Peterborough sits where the Otonabee River meets the Trent-Severn Waterway, at the southern gateway to the Kawarthas. It is the kind of place that rewards a day trip in any season: a 120-year-old feat of engineering, one of Canada's most distinctive museums, and, a short drive north, a long-established Indigenous art gallery on Curve Lake First Nation.
Morning: the Peterborough Lift Lock
Start at the Peterborough Lift Lock, Lock 21 on the Trent-Severn Waterway. It opened on July 9, 1904, after eight years of construction led by the canal's superintending engineer, Richard Birdsall Rogers. With a vertical lift of 19.8 metres (about 65 feet), Parks Canada describes it as the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1979.
The idea is simple and still remarkable. Two huge water-filled chambers sit side by side on giant pistons. When a boat is ready, the upper chamber takes on a little extra water, becomes heavier, and sinks, pushing the lower chamber up. No engines lift the boats; gravity does the work. The only other lift lock of this kind on the waterway is at Kirkfield.
Timing matters. Boats only move through the lock during the navigation season, roughly mid-May to mid-October, so in winter you will see the structure but not the lift in action. Parks Canada has listed the visitor centre beside the lock as closed, so check its page for current status before you plan around it. The grounds and the view of the structure are the main event either way.
Midday: The Canadian Canoe Museum
A short drive south along the water, The Canadian Canoe Museum opened its new home on the shore of Little Lake in May 2024, at 2077 Ashburnham Drive. The 65,000-square-foot building holds the world's largest collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft, with more than 600 boats in the collection, and is connected to the Trans Canada Trail.
- Hours: open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It closes on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, and closes early on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
- Admission: adults $20 plus HST; seniors $18 plus HST. Admission is free for First Nations, Inuit and Métis visitors, no identification required.
- Good to know: the atrium and Silver Bean Café are open to everyone without a ticket, so it works as a lunch stop even if you are short on time. In summer you can rent a canoe or kayak, or join a voyageur canoe tour, on Little Lake.
The exhibits tell Canada's history through the canoe, and much of that history is Indigenous. Give yourself at least two hours.
Afternoon: Whetung Ojibwa Centre, Curve Lake First Nation
About 30 minutes north of Peterborough, Curve Lake First Nation sits on a peninsula between Buckhorn and Chemong Lakes. The people of Curve Lake are Mississauga Anishinaabeg, and the community is one of the Williams Treaties First Nations.
The Whetung Ojibwa Centre at 875 Mississauga Street has welcomed visitors for decades. Its gallery and shop show fine art, carving, beadwork, quillwork, moccasins and jewellery by artists from Curve Lake and across Canada, and there is a small museum downstairs. Viewing the gallery is free. Hours vary by season, so call ahead (705-657-3661), and drive slowly through Curve Lake: speed limits drop through the community and are enforced.
If you are planning ahead, the Curve Lake First Nation Pow Wow is held each September. Visitors are welcome; ask before taking photos.
For the history behind the places you visit, read our introduction to Indigenous Central Ontario.
If you have more time
- Petroglyphs Provincial Park near Woodview protects one of the largest known collections of Indigenous rock carvings in Canada. It is a seasonal park; read our piece on reading the Kawartha landscape first.
- Lang Pioneer Village Museum east of the city interprets 19th-century settler life (seasonal).
- Riverview Park & Zoo is a free family stop on the Otonabee.
- The Art Gallery of Peterborough sits on Little Lake near the canoe museum.
Where to stay and eat
Browse the directory for places to stay in and around Peterborough, from the Holiday Inn Peterborough Waterfront to smaller guest houses such as King Bethune Guest House. Downtown Peterborough has plenty of independent restaurants within walking distance of the river.
Planning tips
- Best season for the lock: summer and early autumn, when boats are moving.
- Best season for the museum: any time; it is indoors and open year-round.
- Driving: Peterborough is roughly two hours from Toronto. Winter tires are strongly advised north of the city.
