Petawawa River
Ontario
The Petawawa River originates near the west boundary of Algonquin park, but it does not become a challenging whitewater river until it reaches Catfish Lake, just southwest of Cedar Lake. This stretch, however, is only runnable early in the year as it cascades over three waterfalls and down Stacks Rapids. When the Petawawa reaches Cedar Lake, it is joined by the Nipissing River and other small tributaries. There is enough water, from this point on, to run the rest of the river in most years. The river descends from Cedar Lake through a steep valley until the railroad bridge above Radiant Lake. The river then begins to level out, but appears rocky. This is the most difficult stretch on the river. Careful scouting is required in this stretch because many of the rapids are ledges or falls. There are several areas of interest to look out for when running this river. An old graveyard from the turn of the century is located in the southeast corner of Radiant Lake. The Petawawa Military Reserve is downstream at the end of the McManus Lake, so be warned that the river goes through the middle of a live firing artillery range. There can be stormy times on the Petawawa, and spring runoffs need to be watched very closely.
