Rideau Canal Waterway - Clowes


		Clowes Lock 20

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(history) CLOWES Lock 20 (water map) (road map)
Number of locks: 1	Total Lift: 2.3m ( 7.6 ft.)	Lock Through Time: 15 min.*
Chart No: 1512 (Sheet 3)	GPS:¹ N 44^o 56.770' W 75^o 49.350'
Chart Sales: No	Lockstation Tel: (613) 269-4426
Washrooms: Yes²	Drinking Water: Yes³	Day Use Docking: Yes
Overnight Mooring: Yes	Docking⁴ Upstream: 29m/95'	Docking⁴ Downstream: 23m/75'
Ice: No	Power: No	Boater Camping:⁵ Yes
Boat Launch: No	Picnic Tables: Yes	BBQ Grills: Yes
Parking: Yes	Public Telephone: No	Self Guided Trail: No
Hwy Access: beside Hwy. 2	Lock Connects: Rideau River to Rideau River

Special Notes: To ensure passage, boaters must arrive at least 30 minutes prior to closing.

Of Interest: Clowes features a single lock, a waste water weir and an overflow dam, one of the few used on the Rideau. Colonel By originally planned all his dams to be overflow dams, but his experiences with spring flood on the Rideau soon changed his mind, and he added waste water weirs (a water control mechanism) to most of the locks. However, at Clowes and a few other places, he left the main dam as an overflow dam, the height of the dam being the level of navigation. The addition of the weir allows excess water to be quickly discharged.

Notes: Gas is available upstream at Ayling's Boatyard (near foot of Merrickville locks).

* Time to actually go through the locks. Allow at least twice this time when trip planning. See Schedule Caveats.
1) GPS data should not be used for navigation. See the GPS page.
2) Washrooms are NOT wheel chair accessible.
3) Check with lockstation staff for potability of water.
4) Includes both blueline and greyline docking - see Lockstation Docking Page.
5) Allows tent camping for those arriving by water and also for cyclists and hikers.

Clowes Lock looking WestA quiet solitude lock with an overflow dam in addition to the weir. A navigation note is that Clowes is located on the opposite bank (west) from the canal cut that leads to Nicholsons (east). The gentle currents of the Rideau River make this an easy transition.

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