Hogs Back Locks, Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Ontario
Posted by: elyob
N 45° 22.217 W 075° 41.953
18T E 445247 N 5024322
Parking is available on site, near the lockmaster's building.
Waymark Code: WMWYW8
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 11/01/2017
Views: 11
Designed in the 1830s as a safe commercial and military transportation corridor avoiding the United States border, the Rideau Canal is now a historic site, host to recreational boaters. Hogs Back Locks are officially locks 11 and 12 on the Rideau Canal. It is here that the waters of the Rideau Canal heading to downtown Ottawa are separated from the Rideau River.
The locks were built to avoid the Hogs Back Falls (then known as Three Rocks Rapids) on the Rideau River. Another set of rapids was upstream from the locks, the Three Island Rapids. The Three Island Rapids are now under the surface of Mooneys Bay because of a purpose built dam created during the construction of these locks. The upstream lock is actually a guard lock, protecting the downstream lock from any issues due to the dam.