The River aux Sables, also known as the Aux Sables River and the ''Rivière aux Sables'', is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in Algoma and Sudbury Districts,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, which flows from Lac aux Sables in Algoma District and empties into the Spanish River near the community of Massey. The river is a well documented canoe route and notable for its free-flowing drainage and challenging

whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

. In particular, the southern portion of the river, with Class III and IV rapids, is renowned for white-water kayaking. At one time, the river was used to transport logs to

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s downstream. Just before its mouth, it flows through Chutes Provincial Park, which was named after chutes used to bypass rapids on this river. The river is now mainly used for recreational

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

and

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

. Ontario Highway 810 follows the course of the river from Richie Falls in the north, south of Lac aux Sables, to Bull Lake in the south. Ontario Highway 553 continues south from there to Massey on

Ontario Highway 17 King's Highway 17, more commonly known as Highway 17, is a Provincial highways in Ontario, provincially maintained highway and the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Onta ...

, first diverging from and then rejoining the river just north of Massey.

Tributaries

*West River aux Sables

River aux Sables Provincial Park

The River aux Sables Provincial Park protects the entire river and its banks with the exception of some private lands near the town of Massey. It was established in 2006 and is intended to provide recreational paddling opportunities. The park area is also popular for fishing, hunting, and camping. The park is a natural corridor, abutting the Mississagi River Provincial Park Additions in the north, and linked to Chutes Provincial Park in the south. One notable feature of the park is the

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...

wetland in Tennyson Township, which has a complex arrangement of oxbow ponds and abandoned river channels with a wide variety of aquatic and marsh vegetation, and is home to migratory and breeding marsh birds and waterfowl. It is a non-operating park, meaning that there are no facilities or services.

References

{{Reflist Rivers of Algoma District Rivers of Sudbury District

Tributaries

River aux Sables Provincial Park

See also

References