French River

The French River links Lake Nipissing to Georgian Bay and formed the central link in the canoe route from Montreal to the interior; Champlain passed in 1615, and for two hundred years voyageur brigades carrying trade goods west and furs east used it as the main highway of the continent. It was named Canada's first Canadian Heritage River in 1986. The river runs through a granite gorge with rapids and a delta of multiple channels at the Georgian Bay end. A visitor centre on the highway bridge covers the fur trade and the Anishinaabe presence that long predated it, and the river is paddled in sections or end to end.

What you actually see

• The granite gorge - Shield rock walls with rapids and pools.
• The voyageur route - the canoe highway used for two centuries.
• The delta - multiple channels spreading into Georgian Bay.
• The visitor centre - the trade history and Anishinaabe context on the bridge.

When to go

June to September for paddling; blackflies are severe in June. Water levels drop through summer. Winter access is by snowmobile and the outfitters close.

Honest expectations

Paddling requires portages around rapids and reading water. There is no road access to most of the river. Outfitters and shuttles need booking ahead.

Nearby

Killbear lies south; Sudbury is north.