French River

Canada\u2019s first National Heritage River, designated in 1985. The French flows 110 km from Lake Nipissing to Georgian Bay and was the principal water route of the Voyageurs — the central artery of the 17th\u201319th century fur-trade canoe brigade between Montreal and the Northwest. The river runs through a labyrinthine archipelago of granite islands and channels, traversing French River Provincial Park along its entire length. Class I\u2013II throughout with portages around the major chutes (Rainbow Falls, Recollet Falls). One of the great wilderness-canoe routes in eastern Canada. WSC gauge: FRENCH RIVER AT DRY PINE BAY (02DD010).