The Wanapitei 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...

 in central 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.

The river's source is a small lake 20 kilometres east of Halfway Lake Provincial Park

Halfway Lake Provincial Park

Halfway Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park astride Ontario Highway 144 in Sudbury District in northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Ontario Parks and is named for Halfway Lake, which is entirely within the park grounds. The nearest settlement on Highway 144 is Cartier, about to...

 in the Sudbury District

Sudbury District, Ontario

The Sudbury District is a district in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1894 from townships of eastern Algoma District and west Nipissing District....

. From there, it flows north and east, taking in two small tributaries and continuing to a point 20 kilometres southwest of the Ishpatina Ridge

Ishpatina Ridge

The Ishpatina Ridge is the highest point of land in the Canadian province of Ontario. At an estimated above sea level, it is a rather low mountain and not that steep, as the surrounding land in the area is already quite elevated. Ishpatina Ridge rises approximately above the immediate area. To...

, where it turns south. After approximately 60 kilometres, the river flows into Lake Wanapitei

Lake Wanapitei

Lake Wanapitei occupies a meteorite crater in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the large Sudbury meteorite crater but is not related to it....

 in the northeastern portion of Greater Sudbury. At the south end of the lake, the river continues, flowing south until it joins the French River

French River (Ontario)

The French River is a river in Central Ontario, Canada. It flows from Lake Nipissing west to Georgian Bay. The river largely follows the boundary between the Parry Sound District and the Sudbury District, and in most contexts is considered the dividing line between Northern Ontario and Southern...

 near its mouth on Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...

. The river is approximately 120 km

1 E5 m

A length of 100 kilometers , as a rough amount, is relatively common in measurements on Earth and for some astronomical objects.It is the altitude at which the FAI defines spaceflight to begin....

 in length and is a popular wilderness canoeing

Canoeing

Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....

 route.

Ontario Power Generation

Ontario Power Generation

Ontario Power Generation is a public company wholly owned by the Government of Ontario. OPG is responsible for approximately 70% of the electricity generation in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Sources of electricity include nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, wind, and fossil fuel...

 operates a number of hydroelectric plants along the river.

The river's name comes from the Ojibwa

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...

 word waanabidebiing, or "concave-tooth [shaped] water", which describes the shape of Lake Wanapitei. A community which takes its name from the river is spelled Wahnapitae. However, the Wanapitei spelling is correct for both the lake and the river.