Kipawa River
| Kipawa River | |
| Rivière Kipawa | |
 Kipawa River during low water level, as seen from the Laniel Dam
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| Name origin: Anishnabe word "Kebaouek" meaning "at the narrows beyond which more water opens out" | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Abitibi-Témiscamingue |
| Source | Upper/Lac Dumoine Lower/Lake Kipawa |
| - elevation | 318 m (1,043 ft) |
| - coordinates | 46°57′43″N 78°01′27″W / 46.96194°N 78.02417°W |
| Mouth | Ottawa River |
| - location | Lake Timiskaming |
| - elevation | 180 m (591 ft) |
| - coordinates | 47°03′00″N 79°23′14″W / 47.05000°N 79.38722°WCoordinates: 47°03′00″N 79°23′14″W / 47.05000°N 79.38722°W |
| Length | 180 km (112 mi) |
The Kipawa River (in French: Rivière Kipawa) is a short river in western Quebec, Canada. It is mostly an undeveloped river but the larger lakes have dams, fishing camps, and cottages on their shores. The communities of Kipawa and Laniel are located on Lake Kipawa. Also much logging takes place within its watershed basin, which is consequently crisscrossed by many bush roads. Route 101 crosses the river at Laniel.
The Kipawa River drops 90 metres (295 ft) over the last 16 kilometres (10 mi) from Lake Kipawa to its mouth which results in many whitewater rapids, making it popular with kayakers and canoeists. Since 1986, the Kipawa River Rally has been held annually over this stretch of the river.
Its name is derived from the Anishnabe word "Kebaouek" meaning "at the narrows beyond which more water opens out".
(in downstream order)
The first reference to the river comes from a Catholic priest who in the early 19th century used it to travel upstream to build a mission on Lake Kipawa for Algonquin native Americans. In 1910, the Laniel Dam at the outflow of Lake Kipawa was built and has a sluice designed to float logs from Lake Kipawa to the Ottawa River.
The first recorded whitewater run on the Kipawa was in 1971 when Jose Mediavilla and Joseph Jacob from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, paddled downstream using an open canoe. Mediavilla continued to run it over the years, and by 1976 he was using the river for the practice portion of his whitewater certification courses, sanctioned by the provincial whitewater organization.
The Kipawa River has been the site of the Kipawa River Rally since 1985. The dates have more or less coincided with the St. Jean-Baptiste Holiday in Quebec. It is the second longest running recreational paddling festival in northeastern North America.
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Wikipedia