North Bay to Petawawa

The Overlooked Section

Most Trans-Canada guides focus on the dramatic stretches: Lake Superior's north shore, the Rockies, the prairies. The Ottawa Valley section of Highway 17, running from North Bay southeast through Mattawa, Deep River, Petawawa, Pembroke, and eventually to Ottawa, gets almost no attention. That is a mistake. This corridor follows the original fur trade route along the Mattawa and Ottawa rivers, passes through one of Canada's largest military bases, and offers views of the Laurentian Mountains across the Ottawa River in Quebec.

For eastbound Trans-Canada drivers, this is the final stretch before Ottawa. For westbound drivers leaving Ottawa, it is the gateway to northern Ontario and the long haul to Sudbury and beyond.

North Bay

North Bay (population around 52,000) sits on the shore of Lake Nipissing, the largest lake you will see between the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay. The city is the starting point of the Ottawa Valley run and the junction where Highway 17 meets Highway 11 heading north to Temiskaming and eventually Hearst.

The waterfront on Lake Nipissing is North Bay's best feature. A long boardwalk runs along the shore with views across the lake. In summer, the Chief Commanda II cruise ship offers tours of the lake and the Mattawa River system. The Dionne Quintuplets Museum, commemorating the five girls born in nearby Corbeil in 1934, is a small but unique attraction.

North Bay has full services: hospitals, fuel stations, grocery stores, and a decent range of restaurants and hotels. It is a good place to stock up before heading west into the more remote stretches toward Sudbury.

Mattawa

About 55 kilometres east of North Bay, Mattawa is a small town (population around 2,000) at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa rivers. This was one of the most important fur trade junctions in Canadian history. Voyageurs portaged between the two river systems here for over two centuries.

Today, Mattawa is a quiet but attractive riverside town. The Voyageur Days festival in summer celebrates the fur trade heritage. The Mattawa River itself is popular for canoeing and kayaking, with a heritage canoe route that traces the old voyageur path. Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park, just west of Mattawa on Highway 17, offers excellent camping on the shores of the Mattawa River.

The Ottawa River Corridor

East of Mattawa, Highway 17 follows the Ottawa River through a mountainous region framed by the Laurentian Mountains on the Quebec side. The views from the highway can be spectacular, especially in fall when the hardwood forests on both sides of the river turn colour. The road passes through or near several small communities:

• Stonecliffe and Rolphton: Tiny communities in the rugged section between Mattawa and Deep River. Limited services but beautiful scenery.
• Deep River: A planned community built in the 1940s for employees of Chalk River Laboratories, Canada's nuclear research facility. The town has an unusually high proportion of PhDs for its size and a well-maintained town centre. Good place for a coffee stop.
• Chalk River: Home to Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, where much of Canada's nuclear research and medical isotope production takes place. You will not see much from the highway, but the town's existence is directly tied to Canada's nuclear program.

Petawawa and CFB Petawawa

Petawawa is home to Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, one of the largest military bases in Canada and home to the Royal Canadian Dragoons, 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, and other units. The military presence shapes the town and its economy. If you are passing through, you may see military vehicles and convoys on the highway.

Petawawa also has beautiful sandy beaches along the Ottawa River, a legacy of the sandy glacial soils in the area. Petawawa Point offers river access and is a popular local swimming spot in summer.

Pembroke

About 15 kilometres east of Petawawa, Pembroke is the largest town in the upper Ottawa Valley with around 14,000 people. It has a pleasant main street, full services, and serves as the commercial centre for the surrounding region. The town features an outdoor mural gallery with large paintings on building walls throughout downtown, similar to Moose Jaw but with an Ottawa Valley flavour.

From Pembroke, Highway 17 continues southeast through Arnprior and eventually connects with Highway 417 (the Trans-Canada expressway) into Ottawa. This final stretch passes through increasingly populated areas and the driving gets faster and less scenic.

Practical Information

All major towns along this corridor (North Bay, Mattawa, Deep River, Petawawa, Pembroke) have fuel stations and basic services. North Bay and Pembroke have the most complete services including hospitals, grocery stores, and a wide range of accommodation. Mattawa and Deep River have more limited options but sufficient for a stop.

Key distances: North Bay to Mattawa is 55 km (40 minutes). Mattawa to Deep River is 90 km (1 hour 15 minutes). Deep River to Petawawa is 30 km (25 minutes). Petawawa to Pembroke is 15 km (12 minutes). Pembroke to Ottawa is about 150 km (1 hour 45 minutes).