Winisk River

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Winisk River
Winisk River.jpg
Canada Ontario relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location
Country Canada
Province Ontario
District Kenora
Physical characteristics
Source 
  elevation242 m (794 ft)
Mouth Hudson Bay
  coordinates
55°16′30″N85°5′30″W / 55.27500°N 85.09167°W / 55.27500; -85.09167
  elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length475 km (295 mi) [1]
Basin size67,300 km2 (26,000 sq mi) [1]

The Winisk River is a river in northern Ontario, Canada, that starts at Wunnummin Lake and flows east to Winisk Lake. From there it continues in a mostly northerly direction to Hudson Bay. The Winisk River is 475 kilometres (295 mi) long and has a drainage basin of 67,300 square kilometres (26,000 sq mi). [1] The name is from Cree origin meaning "groundhog".

Contents

The river is remote and not accessible by road. Only a few isolated communities are along the river: Wunnumin Lake First Nation (on same lake), Webequie (on Winisk Lake) and Peawanuck, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from its end. It is characterized by strong currents and whitewater while flowing off the Canadian Shield into the Hudson Bay lowlands. Here the river becomes broad.

Tributaries

Provincial Park

Winisk River Provincial Park
Location Ontario, Canada
Nearest town Peawanuck
Area1,411 km2 (545 sq mi)
Established1969 [2]
Governing body Ontario Parks

For most of the length of the Winisk River and its banks, from Winisk Lake to the Polar Bear Provincial Park, has been designated a provincial waterway park.

It is a non-operating park, meaning no fees are charged and no visitor facilities or services are present. Visitors must be experienced in travelling through isolated wilderness and skilled in handling whitewater. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madawaska River (Ontario)</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Madawaska River is a river in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin in Ontario, Canada. The river is 230 km (143 mi) long and drains an area of 8,470 km2 (3,270 sq mi). Its name comes from an Algonquian band of the region known as "Matouweskarini", meaning "people of the shallows".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattawa River</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Mattawa River is a river in central Ontario, Canada. It flows east from Trout Lake east of North Bay and enters the Ottawa River at the town of Mattawa. Counting from the head of Trout Lake, it is 76 kilometres (47 mi) long. The river's name comes from the Algonquin word for "meeting of waterways".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">English River (Ontario)</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The English River is a river in Kenora District and Thunder Bay District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It flows through Lac Seul to join the Winnipeg River at Tetu Lake as a right tributary. The river is in the Hudson Bay drainage basin, is 615 kilometres (382 mi) long and has a drainage basin of 52,300 square kilometres (20,200 sq mi). Although there are several hydroelectric plants on this river, the English River upstream of Minnitaki Lake is notable as one of the few large river systems in northwestern Ontario with a natural flow and without any upstream source of pollution. It is the fourth longest river entirely in Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Nipigon</span> Lake in Ontario, Canada

Lake Nipigon is part of the Great Lakes drainage basin. It is the largest lake entirely within the boundaries of the Canadian province of Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balsam Lake (Ontario)</span> Lake in southern Ontario, Canada

Balsam Lake is a lake in the City of Kawartha Lakes in Central Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin, is one of the lakes of the Kawartha Lakes, and is at the summit of the Trent–Severn Waterway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albany River</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Albany River is a river in Northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Lake St. Joseph in Northwestern Ontario and empties into James Bay. It is 982 kilometres (610 mi) long to the head of the Cat River, tying it with the Severn River for the title of longest river entirely in Ontario. Major tributaries include the Kenogami River and Ogoki River.

The Brightsand River is a river in the James Bay drainage basin in Unorganized Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada.

The Pukaskwa River is a river in Thunder Bay District and Algoma District in Northern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin and is a tributary of Lake Superior, which it enters at the south end of Pukaskwa National Park. It is a remote, pristine, free-flowing, medium-sized Shield river, with lots of whitewater, best travelled in spring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Bay drainage basin</span> Major drainage basin in Canada and the United States

The Hudson Bay drainage basin is the drainage basin in northern North America where surface water empties into the Hudson Bay and adjoining waters. Spanning an area of about 3,861,400 square kilometres (1,490,900 sq mi) and with a mean discharge of about 30,900 m3/s (1,090,000 cu ft/s), the basin is almost entirely within Canada. It encompasses parts of the Canadian Prairies, Central Canada, and Northern Canada. A small area of the basin is in the northern part of the Midwestern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gull River (Lake Nipigon)</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Gull River is a river in Thunder Bay District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The river is in the Great Lakes Basin and is a tributary of Lake Nipigon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gull River (Balsam Lake)</span> River in Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada

The Gull River is a river in Algonquin Highlands and Dysart et al, Haliburton County and the single-tier municipality of Kawartha Lakes in south-central Ontario, Canada. It is in the Trent River and Lake Ontario drainage basins, and flows from southern Algonquin Provincial Park to Balsam Lake on the Trent–Severn Waterway.

Winisk Lake is a large, irregularly-shaped lake in the Unorganized Part of Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is on the Winisk River, and is part of the Hudson Bay drainage basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Groundhog River</span> River in Northeastern Ontario, Canada

The Groundhog River is a river in Cochrane District and Sudbury District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river is in the James Bay drainage basin and is a left tributary of the Mattagami River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kesagami River</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Kesagami River is a river in northern Cochrane District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is part of the James Bay drainage basin, and is a left tributary of the Harricana River. The lower two-thirds of the river, from about Kesagami Lake and downstream for 112 kilometres (70 mi) to its mouth, are part of Kesagami Provincial Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larder River (Ontario)</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Larder River is a river in Timiskaming District, in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin, and flows from its source at Larder Lake in geographic McFadden Township to its mouth as a left tributary of the Blanche River in the municipal township of Evanturel.

Fishbasket Lake is a lake in the Unorganized Part of Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. The lake is in the Hudson Bay drainage basin and is the source of the Fishbasket River.

Abitibi-De-Troyes Provincial Park is in Cochrane District of Northern Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1985 and provides backcountry canoeing, camping, hunting, fishing and nature viewing activities. The park is named after Pierre de Troyes who may have portaged across Long Point during his Hudson Bay expedition in 1686.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kopka River</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Kopka River is a river in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It forms at the height-of-land west of Lake Nipigon, flowing through rugged wilderness of Ontario's northern boreal forest, and drains into Wabinosh Lake.

The Pipestone River is a river in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is a major tributary of Winisk River via Wunnummin Lake. This pristine river flows through the rugged wilderness of Ontario's northern boreal forest, and drains into Wunnummin Lake.

The Pipestone River Provincial Park is a provincial park in northern Ontario, Canada, roughly 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Sioux Lookout. It is a non-contiguous linear waterway park that consists of 3 segments, protecting 316-kilometre-long (196 mi) portions of the Pipestone, Morris, Williams, and Otoskwin Rivers. The segments are separated by an unprotected portion of the Pipestone River at Kingfisher 2A reserve, and between Kecheokagan Lake and the Nord Road. It was established on January 3, 1989, and provides backcountry whitewater canoeing and camping opportunities.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Canada Drainage Basins". The National Atlas of Canada, 5th edition. Natural Resources Canada. 1985. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  2. "Winisk River Provincial Park - Waterway". Protected Planet. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  3. "Winisk River". www.ontarioparks.com. Ontario Parks. Retrieved 13 October 2022.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Winisk River at Wikimedia Commons