Ferris Park to Hague's Reach

Paddling the Trent-Severn Waterway

Ferris Provincial Park to Hague's Reach, Lock 10, Trent River

written by The Land Canadian Adventures. Read more by The Land.

*Only viable during Ferris Provincial Park’s open gate season and Trent-Severn Waterway open season (May 10-October 15) due to launch site accessibility at Ferris and lack of accessible portage routes around Locks 9 and 10 (10 is set to have upper and lower docks installed in 2019).

Difficulty: Easy paddling, but be aware and respectful of power boat traffic and a stronger current when water levels are higher, especially on your return trip.

Distance: Approx. 5km round-trip from Ferris to Lock 10, but as short or as long as you wish! You can lock through at Hagues Reach to explore the river farther south (see shuttle info below).

Portages: No accessible portages around locks 10 and 9.

Launch point: You can access this route during Ferris Provincial Park’s open gate season (May 10-October 15) from their boat launch. The day use fee is approx. $20/vehicle. You have to stop at the gate for your permit (unless you go for the Ontario Parks Seasonal Day-Use Vehicle Permit) and follow the signs for the playground and boat launch.

Shuttle Info: 

1. Round trip to Lock 10 and back to Ferris – no shuttle required.
2. Put in at Ferris and take out 7km south at Lock 8 Percy Reach. There is a good canoe dock on the north side of the locks, but if you paddle through to explore the Reach a bit, you can take out at the boat launch on the south side, which is nice and shallow granting easier access to kayaks in particular.

Directions: 5 minutes South of Campbellford.

As much as I long for days of quiet paddling from sun-up to sun-down in the far north, getting lost in the rhythm of paddle strokes peppered with bird sightings and ‘Hallo!’ to passing boaters, that’s just not the reality when we’ve got the kids in tow. So we’re always on the lookout for routes in the neighbourhood (within a couple hours’ drive) that offer a blend of activities with opportunities for impromptu changes and game-time decisions based on the morale of our troops. Just because you plan on paddling, doesn’t mean you have to stay in your canoe or kayak the whole day. If you’re looking for a full day, but a good mix of paddling, swimming, hiking and picnicking, Ferris Provincial Park is a great place to go. Once you’ve paid your fee at the park gate (if you haven’t purchased a Seasonal Day Use Vehicle Permit from Ontario Parks – which is completely worth it!) you can follow signs for the playground and boat launch. There is a great playground right at the boat launch where you can get some post-car-ride sillies out while getting your boats ready. (Two rentable kayaks are typically chained up at the boat launch; inquire at the park’s entry gate for details.)

Countryside Paddle:

As you head south about 1km and cross the river to the west bank approaching the hydro dam, continue another 500 metres and you’ll see a stone marker resembling an Inukshuk on the west bank (the shore of an island in fact) where you can pull up your boat at a cement ramp, have a stretch and a snack, or you can experience locking through Lock 9 (Hagues Reach) for a peaceful countryside paddle. There is also a paddling dock at the bottom side of the locks where you can opt to picnic and stretch, or paddle around the south end of the island (west bank) where you can disembark at the island’s shallows.

With small kids on board, I suggest doing what we did and head back upriver to Ferris Park where you can explore the huge drumlin that makes Ranney Gorge so impressive on foot and in the shade. The Friends of Ferris have a great trail map available for visitors. The Trent River marks the meeting of the Peterborough Drumlin Field and the Iroquois plains where the limestone shelves are really exposed. It’s fun to stay close to the cliffs and see what critters and treasures you can find hanging out over the water. In theory, the drumlins were created as the result of a tectonic uplift under the Canadian Shield, which caused the limestone and Paleozoic sediments that once covered the Shield to be washed away and forced the waters on the Shield to spill south and southeast forming the ‘rolling countryside’ we see today. The plateaus of the drumlins were left richest in topsoils and so ideal for agricultural use, ringed by forests and wetlands at their bases. 

Sheep what?

The boat launch in the park is at the site of the old ‘sheep wash’ which is basically what it sounds like - a place to wash sheep! Ferris was established as an Ontario Park in 1962, but for more than a hundred years before that, it was passed from farm family to farm family and so the sheep wash was where they would herd their flocks of sheep to wash them in the river. You won’t find any sheep at the sheep wash now but you can still get front row seats to a good show of local Cooper’s hawks in hunting mode or you might even spot a sweet Northern Flicker in the woodpecker family, or the bobolink or great-crested flycatcher since the river is lined with farmers’ fields and meadows which are home to these lovely songbirds.