[3] A popular canoe route passes through and a hiking trail leads to the edge of the Barron Canyon.

The river heads out of Algonquin Park and Nipissing District into McKay Township, part of the municipality of Laurentian Hills in Renfrew County, Eastern Ontario.

in upstream order Approximately 10,000 years ago, the river was a main outlet for glacial meltwater in this region.

The Barron River Provincial Park includes a 200 metres (660 ft) wide strip of land along the river's southern bank, from the eastern boundary of Algonquin Park to Black Bay in Petawawa Township.

It was established in 2006 and protects an outstanding water route that provides recreational and educational opportunities.

[7] A notable feature in the park is the eastern part of the Barron Canyon, that provide a microclimate in its cracks and crevices for plants that are more at home in the subarctic.