The Kagawong River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 on Manitoulin Island

Manitoulin Island

Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...

 in Manitoulin District

Manitoulin District, Ontario

Manitoulin District is a district in Northeastern Ontario within the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1888 from part of Algoma District. The district seat is Gore Bay....

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 which flows from Lake Kagawong

Lake Kagawong

Lake Kagawong is the second largest lake on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. Located in the central part of the island, the lake is drained by the Kagawong River, which falls over Bridal Veil Falls into Lake Huron...

 to empty into Mudge Bay on the North Channel

North Channel (Ontario)

The North Channel is the body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is bordered on the east by Georgian Bay, on the west by the St. Marys River, to the north by the eastern Algoma District and to the south by the islands of Manitoulin, Cockburn,...

 Lake Huron

Lake Huron

Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...

. The river falls over a limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 bluff at Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls (Manitoulin Island)

LalalaBridal Veil Falls is a waterfall near the town of Kagawong on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. The water source is the Kagawong River which flows between Lake Kagawong and Lake Huron....

. "Kagawong" means "mists rising from falling water" in the Ojibwe language

Ojibwe language

Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...

.

The Kagawong River consists of two parts. The first, at the level of Lake Kagawong, flows in an easterly direction out of the Lake reaching and passes under Highway 540 just above Bridal Veil Falls. The river is navigable by canoe, kayak, paddleboat and other shallow draft boats. Canoes and kayaks can be rented nearby, and there is a casual launch facility for trailerable boats.

The lower Kagawong River below Bridal Veil Falls is fast flowing and shallow, and is therefore not navigable by boat. However, a viewing platform and a riverside walk give visual access to the Falls and provide a river walk down to the downtown area of Kagawong, and the harbour.

The river is especially interesting in late September – mid October, when there is a salmon run of thousands of fish.