Conceived simply as a shipping transportation link between Lake Ontario and the Upper Great Lakes, the Welland Canals have been major contributors to the historical development of Central and Western Canada. Today, shipping is still the only real function of the Canal and continues to be the very focused mandate of the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority.

Since 1929 (or earlier) the idea of extending the role of the Canal by creating a scenic Parkway has been promoted as a means of drawing attention to the engineering feat that the Canal represents, and the spectacular scenic resources and attractions that the Niagara Peninsula has to offer.

Over 12 million people visit the City of Niagara Falls annually. It is surprising to some that this is approximately the same number of people who visit Orlando Florida, home of Walt Disney World, on an annual basis. There is a big difference however. In Orlando, people come from long distances to enjoy the attractions that the area has to offer over an extended period of time. In Niagara Falls, people come from long distances, but usually remain in the area for less than a day.

Apart from Niagara Falls itself, one of the attractions of the area is the Niagara River Parkway. Located along the Niagara River and created by the Niagara Parks Commission, this scenic roadway and trail links the communities of Niagara-on-the-Lake (on Lake Ontario), Niagara Falls, and Fort Erie (on Lake Erie). The Parkway is well known nationally and internationally for conservation and interpretation of the scenic and historical resources that are abundant in the area. Nonetheless, after experiencing the Falls, the Parkway and some of the local attractions, visitors tend not to remain in the vicinity, preferring to move on to attractions elsewhere.

The concept behind the creation of the Welland Canals Parkway focuses on providing and promoting opportunities for these "doorstep" visitors to remain in the Region longer. By connecting the Niagara River Parkway to the proposed Welland Canals Parkway and Trails System, a "great-circle parkway route" can be created, providing exciting opportunities to build on the successes of the Niagara River Parkway by promoting all that the Welland Canals Corridor and the Niagara Peninsula have to offer. This route will be greater than 100kms in length, providing truly unique conservation, recreation, education, heritage and economic development opportunities.
For many years, ships had been travelling up along the St. Lawrence River ports to Lake Ontario and down from the Lakehead to Lake Erie. The only natural water connection between these two lakes was the Niagara River. The Niagara River was impassable due to its upper river rapids, the waterfalls and the whirlpool gorge. William Hamilton Merritt came up with the idea of the Welland Canal that would be a gateway to the upper lakes and would be designed to bypass Niagara Falls and carry ships over the escarpment. The fourth and final canal was completed in 1932 and it climbs a distance of 99.5m (326 ft.) from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.

How large are the locks?
  Locks 1 to 7 (lift locks): 261.8 metres (859 ft.) long
                                        24.4 metres (80 ft.) wide
                                        24.8 metres (81.5 ft.) deep

What is the length of the Canal?
  43.13 kilometres or 26.8 statute miles or 23.45 nautical miles long

How long does it take a ship from one end of the canal to the other?
  It takes eight hours and twenty minutes without any delays such as traffic, fog,
     snow, wind etc. to get from one end to the other.

How long does it take to raise or lower a ship in a lock?
  It takes 33 minutes for a ship to enter, raise, lower and depart from the canal.
  It takes about 10-12 min. of actual raising time.

How much water does it take to fill the lock?
  It takes 94.5 million litres to fill up one lock.

How does the Welland Canal Work?
  The system operates by using gravity to move water from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario
  Beside the lock gates, on the walls at either end of the lock are large valves,
     which open to allow water to flow through tunnels in the walls and into or out of  the lock.
  Water enters from the 'reach' above the lock and the 'pondage' which serves as a reservoir.
  Water is emptied into the 'reach' below the lock and flows to the next lock.

What are the Flight Locks?
  The flight locks are locks four, five, and six of the Welland Canal.
  They are located in Thorold, Ontario
  They carry ships up or down 42.6 metres (139.5 ft.) of the Niagara Escarpment.
  They are 'twinned' which means that they allow two-way traffic and do not have a 'reach' between them.
   Lock 7 Information Centre is located at 50 Chapel Street South. At Lock 7,      the final lift lock at top of the escarpment in Thorold.

The Four Welland Canals

St. Catharines Museum / Welland Canals Centre

Welland Canal