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River

Amable Du Fond River

Class

Slide

Size

Small

Visitability

Mediocre

Accessibility

Free

Activity

Quiet

Walk Time

1min

Trail

Moderate

Gorge Access

Moderate

Other Trails

some

County

Nipissing

From North Bay, drive east on Hwy 17 for about 35-40 minutes to Secondary Hwy 630. Turn right (south) and drive for about 1.5 km to the low bridge over the river. There is a very small gravel parking area on the left, with room for one or two cars. The largest falls are on the right side of the bridge, with a pretty, yet unspectacular rapids/cascade downstream.

Settlement

Eau Claire

NTS Map

Easting

660531

Northing

5126592

UTM Zone

Crooked Chute is not a major destination unto itself, and I imagine that the only reason that you're likely to visit is if you are on your way to the much more spectacular Eau Claire Gorge Falls, just 10 minutes further south. The small falls is composed of a slide-class falls found immediately upstream from the bridge. The river falls about 2 m at about a 30-40 degree angle over inclined bedrock. At all but the highest flows, the river splits into two sections at the slide. Someone has painted the logo "Killer Bees" on the dry spot between the two channels.

The site is made a little more interesting by the the short walk downstream along a weakly marked path in the woods. You can follow the river down to where it drains into Crooked Chute Lake at a semi-secluded spot. There are rapids along this section, including a bedrock ridge that the river must fall over before entering the lake. The ridge is less than 0.5 m high. This is not spectacular scenery, and the walk to the river mouth is only a few minutes. Worth getting out for a little stretch, but don't expect anything special.