Go Ride Ontario on Your Personal Watercraft

Experience Canada's World Class PWC Touring Destination

Ontario personal watercraft riding delivers some of the best boating in Ontario – exhilarating adventure, exciting destinations and fantastic scenery. That’s the Province of Ontario, Canada – a world-class go ride destination that showcases Ontario tourism at its best. Ontario boasts 1/3 of the world’s fresh water, including four of the famous Great Lakes, plus about 250,000 other lakes and 100,000 kilometres (62,000 miles) of riverways. With over one million active boaters, no wonder Ontario is North America’s premier PWC riding destination — there’s no place like this!

The PWC riding typically stretches from mid-May through the Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend in early October. When summer hits, Ontario’s warm, sunny days typically range from 24 to 30° C (75 – 85° F), ideal for PWC cruising and exploring. Many of Ontario’s popular boating routes are interconnected and not interrupted by dead ends, transfers, dams or non-navigable sections. So PWC lovers have countless choices for hours of exceptional riding: one day excursions; multi-day rides returning to the same waterfront resort each night; or saddlebag tours overnighting at different shore-side destinations.

Thanks to the long time popularity of marine tourism in Ontario, cottaging – boating and fishing – it’s easy to find riding choices in Ontario that are easily navigable, mapped, marked and well serviced. Accessed by a numerous highways and a multitude of secondary roads, most lakes and rivers are clearly identified by road signs.

The popularity of Ontario boating is such that countless public boat launches dot Ontario’s shorelines. Public launch signs are usually posted on nearby roads and often marked on municipal maps and websites. Many public launches include a public dock or docks, as in the case of most municipal marinas and facilities. Most launches have parking nearby. For a small fee, Ontario’s many private marinas also provide launch, dock and parking facilities. Most municipal and private marinas also have dockside fuel available.

If you don’t own a PWC or can’t bring it with you, Ontario offers dedicated PWC rental locations, plus marinas and dealers who also rent boats and PWCs. Another alternative is to stay at one of Ontario’s fabulous lakefront resorts, many of which offer or can arrange PWC rentals for their guests. I’ve often used a resort as a base for my Sea-Doo rides: when making your reservation, ensure that the resort has a good boat launch with appropriate dock space.

Most popular waterways are dotted with these resorts and marinas, plus restaurants and many other services. This has a lot to do with Ontario becoming a boater’s, angler’s and cottager’s paradise each summer. It seems that half the urban population moves to the water when the hot weather comes in June, July, August and even into late September. This annual migration has spawned the growth of many waterside shopping, hospitality and tourism services; so getting service while riding your PWC on popular routes is never a problem – nor is stopping for an ice cream cone, a short stroll down a bustling main street or a quick visit to a summer festival or event.

Ontario’s popular navigable waterways are PWC-friendly. With a PWC of one brand or another at almost every other private dock, everyone is used to seeing and interacting with PWCs. Like with any other boaters, PWC riders who follow the rules of the water are an accepted part of the marine community here.

To plan your PWC ride in Ontario, the best place to start is the Go Ride Ontario website. It offers valuable boating information, tourism links, tour tips and planning advice, and many other resources. So this summer, load your PWC onto your trailer, hit the water and see why Ontario is yours to discover!

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