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Sault Ste. Marie Canal - Recreational Lock |
 By all accounts, the Sault Ste. Marie Canal was a marvel of engineering technology at the time of its completion in 1895. For a time the lock was the longest in the world – at 274 m (900 ft). It was also the first in the world to use electrical power. Here the technology was pioneered to operate a lock system that would be reliable even during the early spring and late fall. Electricity, generated from the canal's own powerhouse, operated the huge wooden lock gates and the valves that controlled water flow to and from the lock. The motorhouses on the lock walls still contain much of the original operating machinery, which continues to be used today. This Canadian made equipment is unique among the canals of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
A failure to the lock wall in 1986 forced the closure of the lock for a period of 10 years. In 1995 the Government of Canada, Province of Ontario and City of Sault Ste. Marie entered into a joint agreement to repair the lock for recreational vessels only. Completed in 1997, a smaller lock was constructed within the historic canal. The new recreational lock has a length of 77 m (254 ft), a width of 15.4 m (51 ft) and a minimum draft of 3 m (9.8 ft).
 The recreational lock is part of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site. Boaters wanting to visit the historic site can moor at the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s Roberta Bondar Marina (next to the big tent) and walk the Riverfront Boardwalk to the historic Sault Canal.
For full details on locking procedures. click here.
For information about the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site visit: parkscanada.gc.ca/sault
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Facility
Notes
Chart (U.S.) 14884
Operations:
- Mid May - Mid Oct.
- Hours: Variable
Lock Procedures
VHF 14
- Call sign: "VDX 23, Canadian Canal"
- Max. draft: 3 metres (9.8 ft)
- Max. lenth:77 metres (254 ft)
Call lockmaster
705-941-2003
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