Experience the best of Peterborough & the Kawarthas

Peterborough sits on the Otonabee River in south-central Ontario, at the edge of the Kawarthas, a district of lakes, rivers and farmland north-east of Toronto. It has long been known for canoes, and the Canadian Canoe Museum records the history of the craft. The Trent-Severn Waterway, a chain of lakes, rivers and locks, runs through the district from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay.

The Peterborough Lift Lock, opened in 1904, raises boats about 20 metres in two huge hydraulic tanks and is one of the tallest of its kind in the world. Petroglyphs Provincial Park, north of the city, has hundreds of ancient carvings in a marble outcrop, and Serpent Mounds Park on Rice Lake has ancient burial mounds. The Kawartha Lakes are lined with cottages and fishing lodges.

Walleye, bass and muskellunge draw anglers to the lakes, wild rice is harvested on Rice Lake, and bakeries sell butter tarts, a Canadian pastry of butter, sugar and egg in a small shell. In summer the lakes fill with boats.