of folks enjoying an afternoon out.



Boat watching is a very common pastime  at Lock 19



Once clear of the lock it is a short run of 0.4 miles to the entrance of Little Lake which provides access to downtown Peterborough, the municipal marina and all the supplies you could ask for. Immediately upstream of the lock





ID Mile Kilometers Normal Position
R.R. bridge 89.10 143.45 Open

During the summer you may well find that daring youths will use the bridge as a base position to cannon ball your wake which can be a touch unnerving as you watch your depth sounder drop if you are too close to mid stream where there is a 6 foot shoal.

Way point GRG bifrication buoy
44 ° 18.86' North   78 ° 17.65' West

As you exit the river into Little Lake it is important to stay to the buoyed channel as there are many shallows at the lakes east end where the waterway crosses. To the west the trees of Little Lake Cemetary obscure you view of downtown until you reach the first port hand marker C 71.. If you wish to go downtown you must round both the C71 and C1 markers as the shoal of the cemetary has a maximum depth of 4 feet and with water levels of the past several years you can be certain that there is a lot less now.



lock 19 to 20 inc Little Lake

Little Lake itself is an exceptionally pretty addition to the city with a massive fountain gracing its middle. There are two public docks within Little Lake as well as a municipal marina. The safe course will take you between C 2 C 3 staying north of the shallows (identified by the lightest blue on our map) and leaving the fountain to your south.



 Beer and grocries accross the road Peterborough Municipal Marina

Peterborough Marina (1) (705) 745 8787 is easily identified by the red roofed office and band shell located at the west end of the lake in Cary Park. It has 6 to 7 feet of depth. The marina is very busy during the peak season so you must call ahead for a reservation. It offers everything you would expect in a municipal marina with the 90 transient slips having anywhere from 15 to 50 amp power, water etc. with many docks secured by a code key entry. The beer store and groceries are across the road from the Peterborough Municipal Marina.



Peterborough Municipal Marina is within a couple of blocks of downtown

On the north side of the lake is Peterborough Mark Street Wharf (3) which is 133 feet long , and 53 feet wide with an elevation of approximately 2 feet. There is a small launching ramp beside the dock but no facilities.

To the southwest is the Peterborough Crescent Street Wharf (2) . It provides depths up to 17 feet along the outer end of the T . The dock is 110 feet long with the T section at its outer end just under the hundred foot mark, and having an elevation of 3 feet.

Looking west accross little lake to downtown Peterborough

If you are continuing through it is a short hop across to the entry to Lock 20 leaving C 72 to your NE side. There is limited space to tie up here and you will have to fight with the geese in any case so most people continue through Lock 20.

On the north shore of Little Lake immediately downstream of Lock 20 is Rogers Cove day use Park which has a small beach and extensive population of Canadian Geese.


Lock 20 Ashburnham

ID Mile Kilometers lift length Sill Depth Preferred side
# 20 89.5 144 8' 155' 8' West
Lock 20

Above Lock 20 the canal widens somewhat into a turning basin used by the waterway authority There is not much around and due to the changes in water level after closing there is no overnight mooring here. At the upstream end of the turning basin is a swing bridge which the lock keepers operate in conjunction with the lock. The railroad bridge another 480 feet north is normally in an open position.



ID Mile Kilometers Normal Position
Road bridge 89.6 144.20 Open




Peterborough Facts

Historically Peterborough began in 1819 when the region along the Otonabee River was referred to as Scotts Plains. THe city of Peterborough was initially established in 1825 when Peter Rosborough established a settlement on the shores of Little Lake with 2000 Irish settlers.

As Canada grew, the area became a regional center for activities and commerce with the waterway widely used by early steamboats and launches which provided both stylish recreation and the burdens of commerce from the mills and factories which grew up here.

In 2002 Peterborough forms a hub of the surrounding communities with everything you will find in large cities including the outstanding Trent University. As we are not going to try to review Petereborough in total at this time during construction of the site we will only deal with the cruising concerns for the moment.



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