The Combined Lockstation is the most dramatic working canal feature in Smiths Falls. The present lock replaced an original three-lock flight in the 1970s and has the highest single lift on the Rideau Canal, raising and lowering boats about 7.6 metres in one move.
It is still part of the Parks Canada-operated Rideau Canal National Historic Site, so the point is to watch the lock work rather than simply look at masonry. In boating season, stop long enough to see a cruiser, canoe, or rental houseboat pass through; the hand-operated rhythm of the canal is what makes the Rideau more than a line on the map.