Makobe-Grays River Provincial Park is a 1,427 hectare waterway park established in 1985. Ontario Parks places it in the Temagami backcountry context, where parks protect more than 100,000 hectares and provide roughly 600 kilometres of interconnected canoe routes.
The Makobe River is described as one of the small, wild whitewater rivers flowing from headwaters in Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park. It connects to a much larger 2,400 kilometre canoeing network of parks, conservation reserves, and Crown lands.
Makobe-Grays is for skilled canoeists who are specifically researching Temagami backcountry routes. Ontario Parks says that in high water during spring and early summer, many rapids may be run as Class I and II rapids by skilled whitewater paddlers, but rapids should always be scouted before running them.
In summer, the route changes character, with flatwater, moving water, lining, and numerous portages around rapids that are no longer runnable in low water. The river has also cut narrow canyons through Canadian Shield bedrock as it flows northward from the height of land to the Montreal River.
Ontario Parks notes nine backcountry campsites and highlights the area's ancient portages, or nastawgan, tied to Indigenous heritage dating back at least 10,000 years.
Plan around backcountry canoeing, skilled whitewater paddling, rapid scouting, portaging, canyon scenery, Temagami route planning, backcountry camping, and respectful travel on ancient portages.
Confirm alerts, delayed opening details, maps, permits, campsite availability, water levels, whitewater skill requirements, portage conditions, weather, emergency planning, and park rules through the official Ontario Parks source before travelling.
