Madawaska River (Ontario)

Upper Madawaska River at Whitney

The Madawaska River is a river in the Canadian province of Ontario.

The river has a length of 230 km and drains an area of 8,470 km ². It has its origin in the Source Lake in the highlands of Algonquin Provincial Park at an altitude of 450 m. From there it flows in an easterly direction and overcomes a difference in altitude of 380 meters, before flowing into the Ottawa River at Arnprior. In the late 19th century the river for transporting wood from the surrounding forests was used. In the early 1960s the river for the use of hydropower has been developed. Not pent-up sections of the Madawaska River are used by canoe and kayaking, as well as anglers.

Inflows

• Opeongo River
• York River

Lakes and reservoirs

In the lower reaches of the Madawaska River are several large lakes, including:

• Centennial Lake
• Black Donald Lake
• Calabogie Lake
• Lake Madawaska

Fauna

The most common food fish that are caught in the Madawaska River, are: Walleye (Yellow Pickerel ), pike, muskellunge, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass.

Provincial Parks

Two sections of the river have the status of a provincial waterway park:

• Upper Madawaska River Provincial Park, between Whitney and Madawaska; 10.85 km ².
• Lower Madawaska River Provincial Park, between Latchford Bridge and Griffith; 12 km ².

Both parks are managed by Ontario Parks. However, you have no visitors infrastructure. Both parks are suitable for whitewater canoeing.

Hydropower plants

Along the River Mawaska are several hydroelectric power plants, which are operated by Ontario Power Generation ( OPG).

In the downstream direction, they are:

Pictures

Kayakers at Palmer Rapids

Ontario Highway 41 bridge over the Madawaska River at Griffith