Lock 36 — Lock 36 – Kirkfield Lift Lock

Lock 36 Kirkfield is a hydraulic lift lock and the height of land on the Trent-Severn Waterway, situated at Kilometre 272.6 / Mile 169.4 in the Trent Canal, roughly 3.2 km / 2 mi northwest of Mitchell Lake. Standing at an elevation of 256.2 m / 840.5 ft above sea level, this is the absolute summit of the 386-kilometre waterway connecting Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. The lock raises or lowers vessels 14.9 m / 49 ft using two counter-balanced water-filled troughs that ride on hydraulic rams — the heavier trough descends and forces the lighter one upward, transferring boats between levels with no external pumps required for normal dual-trough operation. It is the second-highest hydraulic lift lock in the world, surpassed only by Lock 21 Peterborough at 19.8 m / 65 ft. The Kirkfield Lift Lock is a designated heritage structure within the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of Canada.

Designed by Canadian engineer Richard Birdsall Rogers and constructed between 1900 and 1907 by contractors Larkin and Sangster, the Kirkfield Lift Lock was built on the same hydraulic principle as the Peterborough Lift Lock completed three years earlier. However, difficulties securing adequate supplies of Portland cement forced a design change — the guide towers at Kirkfield were fabricated in steel framework by the Dominion Bridge Company of Montréal, rather than the solid reinforced concrete used at Peterborough. The lock underwent substantial renovations in the late 1960s, including electrification and automation of the manual controls, construction of a new two-lane underpass beneath the canal, and replacement of the original steel aqueduct. In September 2022, a mechanical failure in the north caisson closed the lock for the remainder of the season; Parks Canada completed repairs and reopened it for the 2023 navigation season, with final restoration work finished in May 2024. The grounds include washrooms, picnic areas, interpretive signage, and walking trails along the canal edge through the ecologically significant Carden Alvar — a rare limestone plain habitat supporting numerous endangered bird and plant species.

Transiting the Kirkfield Lift Lock is one of the defining experiences of the Trent-Severn passage. Northbound vessels entering the lower trough ride upward nearly five storeys before clearing the gantry at the summit, or descend that same distance in the upper trough with Georgian Bay’s watershed ahead. The gantry overhead provides a minimum clearance of 7.3 m / 24 ft. Once through, the waterway begins its descent through nine locks — Bolsover, Talbot, Portage, Thorah, Gamebridge, Couchiching, Swift Rapids, Big Chute Marine Railway, and Port Severn — dropping approximately 79 m / 260 ft to Georgian Bay. Overnight mooring is available on both the upper and lower reaches, with a two-night maximum and good wind protection reported on the lower wall. The village of Kirkfield lies roughly 3 km / 1.9 mi to the south-southeast and offers a medical centre, post office, liquor store, small shops, and the Sir William Mackenzie Inn for dining. There is no shore power or potable water at the lock; boaters should plan provisions accordingly before reaching this remote summit.

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📍 GPS: 44.5897°N, 78.9898°W · 2023 Kirkfield Road, County Road #6, Kirkfield, Ontario, Township of Ramara, Simcoe County, Ontario, ON · Get Directions ↗ · Street View ↗

For navigation, use CHS Chart #2026 — this map is for reference only and should not be used for marine navigation.

Boater Orientation Notes:

• Lock 36 is the second-highest hydraulic lift lock in the world (49 ft lift) and the highest point on the TSW at 256.2 m above sea level.
• The lock is ~3 km north of Kirkfield village — virtually nothing walkable except Traylor Made Fries (~300 m, seasonal food truck).
• Kirkfield is a very small community with limited services — no full grocery store, no hardware, no laundromat, no marine chandlery.
• Only one tub of the lift lock has been operational in recent seasons — phone ahead to check schedule and avoid long waits.
• All village services (Ewen’s Grocery, LCBO, pharmacy, restaurants) are on Portage Road, ~3 km south — taxi required.

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Last Updated: March 18, 2026

Weather data for navigation planning purposes only. Always check Environment and Climate Change Canada’s official marine forecast before making operational decisions. weather.gc.ca ↗