Mattawa River Provincial Park is a 14,142 hectare waterway park between North Bay and the Town of Mattawa on the Quebec border. Ontario Parks lists it as established in 1970 and says Ontario protected a substantial portion of the river from the eastern end of Trout Lake downstream to Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park as the first waterway park in Ontario.
The river has deep travel history. Ontario Parks describes it as an important route for voyageurs, trappers, loggers, and Indigenous people who began inhabiting the region more than 6,000 years ago. In 1988, the federal government recognized the Mattawa's national historic significance by naming it a Canadian Heritage River.
Mattawa River is a major long-tail page for experienced canoeists and heritage-route travellers. Ontario Parks notes glacial history too: the river served as a drainage channel for inland meltwater lakes about 10,000 years ago, and evidence of ancient erosion can be seen along cliff faces and canyon walls above current flood levels.
The river follows an estimated 600 million-year-old fault line through channels, lakes, and ponds. Its route includes rapids, an eight metre waterfall, and 14 portages. Veteran canoeists can experience an authentic voyageur expedition, and most portages are described as fairly short, well-marked, and cleared.
Plan around canoe tripping, portaging, heritage-route learning, whitewater skill checks, rafting opportunities, picnicking, swimming at Grasswells Point where conditions allow, and riverside camping.
Confirm access from Highway 17 and Highway 63, maps, campsites, water levels, rapid conditions, portage status, permits, weather, alerts, and park rules through the official Ontario Parks source before travelling.
Non-operating park in Ontario Parks locator.
