The Vermilion River Stewardship is a registered Not-for-Profit organization acting as a voice for the Vermilion River and its Watershed. We are working to build partnerships and strategic alliances with all other interested parties, communities, stewardships, organizations and industry to ensure clean and healthy water quality, and a balanced and sustainable ecosystem and natural habitat.
The Vermilion River is the heart of the Vermilion River Watershed, which is within the Lake Huron drainage basin in the District of Greater Sudbury, Northeastern Ontario, Canada.
The Vermilion begins at an unnamed lake in the unorganized part of Sudbury District, about 4.7 kilometres (2.9 miles) northwest of the settlement of McKees Camp and the McKee’s Camp Railway Station, and heads north to Tramp Lake where it meets the Canadian National Railway (CN) transcontinental main line, served by the Via Rail passenger train.
The river then turns southeast through Thor Lake and begins a long stretch paralleled by the CN line. It heads through Post Lake and past the settlement of Laforest to reach Baseline Lake and the settlement of Raphoe.
The Vermilion River enters Greater Sudbury near the settlement of Sellwood, takes in the right tributary Roberts River at the settlement of Milnet, where it also meets Sudbury Municipal Road 84 (formerly Ontario Highway 545), turns south, and reaches the community of Capreol, where the river and railway line part.
The river heads west, takes in the right tributary Rapid River, passes over the Kettle Rapids, takes in the right tributary Nelson River, turns southwest, passes the Community of Rayside-Balfour and takes in the right tributary Onaping River near the community of Onaping Falls.
It is crossed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) transcontinental main line, served by the Via Rail Sudbury, White River passenger train, and enters Vermilion Lake at the middle of the north side. The river exits the lake at the east over the Domtar Stobie Dam, takes in the left tributary Whitson River, loops southeast, then heads south, passing over McFadden Falls, Cascade Falls and Duncan Chute. The river is crossed by Highway 17, down Soo Crossing, reaching McCharles Lake east of the community of Whitefish. Here, the river forms the boundary between Greater Sudbury and the Whitefish Lake 6 Indian Reserve.
At Rat Lake the river then heads west, then southwest over the Vale Lorne Falls Generating Station and dam, where it enters Nairn and Hyman Township at Wabagishik Lake. The river then enters into the Spanish River, in the geographic Township of Foster, just east of the town limit of Espanola, eventually flowing into the North Channel and on into Lake Huron.