Peterborough & the Kawarthas

Gateway to Ontario's Kawartha Lakes, with the world's highest hydraulic lift lock, the Canadian Canoe Museum and an Indigenous petroglyph site; a top choice for lakeside cottage getaways.

Peterborough lies in southeastern Ontario, Canada, about 1.5 hours' drive from Toronto, and is the gateway city to the Kawarthas. The Trent–Severn Waterway runs from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay, linking dozens of lakes and locks along the way; in the city, the Peterborough Lift Lock is the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world, and next to it is the Canadian Canoe Museum, which moved into a new building in 2024. North of the city is a cottage country dense with lakeside cottages: lake towns such as Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls and Lakefield are perfect for boat trips, ice cream and watching boats pass through the locks; to the northeast, Petroglyphs Provincial Park protects Canada's largest collection of Indigenous rock carvings, and the Warsaw Caves offer cave exploring; farther north, on the Canadian Shield, are the Kawartha Highlands and Silent Lake park, prime spots for canoe camping and cross-country skiing. The best seasons are Jun–Sep for boating and swimming and early October for fall colours; in winter you can skate and cross-country ski, but the locks and most lake-area attractions shut down. Getting there: it's about 1.5–2 hours' drive from Toronto via Highways 401 and 115, and GO buses also run to Peterborough, but the lake-area sights are spread out, so you'll essentially need a car. Allow 2–3 days: 1 day in Peterborough and 1–2 days for the lake towns and Petroglyphs park—or rent a lakeside cottage for a week.

Top sights

• Peterborough Lift Lock – Completed in 1904, this is the world's highest hydraulic boat lift. Two huge water tanks rise and fall like a seesaw, lifting boats nearly…
• Canadian Canoe Museum – The world's largest collection of canoes and kayaks. Relocated in 2024 to a new building on the lakeshore beside the Lift Lock, it tells th…
• Petroglyphs Provincial Park – Canada's largest Indigenous rock art site, with more than 900 images of turtles, snakes and human figures carved into marble rock faces, kn…
• Warsaw Caves Conservation Area – Limestone caves and potholes carved by glacial meltwater, with seven small holes to explore, plus the 'vanishing river' of the Indian River…
• Lang Pioneer Village Museum – An open-air museum recreating 19th-century Ontario rural life, with a working water-powered mill and costumed interpreters.
• Riverview Park & Zoo – A free zoo and park on the Otonabee River, with wallabies, monkeys, birds, and a mini train, popular with families.
• Bobcaygeon – The 'heart' of the Kawartha Lakes region, with Lock 32 of the Trent-Severn Waterway running through town. The old Kawartha Dairy ice cream…
• Fenelon Falls – A waterfall town between Cameron Lake and Sturgeon Lake, with a waterfall, a lock, and a lakeside trail right in the center.
• Kirkfield Lift Lock – The second lift lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway, with a steel truss structure, lowering boats from the waterway's highest point to below…
• Burleigh Falls – Granite rapids on the northern edge of the Kawartha Lakes, where the Canadian Shield meets the limestone plains. In summer you can sunbathe…
• Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park – One of southern Ontario's largest wilderness parks, linking lakes and granite islands. It's a canoe camping paradise, like a 'mini Algonqui…
• Silent Lake Provincial Park – A peaceful lake where motorboats are banned. A lakeside trail, beaches, and winter cross-country ski trails make it a destination in every…
• Balsam Lake Provincial Park – A provincial park on the north shore of Balsam Lake, the highest lake on the waterway, with long sandy beaches ideal for family swimming an…
• Lakefield – A literary town on the Otonabee River, where writers Margaret Laurence and Susanna Moodie once lived. It's the first stop on the way into t…
• Indian River Reptile Zoo – One of Canada's largest reptile rescue and education centers, with crocodiles, pythons, and tortoises, plus a dinosaur model trail.
• Whetung Ojibwa Centre – An Ojibwe arts and crafts centre on the Curve Lake First Nation reserve, selling birchbark crafts, moosehide shoes, and Indigenous painting…

Where to eat

• Rare Restaurant – A long-established fine-dining restaurant downtown, known for local ingredients and steaks. Rated 4.9 on OpenTable and…
• St. Veronus Café Belgian Tap Room – A Belgian beer hall in a historic 1890 bank building, with more than 50 Belgian beers and mussels with fries as its bes…
• Ashburnham Ale House – A neighborhood pub in Peterborough's historic east-side Ashburnham district, serving only local and craft beers, with h…
• One Fine Food Italian Restaurant – An Italian restaurant and market on the south side of town with an open kitchen and wood-fired pizza oven, named one of…