Sailing & Boating.
Port Carling sits on the Indian River between Lake Muskoka and Lake Rosseau, and the locks completed there in 1871 by John Carling are the navigational hinge of the Big Three. Widened in 1903 for steamships, with a smaller pleasure-boat lock added in 1922, the system links Lake Muskoka (120 km²), Lake Rosseau (6,390 ha), and — through the Port Sandfield channel — Lake Joseph (5,460 ha) into one navigable inland water.
The brief.
The Port Carling locks are operated by the District Municipality of Muskoka and open seasonally for through-traffic between Lake Muskoka and Lake Rosseau; the swing bridge runs year-round. Combined with the Port Sandfield channel between Rosseau and Joseph, the locks turn the Big Three into a single 12,000-plus-hectare navigable system.
Lake Joseph is the deepest of the three at 93 m maximum depth; Lake Rosseau carries 151 km of shoreline. Most of the western and central shoreline of all three lakes sits inside the Township of Muskoka Lakes.
Late May through early October is the working season; locks open and close per posted District schedule.
5. places.
- 01
Lake Muskoka
120 km² and ~140 ft max depth, primarily within the Township of Muskoka Lakes; outflow at Bala via the Moon River.
- 02
Lake Rosseau
6,390 ha with 151 km of shoreline; linked to Lake Muskoka via the Indian River + Port Carling locks and to Lake Joseph via the Port Sandfield channel.
- 03
Lake Joseph
5,460 ha, max depth 93 m, mean depth 25 m; the deepest of the Big Three.
- 04
Port Carling locks (Indian River)
District-operated navigation lock built 1871, widened 1903 for steamships, smaller pleasure-boat lock added 1922.
- 05
Port Sandfield channel
The cut linking Lake Rosseau and Lake Joseph at Port Sandfield, completing the Big Three navigable system.
Today's read.
Temperature (4.7°C) below the typical range.