The Rideau Canal was built in 1826-32 by the British Army under Colonel By as a military supply route.  The total length of the Canal from Lake Ontario (Kingston) to the Ottawa River (Ottawa) is 202 km.   The locks are picturesque, many of the lockmaster houses are historic, and there are several defensive blockhouses.  In 2007 The Rideau Canal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  There are xx locks and each group of locks have washrooms.  To go through the locks, paddle hooks to hold the vertical cables are strongly recommended.  You will definitely see loons and herons; ospreys and their nests are a strong possibility to those with keen eyes.
Main rowing segments (approximately one day each for a strong rower) are:

• Kingston-Jones Falls
• Jones Falls-Newboro-Narrows
• Smith Falls-Rideau River Provincial Park
• Rideau River Provincial Park – Manotick
• Manotick – Ottawa

The Big Rideau Lake is often avoided as it can get quite rough.

The first locks were built in 1844, but the Trent Canal was not finished until 1920.  The Trent-Severn Waterway is 386 km and bisects Ontario from Lake Ontario (Trenton) to Georgian Bay (Port Severn).  These locks are bigger and deeper than those on the Rideau Canal.  As well embankments are often quite high making boats put- ins and take-outs difficult at many locks.  There are 41 locks, including 2 hydraulic lift locks and one marine railway lock.    The Peterborough lift lock is the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world (19.8 m).  Each lock station has washrooms during hours of operation.  To go through the locks, paddle hooks to hold the vertical cables are strongly recommended.  There are loons in the Kawartha Lakes as well as other lakes.  Cormorants fish in the Georgian Bay section.
Some rowing segments (approximately one day each for a strong rower) are:

• Port Severn to Gloucester Pond or Swift Rapids
• Swift Rapids-Washago (Lake Couchiching)
• Cambridge (Lake Simcoe) – Balsam Lake
• Balsam Lake – Bobcaygeon
• Bobcaygeon- Buckhorn
• Buckhorn – Youngs Point
• Youngs Point-Peterborough Rowing Club-Peterborough
• Peterborough-Serpent Mounds Park (Rice Lake)
• Serpent Mounds Park (Rice Lake) – Hastings
• Hasting-Campellford
• Campbellford-Percy Reach
• Wilson Island-Glen Ross
• Glen Ross-Trenton (Bay of Quinte)
• Bay of Quinte from Trenton-Belleville (Quinte Rowing Club)

West-east water bodies (e.g, Sturgeon Lake, Rice Lake, and Percy Reach) have their water whipped up by the prevailing westerlies.  Lake Simcoe,  Lake Couchiching and the Bay of Quinte can be rough.

The Ottawa River from Mattawa to Lac des deux Montagnes at Ste-Anne de Bellevue is part of the fur trade artery of Canada in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries.  Many of the rapids have been submerged by barrage lakes.  Rowing in touring quads is very good on many of these lakes, although on summer afternoons the waves can be large and thunderstorms can threaten. 
Some rowing sections are:

• Mattawa - Deux Rivieres 
• Deux Rivieres-Driftwood Provincial Park (Lake Holden)
• Rapides-des-Joachims-Deep River
• Deep River-Oiseau Rock-Petawawa
• Castleford-Arnprior-Morris Island (Lac des Chats)
• Fitzroy Harbour-Britannia Park (Lac Deschenes)
• Ottawa (ORC or Ottawa New Edinburgh Club Sculling) to Petrie Island
• Petrie Island-Rockland-Thurso
• Thurso-Plaissance-Montebello.

The Ottawa River has many tributaries.  Some of these are challenging white water canoeing rivers (e.g.,  Petawawa, Noir, Coulonge, and Rouge).  The Rouge River and the Ottawa River south of Calumet Island are renowned rafting waterways – to be avoided by rowers!  It is possible to row several kilometers upstream from the mouths of the Dumoine, Bonnechere, Madawaska, Blanche, and Nation Rivers.

Parts of the Madawaska River are famous whitewater routes, but there are very beautiful rowing stretches such as:

• Lake of Two Rivers-Whitney (The two portages over dams are short.  You must obtain Algonquin Park use permits.)
• Barry’s Bay-Combermere (Lake Kaminiskey)
• Combermere-Conroy’s Marsh
• Griffith-Centennial Lake
• Centennial Lake-Black Donald Lake
• Springtown (below Calabogie)-Burnstown Rowing Club-Stewartville

Grand River

The Grand River in South Western Ontario was declared a Canadian Heritage River in 1994.  Some sections can get shallow in the summer.   The southern section below Brantford has vestiges of the Grand River Navigation Company canal and locks.  Generally the Grand River is navigable (with a few rapids) from Elora to Port Maitland.  A good rowing choice is:

• Cayuga - Dunnville (Disembark before the Dunnville dam and weirs which are very dangerous)

Lakes

Central Canada is blessed with thousands of beautiful lakes.  Some beautiful wild lakes that scullers have rowed on include Mazinaw Lake (under the famous Bon Echo Rock – a sacred aboriginal site), Skootamatta Lake, Sharbot Lake, and Third Depot Lake. 
Other Adventure Rowing Clubs are situated on Scugog Lake (Durham Rowing Club),  Lake Couchiching (Orillia Rowing Club), and Kempenfelt Bay (Barrie Rowing Club) of Lake Simcoe, Guelph Lake (Guelph Rowing Clubs), and Lake Ontario (Hanlan Boat Club in Toronto and Don Rowing Club in Port Credit).  Rowing in Lake Ontario is not recommended except under great meteorological conditions or with good support.