Port Carling: Locks, Boating and Museum History

In Port Carling, the history of the locks, a large-scale photo mosaic and insights into life on the Muskoka Lakes come together. The locks are at the heart of the town; the Muskoka Lakes Museum is on an island between them. If you’re looking for a place with history, exhibitions and opportunities for walks, you’ll find several options here to help plan your day.

Locks and a Mural with a Special Perspective

The Port Carling Wall depicts the RMS Sagamo around 1922 passing through the locks. The photo mosaic is made up of 9,028 images and measures 111 × 45 feet. You can see it from District Road 118 and from boats in the bay. The image brings together a single ship and the lock traffic that defines Port Carling.

The dimensions of the two locks also differ considerably. The large lock has a usable length of 165 feet and a total width of 32.8 feet. The small lock has a usable length of 66 feet and a total width of 11 feet. Along with the mural, these different dimensions invite you to notice the structures and their relative sizes as you explore the town.

James Bartleman Island Park, named after Ontario’s former lieutenant governor and diplomat James Bartleman, is at 100 Joseph Street, right beside the Port Carling Locks. The museum is in the park between the two locks in the centre of Port Carling. A pedestrian bridge leads to the island. Free parking is available behind the Muskoka Lakes Library, at the Port Carling Memorial Community Centre and along Main Street.

Insights into Life on the Muskoka Lakes

The Muskoka Lakes Museum covers topics ranging from boatbuilding and vacation resorts to everyday household life and local history. The Marine Room displays handcrafted wooden canoes and rowboats built for vacationers at the region’s early resorts. Exhibits in the Logging and Resort Life gallery include a re-created early 20th-century resort lobby and a working antique magneto telephone.

The Pioneer Life gallery features a log cabin built near Glen Orchard in 1875 from squared logs, as well as 19th-century artifacts and household items. The Indigenous Gallery includes, among other things, a re-created wigwam, an authentic birchbark canoe, handmade sweetgrass baskets and quillwork boxes. A timeline explores the local history of Indigenous communities; some of the early Indigenous artifacts date back to 6000 BC. In the Cottage Life gallery, washing machines, clothes wringers, carpet beaters, vacuum cleaners and irons illustrate the historical household technology on display.

The town’s boating past is also reflected in a distinctive design: in 1914, William Johnston Jr. designed the Disappearing Propeller Boat in Port Carling, known as the “Dippy.” If it came into contact with rocks or logs, its propeller could be lifted into a metal box for protection. At its peak, Johnston Boat Works rented out more than 300 boats. Port Carling’s older building history also includes Knox Presbyterian Church, one of the town’s oldest surviving buildings, built in 1876.

Walks, a Hike and Time by the Water

The Port Carling Mural Walk is a great way to explore the town on foot. You’ll see the Port Carling Mural and can visit shops along the way. The Muskoka Lakes Museum also offers approximately one-hour walking tours of Port Carling that begin at the museum. Depending on your interests, you can combine your visit to the town with a walking tour or a stay at the museum.

If you’d rather hit the trail, the historic Hazelwood Trail offers a 2.5-kilometre, moderate hike with a view of a large beaver pond. When planning, you can choose between a walk through town past the mural and shops, or a hike with a view of the pond. Archdekin Park is one of the three beaches listed in Port Carling. Sunset cruises depart from the locks.

When choosing a vacation rental in Port Carling, you can start by deciding what you’d like to focus on during your stay.

Discover More Places

You can also discover Bracebridge, Bala, Minett, Huntsville, Lake of Bays, Dwight, Mactier and Torrance as you plan the rest of your trip.

For the broader travel overview: Muskoka District Municipality.