Magnetawan River - Thirty Dollar Rapids Loop

 Map provided courtesy of Toporama which contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. I have marked my route in blue..  

Every year in the waning days of summer, I often want to squeeze in one more trip. After all, it's an ideal time for flatwater paddling; the bugs are mostly gone, and the nights become cooler and pleasant. Water levels are often low, so it isn't the best time for river travel, however. 

In the last full week of August in 2025, I had three days of free time in which I could squeeze in a short canoe trip before I had to begin attending meetings at work. I also needed to help see my youngest daughter into her apartment out of town so she could begin her second year of university studies. It was a busy time, but I could make it all work. 

With only three days available to me, I thought about my possibilities for a trip where I hadn't been before. I wanted to do a river trip, despite it not being the correct time of year for it. If you are wondering why a river trip felt like a necessity, I will fully explain the reason on the next page of this report.  I didn't even consider popular parks like Algonquin because I knew that in August, it would be very congested and difficult to book a viable trip at the last minute. Two three-day river trips came to mind that I had not done yet and were close enough to my home to reach in my timeframe: the Madawaska River and the Magnetawan River. 

Running the Madawaska would require a shuttle because I would be going solo. Because of this fact, it was my second choice. In addition, I wanted to save the Madawaska for another time when higher water levels would make running those rapids much more interesting. The Thirty Dollar Rapids section on the Magnetawan River, on the other hand, was a river that I wanted to tackle at lower water levels. That section of the mighty Mag at high water might be a little out of my pay grade in terms of my current whitewater ability. Also, if I launched from Harris Lake, I could make it a loop trip and avoid the expense and trouble of a shuttle. What was of some concern was whether the water levels would be too low.

I began some online research to see what the Thirty Dollar Rapids would throw at me at low water levels typical in August. I already knew that section of the Mag would be very scenic, but I also knew that those rapids were fairly hefty. If I decided to do this route, I wanted to avoid the 2380-meter portage around the Thirty Dollar Rapids because...well...hey...who wants to do a portage that long!? I was also looking forward to seeing the beauty of the river in that section, so if I were forced to portage entirely past Thirty Dollar, I would probably forgo the trip. 

I discovered a YouTube video from the channel Wind, Water, and Pine, in which the creator paddled the Thirty Dollar Rapids in a Kevlar canoe in August of 2023. Despite having a close call or two, he survived the experience intact. I watched the video a couple of times while looking at my maps of the river and made a few additional notes based on his experiences. Based on what I saw, I thought I could handle the Mag in that section, especially in my T-Formex Prospecteur at perhaps even lower water levels. Yes, it would be bony and rocky, but I wouldn't have to worry about extremely pushy rapids above huge drops in the river, nor the kind of high water wave trains that would require a spray deck or float bags. (I had just returned from the French River less than a week prior, and knew the water levels to be unusually lower than normal, even for August) What clinched the deal for me was that the fire ban in place for the area had just been lifted; I could cook over (and enjoy!) moderate open fires at night. 

The Magnetawan River, it would be! I would take my chances regarding the water levels, hoping they weren't too low. Famous last words? 

Day 1 - Harris Lake to Trout Lake

Day 2 - Trout Lake to North Magnetawan River

Day 3 - North Magnetawan River to Harris Lake

Trip Chronology