Lock 11 — Lock 11 – Ranney Falls (Lower)

Lock 11 — Ranney Falls is the lower of two consecutive flight lock chambers positioned at Kilometre 48 of the Trent-Severn Waterway, at the south end of the Town of Campbellford. A flight lock is two chambers operated in sequence — vessels enter the lower chamber (Lock 11), complete their lockage, then move directly forward into the upper chamber (Lock 12) without exiting the lock installation. Traffic signal lights govern entry at both ends of the flight. The setting is among the most dramatic on the waterway: the Trent River plunges through a steep rocky gorge at Ranney Falls, and the artificial canal cut that carries navigation traffic was built specifically to bypass this cataract. Ferris Provincial Park occupies the east shore immediately south of the locks.

Lock 11 was constructed as part of the same contract that included Lock 08 Percy Reach, Lock 09 Meyers, Lock 10 Hagues Reach, and the upper chamber at Lock 12. Parks Canada records the total construction cost for this group of locks at $1,262,733 — part of the broader Trenton–to–Rice Lake works that opened in 1918 to complete the southern connection of the waterway. The site has an earlier history as a timber slide, where logs were floated downstream before the canal era. A private power generating station was built adjacent to the locks and continues to operate today as the Ranney Falls Generating Station, managed by Ontario Power Generation. Recent upgrades to the facility allow more efficient passage of water through the spillways and generators, increasing river velocity around the dam — Parks Canada advises all boaters, including experienced ones, to take additional precautions in this area.

Arriving at Lock 11, boaters queue on the painted blue line on the west wall below the lower chamber and wait for the traffic signal before entering. The cement ledge along the lock chamber sides is a known fender hazard — have adequate fenders deployed on both sides before entering. The Rotary Trail runs along the river from the lock grounds to Ferris Provincial Park and the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge, a notable attraction a short walk away. Above the flight locks, Campbellford is approximately 1.6 km1 mi north and offers the most complete range of services between Trenton and Peterborough — grocery, hospital, pharmacy, laundry, restaurants, and marine facilities. Overnight mooring is available for up to 5 nights per Parks Canada policy.

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📍 GPS: 44.2915204°N, 77.8155936°W · [VERIFY — Parks Canada], Trent Hills (Campbellford), Ontario, ON · Get Directions ↗ · Street View ↗

For navigation, use CHS Chart #2021 — this map is for reference only and should not be used for marine navigation.

Boater Orientation Notes:

• Locks 11—12 are at the south end of Campbellford — downtown core (Bridge St / Front St) is 1.5—2 km north.
• Walkable from the lock: Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge (200 m), Ferris Park trail access (300 m), Rotary Trail (100 m), RX Drug Mart (1 km), and Church-Key Brewing (1 km).
• Campbellford Town Dock at Old Mill Park (~2.5 km north, near Lock 13) offers better walking access to downtown — consider continuing north for full provisioning.
• Dooher’s Bakery is a must-visit — voted Canada’s Sweetest Bakery. Arrive early as they sell out.
• No marine chandlery in Campbellford — Home Hardware carries basic marine supplies. Nearest full marine supply is Peterborough or Trenton.

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Last Updated: March 18, 2026

Approaching the lower chamber, you’ll feel some turbulence off the starboard side from the river coming by — but it’s not too bad because of the way they’ve built the finger off the starboard side of the lock entrance. That finger shelters the approach. Favor the wall on the way in; the blue line is there if you need it. Once you’re committed and into Lock 11, there’s no place to go — you can’t bail out partway. You’re going all the way through to the top of Lock 12. This is a flight lock — two chambers back-to-back. Elsewhere it’d probably be called a single flight lock, but on the Trent-Severn they number it as two: Lock 11 and Lock 12. The procedure: enter Lock 11, shut off your motors, tie to the wall, ascend. When the upper gates open, restart motors, move forward a few hundred yards into Lock 12, shut motors off again, grab the lines, and ascend a second time. Standard flight lock operation — just be ready for two cycles, and don’t let yourself get caught off-guard by needing to restart and reposition between them.

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 ↗