The Makobe River is a river in

northeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It is in the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

, and is a left tributary of the Montreal River.

Course

The river begins at Makobe Lake in

Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park is a remote wilderness park in northeastern Ontario, Canada, north of Lake Temagami. It is one of five provincial parks located in the Temagami area. This park encompasses Smoothwater Lake, Makobe Lake, t ...

geographic Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

Whitson Township in

Unorganized West Timiskaming District Unorganized West Timiskaming District is an unorganized area in the Canadian province of Ontario, comprising almost all portions of the Timiskaming District which are not organized into incorporated municipalities. The division encompasses 10,239 ...

and flows north into Banks Lake and into geographic Banks Township. It continues north, entering Makobe-Grays River Provincial Park (a waterway park along both sides of the river) and straddling the border with geographic Wallis Township adjacent to the west. The river continues north, enters geographic Willet Township, takes in the left tributary Crane Creek, then the right tributary Cucumber Creek, and enters incorporated James Township. It takes in the left tributary Bear River, exits Makobe-Grays River Provincial Park just before the community of Elk Lake, and reaches its mouth at the Montreal River. The Montreal River flows via

Lake Timiskaming Lake Timiskaming or Lake Temiskaming (french: Lac Témiscamingue) is a large freshwater lake on the provincial boundary between Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The lake, which forms part of the Ottawa River, is in length and covers an area of a ...

and the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

to the Saint Lawrence River. The river flows over

Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield (french: Bouclier canadien ), also called the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), the anc ...

bedrock through a narrow north-south valley, characterized by a number of small waterfalls and rapids. At Alexander Lake, the river widens out into shoreline wetlands with shrub and grass

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. T ...

s and

black ash Black ash is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * '' Acer negundo'', native to North America * ''Fraxinus nigra'', native to North America * ''Eucalyptus sieberi ''Eucalyptus sieberi'', commonly known as the silvertop ash or bl ...

swamp. In spring, the river's high water level create numerous Class I and II rapids, suitable for

whitewater canoeing Whitewater canoeing is the sport of paddling a canoe on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater canoeing can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ...

; while it becomes mostly flatwater with some moving water in the summer, requiring lining and numerous

portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

s when canoeing.

Provincial parks

Almost the entire Makobe River is protected inside provincial parks: most of it in Makobe-Grays River Provincial Park, and its headwaters and source in Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park. The Makobe-Grays River Provincial Park is a linear waterway park that includes a wide strip of land on both sides of the Makobe River (although the park is also named after the Grays River, this river is entirely within Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park). It was established in 1985 and protects a remote whitewater river that is used for wilderness

canoe camping Canoe camping, also known as touring, tripping or expedition canoeing, is a combination of canoeing and camping. Like backpacking, canoe campers carry enough with them to travel and camp for several days, but do so via a canoe or kayak. Descrip ...

. The park's notable features include numerous small waterfalls, scenic ravines, and fishing opportunities. It is an operating park, requiring permits for wilderness camping. Facilities include 9 backcountry campsites. The park can be used for recreational activities such as boating, backcountry camping, canoeing, fishing, swimming, and hunting.

Natural history

Besides Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park and Makobe-Grays River Provincial Park, the drainage basin also includes Makobe Grays Ice Margin Conservation Reserve, a reserve on either side of the river around and upstream of the Crane Creek inflow, that protects "unique spruce-topped moraine ridges" and "unique jack pine and poplar communities found on the Makobe Grays

end moraine A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front edge ...

". (print version) (PDF version)

References

Other map sources: * * {{refend Rivers of Timiskaming District