Locks

By learning how to use locks, you will have a host of new opportunities for pleasure boating on the rivers of North America. Lock attendants are present at most locks to help you through safely.

A series of dams on a river help maintain enough water depth to allow river traffic to operate year-round. As a result of a dam, there will be two levels of water at the dam site—one level above the dam and a different one below. Locks safely transport boats from one water level to another, like an elevator.