The Riverhurst Ferry is a

cable ferry A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

in the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

province of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. The ferry carries Highway 42 across

Lake Diefenbaker Lake Diefenbaker is a reservoir and bifurcation lake in Southern Saskatchewan, Canada. It was formed by the construction of Gardiner Dam and the Qu'Appelle River Dam across the South Saskatchewan and Qu'Appelle Rivers respectively. Constructio ...

, linking Riverhurst on the east bank to

Lucky Lake Lucky Lake ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Canaan No. 225 and Census Division No. 7. The Village is located at the junction of Highway 42, Highway 45 and Highway 6 ...

on the west bank. The ferry is operated by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure, and travels a distance of some . The ferry is free of

toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road toll (historic) The road toll was a historical fee charged to travellers and ...

s and operates 24 hours a day. During daylight hours, there is an hourly crossing departing from the east bank on the hour and the west bank on the half-hour. At night, the ferry operates on demand. The ferry operates only during the ice-free season; during the winter months, the provincial government lays out and maintains an

ice road An ice road or ice bridge is a human-made structure that runs on a frozen water surface (a river, a lake or a sea water expanse).Masterson, D. and Løset, S., 2011, ISO 19906: Bearing capacity of ice and ice roads, Proceedings of the 21st Inte ...

across the lake. The Riverhurst Ferry is Saskatchewan's largest ferry, with a length of , a width of , and a load limit . It carries a maximum off fifteen cars on each crossing. It is powered by a computer-controlled engine and powers a central drive cable. There are three guide cables, two mounted one foot from the left and right sides, and a middle cable running underneath the hull. In 2003, the Riverhurst Ferry was renovated, with additions of a new drive system, control tower and passenger areas, including restrooms and a small lounge. After the renovations, the ferry was plagued with technical difficulties involving the drive system. The ferry frequently broke down and as a result was unreliable for years after. Presently, the ferry is operating normally. The ferry carries about 30,000 vehicles a year.

References

{{coord, 50.910827, -106.930618, region:CA_type:landmark, display=title Canaan No. 225, Saskatchewan Ferries of Saskatchewan Maple Bush No. 224, Saskatchewan Cable ferries in Canada Division No. 7, Saskatchewan