Fenelon Falls, ON to Lake Simcoe, ON

Miles Traveled 26.2

Total Miles Traveled 5403

Day 317

As soon as we left Fenelon Falls we passed through this swing bridge…something about concrete and steel in a narrow pass makes me nervous.

We crossed Balsam Lake, the highest point of our Great Loop adventure, 841 feet above sea level.  All of the remaining locks will drop us in elevation.

When leaving Balsam Lake, we entered the Trent canal.  This is a very narrow canal with rock at each shore.  We were lucky not meet another boat as hugging the shoreline is not an option.

About 6 miles into the canal we approach the Kirkfield Lift Lock.  This was more thrilling than the Peterborough Lock as the steel structure is not enclosed and you get more of a feeling of “hanging out there” in a tub of water with several other boats.  The lock dropped us 49 feet to continue on the Trent Canal.

The “Hole in the Wall Bridge” built in 1905.

The locks are a busy place on the weekends; we arrived at lock #37 to find several boats coming into the lock….time to eat lunch.

A fork in the road?

Our destination today was the break wall just past a swing bridge before entering Lake Simcoe.  We will leave early in the morning to cross the lake.  The lake is 20 miles long and 16 miles wide and the largest lake on the Trent Severn Waterway.  The open water can create waves of 8 feet during high winds and thunderstorms.  We have a good weather window for tomorrow morning and should be off the lake before noon.