Passes and permits
Rideau Canal National Historic Site
Early bird discount for boaters are here until March 31, 2022!
Purchase a Seasonal Lockage and Mooring Package and receive 20% off the price of lockage and 10% off the price of mooring.
Various passes or permits are required for transiting through the locks on the Rideau Canal, and for mooring overnight at lockstations. Visitors travelling by boat or paddlecraft (kayaks and canoes) will be required to show permits for lockage and/or overnight mooring.
General information
- Vessel length is used to calculate lockage and mooring fees
- Vessels 12ft and under are charged a minimum rate for all permits
- Permits are valid only during the year of issue and are not transferable or refundable
- Seasonal lockage, mooring or transit decals must be affixed to the vessel
- Vessels towing a boat (aluminum, fiberglass, rubber dinghy or personal watercraft) regardless of size, with or without an engine, will require a lockage permit for the towed craft
- A mooring permit for a towed vessel is also a requirement
Boating and paddling
Purchase your lockage and mooring permits
Permit types
- Seasonal lockage:
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- Allows passage through any number of locks throughout the entire navigation season
- 6-day permit:
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- Allows passage through any number of locks on any six days
- 1-day permit:
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- Allows passage through any number of locks in a single day
- Transit permit:
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- One-way travel through the entire Rideau Canal system
- Single Lockage and Return permit:
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- Fee charged to travel through and then return by the same lock station.
- Overnight mooring permit:
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- Allows boaters to stay overnight at lockstations on a first-come first-served basis
Camping
Camping permits are issued on a first-come first served basis at most lockstations at the discretion of the lockmaster.
- Fees are determined by group size
- Boaters with overnight mooring permits camp for free
- There are three reserveable campsites available to land-based visitors who are driving, cycling or hiking in
More information about camping at lockstations
Special Events
Special Events (including on-water activity taking place over the bed of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site) must have a valid Special Events permit in order to proceed.
More information about applying for a special events permit
Visitor guidelines
Before you visit the Rideau Canal National Historic site, please read and review the rules and regulations that help protect this special place. All visitors who transit the locks and stay overnight are expected to understand and follow these guidelines.
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