Mattawa
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Mattawa

Mattawa

Northern Ontario river town where fur-trade history meets canoe routes through Canadian Shield wilderness.

Mattawa is a small town of about 2,000 people at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa rivers in northern Ontario. The name comes from an Algonquin word meaning "meeting of the waters," and that sense of convergence — rivers, wilderness, and history — defines the place.

Samuel de Champlain passed through here in 1615 on his way west, following the old fur-trade route that French voyageurs paddled for two centuries. The Mattawa River canoe route is now a provincial park, offering three to four days of wilderness paddling through a chain of Canadian Shield lakes, with portages that follow the exact path marked on 17th-century French maps.

The town sits on the edge of the Canadian Shield, surrounded by boreal forest. It makes a reasonable base for canoe camping, fishing, and backcountry hiking. Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park, about 30 kilometres west, provides a more developed base with campgrounds and hiking trails on the Ottawa River.

Guide

Getting There

Mattawa sits on Highway 17, the Trans-Canada Highway, about 60 kilometres east of North Bay and 330 kilometres north of Toronto. The drive from Toronto takes about four hours. There is no rail service and no scheduled bus. A car is effectively essential.

North Bay is the nearest city with regional air connections and a full range of services. Most visitors to Mattawa are road-tripping along the Trans-Canada or coming specifically for the Mattawa River canoe route.

Guide

Things to Do

Mattawa's attractions are entirely outdoors. The town sits at the junction of the Mattawa and Ottawa rivers, both of which are paddling routes with real history and genuine wilderness character. There is little to see in the town itself; the reason to come is to get on the water or into the surrounding boreal forest.