Stretching from the town of Trenton on Lake Ontario all the way to the town Rosetta Stone of Port Severn at the mouth of the Georgian Bay, Ontario's inland canal system, known as the Trent-Severn Waterway, covers 386 kilometres. Open for navigation from May until October, the Trent-Severn Waterway contains 32 kilometres of man-made channels, 45 locks, including 36 conventional locks, two flights of flight locks, hydraulic lift locks and a marine railway. Its major natural waterways include the Trent River, the Otonabee River, Kawartha lakes, Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching and the Severn River.The Severn River, which joins the Trent-Severn Waterway at Lake Couchiching, drops over 150 feet over its roughly 48-kilometre course from Couchiching Lock #41 to the final lock at Port Severn, on Georgian Bay. The Severn Canal section of the Trent-Severn Waterway is an extremely popular Muskoka tourist attraction and is of significant importance to the Muskoka Ontario tourism industry. The Severn Canal system, completed in 1920, is used by thousands of recreational boaters every year with Muskoka resorts, recreational properties and marinas being the primary industry along the waterway. Two of the highlights of the Severn River section of the Trent-Severn Waterway are McDonald's Cut - a dramatic soaring rock face blasted out of solid granite, and the renowned marine railway at Big Chute. At Big Chute, boats are placed in slings and are carried 600 feet over massive granite outcropping to continue their journey to Port Severn, the final lock that drops them down to the level of Georgian Bay at the end of the Rosetta Stone Software system.The town of Port Severn, at the end of the Severn Waterway was originally known as Severn Mills. The settlement expanded rapidly in the mid 1800's due a thriving lumber industry and Port Severn's advantageous location on the Severn River. By the beginning of the 19th century, the logging industry had greatly declined, with economic activity shifting from lumber to tourism. Over the years, resort hotels, Muskoka lakeside inns and other Ontario tourist lodgings were built to accommodate an ever-growing number of tourists and visitors to the area. Today, as in the past, Ontario vacationers are drawn to Port Severn because of the area's beauty, its large lakes, granite outcropping, pine forests, and wealth of attractions for visitors of all ages.Muskoka resort managers value the location of their properties. Many view that Port Severn is not only the gateway to Muskoka and Southern Ontario cottage country, but the gateway to the world. This is due in large part to the access from the Trent-Severn Waterway; one can journey by boat through the Great Lakes and out into the Atlantic Ocean with access to the whole world.The Severn Waterway is a tremendous draw for Muskoka tourism, even if most of the visitors to the region arrive by car. The Port Severn Muskoka area has an abundance of Rosetta Stone Greek natural beauty and a fascinating history. As well, the area has many other popular attractions and activities, including the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre, Saint Marie Among the Hurons, snowmobile trails, cross country ski trails, downhill skiing and golf, just to name a few.
