Including “The Big Chute” experience
The evening of Canada Day fireworks in Orillia, this “car” motored through next to the boat!
Left Port of Orillia morning of July 2. Stayed that evening at Swift Rapids Lock, most isolated lock in the system boasting an 11-mile dirt road stretch to reach it by land! Staff told us they take a boat to it and that only takes 20 minutes.
Left early July 3 from Swift Rapids. Encountered some narrow passageways with granite sides.
Made it to Big Chute to line up and wait for a “carriage” ride (carriage pictured below). Big Chute is not technically a lock, as it is a marine railway that has a 58-foot vertical drop. The boat rides on hydraulic-powered slings attached to the open-air carriage which rides down twin tracks, first crossing a street then descending “the chute.”
We floated onto the carriage.
In carriage and travelling up rail.
Picture on left shows rail behind boat on carriage as we ascended. They stop traffic below on street for carriage to ride rail past street.
Workers ensuring that boat is being lifted correctly. Middle picture shows their work stations at side of carriage.
View of rapids at top of Chute
Starting descent. Quite a view.
Looking behind
Left below is looking forward while descending and right is looking back when reaching bottom.
Looking back from exiting carriage at bottom of Big Chute.
After Big Chute, made it to last lock at Port Severn. Waited out rain then locked through and crossed to Midland in more rain! We’re now in Georgian Bay!