Tay Canal canoeable in September?

It should be...I don't recall it being shallow anywhere, but then, it wasn't September when I was there. If it's too shallow, it would probably be that way at the Perth end of things. You could probably tell by looking over the two bridges just downstream of the basin. You'll probably see lots of birds in the marsh if you go. Have fun.

Keenan

Our Tay river trip (Sep 12) was a success. We started at Beveride Locks and paddled up the canal, through the marsh and into the river proper. Water levels were very high and there was significant current where the river meets the marsh by the old stone house. In the middle of the marsh, almost entirely underwater, there was a no trespassing sign. What's up with that?

I took my GPS receiver with me so I could check our speed and distance. As the crow flies, we turned around about 7km from our starting point (which meant we were about 3km east of Perth). The good thing about the GPS is that I can keep it in a ziplock bag and still operate it easily.

The paddle back to the locks took about half the time as the paddle out, and at some places we didn't need to bother paddling at all. Wildlife included Grebes, Canada Geese, Red-Tailed Halk, Mallards, Gulls, an annoyed Osprey that had a nest on an old hunting platform, and a Great Blue Heron that flew down the length of the canal section like a plane flying above a runway. It flew very close to us. I've never had a heron fly that close to me before.

The only other people seen were 4 kayakers in the marsh and 2 birders on a path that runs beside the river. No hunters that I could see... maybe the high water made it impractical. We heard a lot of roaring engines... is there some sort of dragstrip north of the marsh?

Heh. I take it you could hear the wings? Wump....wump....wump...my wife and I were sitting on a dock at dusk and one came out of the dark and landed practically on top of our heads on an overhanging branch. Scared the hell out of me.

I'm not sure, but there's a big road isn't there? Sounds like a good trip. One of those special places that's just a minute or two from the highway.

I usually paddle from Perth to the Locks. btw, if you are want to car shuttle, then it's best to confirm which lock in the Beveridge Lock system since there is quite a hike between the two (if dry) or a bit of waiting if the pickup is at the Rideau Lakes end while you are at the first lock. As for the No Trespassing sign, I think it is referring to a nearby duck blind.

The 'path' is part of the Rideau Trail from Kingston to Ottawa...

I'm not so certain the season has started yet...

It is probably Hwy 43 from Smiths Falls to Perth. Another good launch spot is on the big bend at Port Elmsley, which leads to Rideau Lake.