Ganaraska River
title: "Ganaraska River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-northumberland-county,-ontario", "rivers-of-the-regional-municipality-of-durham", "tributaries-of-lake-ontario"] topic_path: "general/rivers-of-northumberland-county-ontario" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganaraska_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Ganaraska River |
| name_etymology | from Ganaraske, the name for the Cayuga village at the river mouth |
| image | Ganaraska River Port Hope, April 1 2025 (04).jpg |
| image_caption | The Ganaraska River flowing through Port Hope |
| pushpin_map | Canada Southern Ontario |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location of the mouth of the Ganaraska River in southern Ontario |
| subdivision_type1 | Country |
| subdivision_name1 | Canada |
| subdivision_type2 | Province |
| subdivision_name2 | Ontario |
| subdivision_type3 | Region |
| subdivision_name3 | Southern Ontario |
| subdivision_type4 | Districts |
| subdivision_name4 | |
| source1 | Ganaraska Forest on the Oak Ridges Moraine |
| source1_location | Clarington, Regional Municipality of Durham |
| source1_coordinates | |
| source1_elevation | 344 m |
| mouth | Lake Ontario |
| mouth_location | Port Hope, Northumberland County |
| mouth_coordinates | |
| mouth_elevation | 74 m |
| river_system | Great Lakes Basin |
| basin_size | 278 km2 |
| tributaries_left | North Ganaraska River |
| :: |
| name = Ganaraska River | name_native = | name_native_lang = | name_other = | name_etymology = from Ganaraske, the name for the Cayuga village at the river mouth | image = Ganaraska River Port Hope, April 1 2025 (04).jpg | image_caption = The Ganaraska River flowing through Port Hope | map = | map_size = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Canada Southern Ontario | pushpin_map_size = | pushpin_map_caption= Location of the mouth of the Ganaraska River in southern Ontario | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = Canada | subdivision_type2 = Province | subdivision_name2 = Ontario | subdivision_type3 = Region | subdivision_name3 = Southern Ontario | subdivision_type4 = Districts | subdivision_name4 = | subdivision_type5 = | subdivision_name5 = | length = | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location= | discharge1_min = | discharge1_avg = | discharge1_max = | source1 = Ganaraska Forest on the Oak Ridges Moraine | source1_location = Clarington, Regional Municipality of Durham | source1_coordinates= | source1_elevation = 344 m | mouth = Lake Ontario | mouth_location = Port Hope, Northumberland County | mouth_coordinates = | mouth_elevation = 74 m | progression = | river_system = Great Lakes Basin | basin_size = 278 km2 | tributaries_left = North Ganaraska River | tributaries_right = | custom_label = | custom_data = | extra =
The Ganaraska River is a river in Northumberland County and the Regional Municipality of Durham in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Great Lakes Basin, and is a tributary of Lake Ontario, which it reaches at the central community of the municipality of Port Hope. The river's name is thought to be derived from Ganaraske, the Cayuga name for the village this Iroquoian nation had established in this area in 1779.
Together with other nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, they had migrated from New York, forced to cede their homelands because of having allied with the British in the American Revolutionary War. The Crown provided additional lands to the Iroquois peoples, including what is now called the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve.
Later the Crown granted land here to United Empire Loyalists, in compensation for their losses in the Northeast colonies, especially New York. They were the first European Americans to settle here in any number.
Course
The river begins on the Oak Ridges Moraine in the Ganaraska Forest in the municipality of Clarington, about 1.5 km southeast of the junction of Ontario Highway 35 and Ontario Highway 115. It flows southeast past the community of Kendal, takes in the left tributary North Ganaraska River, and turns south to its mouth on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
Watershed
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/317._E._Ganaraska_River,_Port_Hope,Ont,1912(27075514215)(cropped).jpg" caption="The Ganaraska River in Port Hope, 1912"] ::
Portions of the Ganaraska River drainage basin of 278 km2 extend into the City of Kawartha Lakes; the Township of Cavan–Monaghan, Peterborough County; and the Township of Hamilton, Northumberland County.{{cite web |url=http://www.grca.on.ca/downloads/watershedplans/Ganaraska%20River%20Watershed%20Plan%202010.pdf |format=PDF |title=Ganaraska River Watershed Plan 2010 |publisher=Ganaraska Conservation |date=2010-04-15 |access-date=2014-05-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415070826/http://www.grca.on.ca/downloads/watershedplans/Ganaraska%20River%20Watershed%20Plan%202010.pdf |archive-date=2012-04-15 |df=
Natural history
There have been major conservation efforts in recent years.
It attracts anglers for salmon and trout. The Ganaraska River Fishway, a fish ladder, allows rainbow trout to travel up river to spawn.
Flood of 1980
The river had a flood in 1980, that caused considerable damage to the Port Hope downtown area.
References
Sources
References
- "Ganaraska River".
- "The Ganaraska Forest". Ganaraska Conservation.
- "Ganny floods featured in Archives collection". Northumberland Today.
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