Campbellford
©
Campbellford

Campbellford

Trent River town on the Trent-Severn Waterway, with canal heritage and a giant toonie by the water

Campbellford is a small town of about 3,500 on the Trent River in Northumberland County, Ontario, roughly midway between Toronto and Ottawa. It sits on the Trent-Severn Waterway, the historic canal route that links Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay — a popular route for recreational boaters and canoeists. The town has a pleasant riverside character around Old Mill Park, where a 27-foot replica of the Canadian toonie commemorates the local artist who designed the coin's polar bear.

The region is known as "Chocolate Town" for the World's Finest Chocolate factory outlet on Front Street, and culturally for Westben, a 400-seat barn theatre on a farm just outside town that draws name musicians from across Canada through the summer. Ferris Provincial Park, a few kilometres south, has a dramatic suspension footbridge over the Trent Gorge and good camping and hiking beside the river. Campbellford is a popular weekend destination for people from Toronto and Peterborough who want a slower pace without travelling too far.

Guide

Getting There

Campbellford has no rail or air service, and no Greyhound or comparable bus connection. Almost everyone arrives by car. From Toronto take Highway 401 east to exit 487 and turn north on County Road 30; the drive takes about two hours from downtown Toronto. From Ottawa take Highway 7 west to Madoc, then south on County Road 30 — about two and a half hours.

Some Trent-Severn boaters arrive by water, locking through from Trenton or Peterborough. The closest VIA Rail station is in Cobourg or Belleville, both about 45 minutes' drive away; a taxi or pre-arranged ride is needed to cover the last leg.

Guide

Things to Do

Campbellford is a small place, but it punches above its weight for a town of 3,500. The Trent-Severn Waterway runs straight through the centre, with locks worth watching and walks along the riverside. The Westben barn-theatre, Ferris Provincial Park's suspension bridge over the Trent Gorge, and a few small-town oddities (an oversized toonie, a chocolate factory) make for a satisfying weekend visit.

Guide

When to Go

Campbellford is firmly a warm-weather destination. The Trent-Severn Waterway opens in May and closes in mid-October, and the Westben summer festival runs from June to August — the obvious months for a visit. Summer days are warm and often humid, with average highs around 26°C in July, and the riverside park and ice cream shops do most of their business then.

Winter is long and cold (lows of -15°C are common in January), and most of the town's tourist amenities close. The provincial park's trails are good for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in winter, but most visitors choose to come in summer or early autumn, when the surrounding hardwood forest turns a striking red and gold in mid-October.