Field Guides/South Algonquin/Paddling — Whitewater
▲ Signature
Best WindowMay through July for whitewater (water levels permitting)
Variantswhitewater-kayaking · whitewater-rafting
RegionSouth Algonquin, Ontario

Paddling — Whitewater.

Aumonds Bay sits at the upstream end of Madawaska River Provincial Park, on the Algonquin Park east boundary inside the township. From there the upper Madawaska River carries roughly 25 km of named Class II–IV whitewater east through Whitney and the hamlet of Madawaska to the Griffith area — a provincial waterway park whose entire reason for existence is the protection of the whitewater corridor itself.

Paddling — Whitewater in South Algonquin
01 — What to know

The brief.

The Madawaska River Provincial Park stretch is unstaffed and self-register; Class II–IV grading covers a wide skill window, and water levels swing through the season — the runnable window is typically May through July, with prime levels usually in May and June. Whitewater boaters should consult posted water-level information and self-register at access points along the corridor.

02 — Locations

2. places.

  1. 01

    Madawaska River — Aumonds Bay to Griffith section

    25 km of Class II–IV whitewater protected by Madawaska River Provincial Park, starting at the Algonquin Park east boundary and continuing east through Whitney and Madawaska village.

  2. 02

    Upper Madawaska River from the Algonquin Park east boundary

    The in-township stretch of the upper Madawaska that the waterway park's western end protects.

03 — Conditions

Today's read.

Air Quality
24
eu-aqi · low
UV Index
0.8
scale 0–11
Humidity
72%
relative
Visibility
24.1 km
clear
Temp
-0.2°
H 14° · L -4°
Sun
05:44 / 20:32
14h 48m daylight
C
Marginal conditions for paddling — whitewater

Temperature (-0.2°C) below the typical range.