Ontario Personal Watercraft Touring is Unbeatable

Go Ride this world class 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!

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 uninterrupted 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.

Sparkling clean waters and great scenery make for exceptional PWC riding in Ontario.

For the more experienced and adventurous, the Great Lakes — Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario — offer many big-water riding opportunities, launching from numerous marine-friendly communities along the province’s extensive shorelines. If you’re looking for a wilderness or camping experience, that can be had too, especially on northern lakes like Nipissing, Temagami, Temiskaming and Lake of the Woods.

Navigation is easy in Ontario…just follow the buoys!

One of my favourite rides is the Ottawa River from Pembroke to the Town of Temiskaming Shores, a 668 kilometre (410 mile) round trip that follows the original fur traders’ route. Cruising the inner channels of Georgian Bay from Honey Harbour to Killarney is another amazing multi-day ride for experienced riders, as is Lake Huron’s protected North Channel between Spanish and St. Joseph’s Island.

Those unfamiliar with the province or less experienced with PWC touring can ride the relatively protected waters of two world famous canal systems – the Trent Severn Waterway (386 kilometres [241 miles]) and the Rideau Waterway (202 kilometres [125 miles]). These two heritage routes offer a variety of riding opportunities and overnight camping at most locks.

Ontario’s signature cottage country regions of Muskoka, Haliburton and the Kawarthas are also ideal PWC choices. I like riding my Sea-Doo on Ontario’s cottage country waterways because the local cottager’s associations or individual waterfront property owners mark most every possible obstacle. The last thing these folks want is to damage their powerboats and cruisers – and that provides extra peace of mind for PWC riders exploring these waterways for the first time.

The locks of the world famous Trent Severn Waterway welcome PWC riders.

One other advantage of riding the cottage lakes is that help is never more than a dock away. There are always other boats to follow or hail or a marina to pull into. Plus, most of these waterways have cell service. For a close up look at cottage country riding, check out my Muskoka tour article.

PWC riders of all ages enjoy Ontario’s many public docking areas.

Thanks to the long time popularity of marine tourism, 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.

Ontario offers many good public boat launches.

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 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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