Kayak Sixteen Mile Creek – Oakville, ON

Want to kayak Sixteen Mile Creek in Oakville? Read on to learn more about this pleasant river in the heart of downtown Oakville, with an easily accessible free public launch and an easy paddle up and back.

​Read on for more about what to expect when you kayak Sixteen Mile Creek in Oakville, or visit our Where to Paddle page for links to more great kayaking destinations in Southern Ontario and beyond.

Our Recommended Trip

Put In / Take Out:
We launched at a public canoe/kayak ramp (Coordinates 43.443594/-79.673152) directly under the Rebecca/Randall Street Bridge (the road changes names at the river).  We followed Navy Street up, where it turns into Water Street.  There are several Green P paid parking lots around this stretch known as Navy Flats Park.  The ramp sits almost directly under the Bridge supports, hidden in between the Charter Ability Dock and a business called Wai Nui Outrigger.  The launch was just down river from Oakville Power Boat Club and the Burloak Canoe Club.

Parking:  There is no free parking, but we did find several paid lots.  Note that there is also private parking in the vicinity and be sure to park in the paid parking lots to avoid ticketing.  Because we had our trailer, we parked at the lot located behind the Oakville library. There are other lots that are closer that would work for vehicles with roof racks.  

While the launch wasn’t FAR from the parking lot, we had The Beast (our name for our 85 lb Wilderness Systems Pamlico tandem, which is HEAVY even empty!). I was glad I had thrown in our Suspenz kayak cart into the car that morning.  While we don’t always bring our cart along, I do try to make sure we have it when we’re going to new locations that might involve a trek to the launch ramp.  In this case, I was sure glad we had the cart, as it wouldn’t have been fun to haul The Beast up and down the hill.  And so we loaded the Beast on the cart, all the gear in the Beast, and then one more kayak on top of the gear.  With this, we only had to make 3 trips for 3 boats (second trip was with the 3rd kayak, and 3rd trip was to round up the things we had forgotten and to take the cart back! LOL).  

Trip Length: 1-2 hours, approximately 6 km (3 km to explore down to the end of the Harbour and then up to the shallows at Speers Road.  From there, we turned around and headed back to the launch).

The entire trip was approximately 6 km, from the mouth of the harbour up to the shallow spot at Speers where we turned around.

Cost: No fee to launch, but we paid $5 for all-day parking on a Saturday.  The lot we parked in had paid parking Monday to Saturday, with Sundays free.

​Degree of Difficulty: Beginner:  Even in Early May, when rivers are typically faster moving than later in the season, this was a relatively gentle paddle.  The Harbour area of mouth of the Sixteen Mile Creek is home to several operating boat clubs, and can get busy.  Our visit in 2021 coincided with marina closures due to COVID-19 restrictions, and so we didn’t have to deal with any boat traffic in the Harbour area, but you should be cognizant of your own safety, and ensure that you are visible if paddling in the Harbour in foggy or low light conditions.  The Harbour also opens onto Lake Ontario.  Kayaking on a Great Lake is very different than a small body of water.  Please read more in the Gear Recommendations section and use caution if you decide to explore outside of the Creek and Harbour area.  
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Recommended Gear

Life jackets and all Transport Canada required safety gear are always a must.  Sunscreen and sun hats are definitely recommended when you’re on the water.

This post is focused only on the Creek portion, but is adjacent to Lake Ontario, which can offer additional kayaking.  You should always consider the conditions on the water, your capabilities, and your kayak before deciding whether to venture onto the Great Lakes.  Choppy conditions, heavy marine traffic, or low visibility are all factors to consider.  If you have any doubts, it’s better to be safe and stick to the beautiful Sixteen Mile Creek or choose another location to paddle.  
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Kayak Sixteen Mile Creek – Oakville Harbour

We headed south after launching.  It was still early in the morning, and with the current restrictions on marinas due to COVID-19, we were able to paddle right down to the mouth of Lake Ontario.  There were lots of people out walking, and we got some friendly waves from the pedestrian traffic walking out along the pier from Lakeside Park.

There’s definitely a lot to explore – on one side is Tannery Park (which has public washrooms if you need them) and on the other side is Lakeside Park.  A bit further north, and actually more directly across from our launch, is Shipyard Park.  In between is the Oakville Lighthouse, which is shown below.

While the Harbour is quite small and is home to pleasure craft, it has a very urban feel, surrounded by residential condo and apartment towers.  This ended up feeling like quite the juxtaposition after we headed north into the true creek.  

As you can see below, just a couple of kilometers upstream, it’s easy to forget that you’re in the city.  Even though there are residential properties that back onto the creek most of the way up, the marshes and banks give it the feel of a less urban setting, and we could almost forget we were in the city (although I did definitely think enviously that it would be great to own a property right in the city where you could have your own dock backing onto a quiet river!)

Birds and Turtles

Despite its urban setting, the river was quite clean and we were pleasantly surprised with the diversity of encounters we had along the Creek.  Our first encounter was at the Launch, where Canada geese parents paraded their 3 babies right up to the kayaks while we were getting set to push off.  We gave them some space, and they continued back into the water, but later when we rounded a bend, we saw them again.  The babies were only a couple of days old, and very cute, but the parents can get a little aggressive so we definitely stayed out of their way!

We had our first Blue Heron and Great Egret sightings of the spring, spied a lone Mute Swan, and we saw lots of belted kingfishers, including one that made a screeching fast dive to catch a fish while we watched.  While the creek is relatively shallow, its proximity to Lake Ontario makes it home to Double Crested Cormorants as well.

As the day warmed up, we began to notice a lot of painted turtles sunning on logs along the river.  And then we discovered a bigger turtle.  This ancient looking snapping turtle was sitting in the sun amongst some cattail reeds on the shore of the marsh area closer to the launch.  When we glided past, we got quite close without threatening him, and he didn’t take off, giving us a chance to snap a good iPhone picture.  These are the encounters that make the trip more exciting and memorable for the kids (and even us adults!) 

This spot has a lot going for it: it’s short and sweet and close to home, and is a gentle up and back (no shuttles required!)  Plus, free launch and low cost parking makes it a win, too!  On the other hand, we’ve heard that Sixteen Mile Creek can be quite a busy spot on a beautiful summer weekend, with stand up paddle boarding, dragon boats, and rowing clubs all operating in this waterway.  It’s definitely a spot we would look to do on a weeknight after work, but we would likely opt for a quieter river location on the weekend, since we aren’t crazy about the crowds, but we do think it’s a great spot to check out!
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Additional Reading

Discover Your Creek – more details about 16 Mile Creek and its Watershed from Oakvillegreen Conservation Association

Outfitter Options

Wai Nui Outrigger Canoe Club offers Community Stand Up Paddle Board rentals for small groups
Burloak Canoe Club offers lessons and rentals

More Kayaking Destinations

For more trip planning inspiration, don’t miss our Where to Paddle page for links to more great kayaking destinations in Southern Ontario and beyond.