Free
Ken Reid Conservation Area
Trails, a boardwalk and a lookout tower by Sturgeon Lake, near Lindsay.
Home / Guides / Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls
Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls
Two lock towns in the Kawartha Lakes: Bobcaygeon, home of the first lock built on the Trent-Severn Waterway, and Fenelon Falls, where boats lock past a waterfall. Petroglyphs Provincial Park is a short drive east.
Photo: The Fenelon River at Fenelon Falls, The Cosmonaut, CC BY-SA 2.5 ca
The Trent–Severn Waterway links Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay through a chain of lakes and rivers. Lock 32 in Bobcaygeon was the first lock built on the system, in 1833.
Fenelon Falls sits between Cameron Lake and Sturgeon Lake, with Lock 34 beside the falls. To the east, Petroglyphs Provincial Park protects hundreds of Indigenous rock carvings. Sit by a lock and watch the boats go by.
Outdoors and nature
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
Free
Victoria Rail Trail
A long rail trail through Fenelon Falls and the Kawartha Lakes.
Free
Sturgeon Lake
A big Kawartha lake between Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls and Lindsay.
Cheap
Petroglyphs Provincial Park
A large collection of Indigenous rock carvings, protected inside a building. A sacred site.
Season Open roughly early May–mid-Oct (check before you go).
Sights and attractions
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
Free
Lock 32, Bobcaygeon
The first lock built on the Trent-Severn Waterway, in the middle of town.
Free
Lock 34 and the falls, Fenelon Falls
Watch boats lock through beside a waterfall.
Cheap
Kawartha Settlers' Village
Historic buildings moved to a village site in Bobcaygeon.
Markets, shops and festivals
Main streets, markets and the dates worth planning around.
Free
Bolton Street, Bobcaygeon
The main street of shops and restaurants by the lock.
Free
Fenelon Falls downtown
Shops and cafés on Francis Street near the falls.
Book a tour or activity
Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.
Also bookable, listed above
These are in the lists above, so we don't repeat them here.
- Academy Theatre Show
Part of our The Kawarthas guides.
Make it a weekend
Why stay the night
- Summer evenings at the locks are the best show in town.
- The Petroglyphs and a lake swim fill a day.
- Boaters arrive all summer, so book rooms early.
Nearby and worth the drive
Peterboroughabout 45 min · Guide ↗
The Lift Lock and Canadian Canoe Museum.
Haliburtonabout 60 min · Guide ↗Lakes and forest.
Ready-made trips with Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls
Good to know
- Waterway: Lock hours and seasons: Parks Canada.
- We list only places we can check against an official source. Hours, seasons and prices change, so confirm before you go.
Photos on this page
Photo: The Fenelon River at Fenelon Falls, The Cosmonaut, CC BY-SA 2.5 ca
Photo: The shore at Balsam Lake Provincial Park, RichardBH, CC BY 2.0
Photo: The floating boardwalk at Ken Reid Conservation Area, Eric Marshall, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Sturgeon Lake, Eric Marshall, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Kawartha Lakes banner Bobcaygeon, Shaundd, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Lock 34 - Fenelon Falls, The Cosmonaut, CC BY-SA 2.5 ca