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The Hayes River is a river in Northern Manitoba, Canada, that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was historically an important river in the development of Canada and is now a Canadian Heritage River and the longest naturally flowing river in Manitoba.
Near Molson Lake, the Echimamish River connects with the Hayes. The Echimamish is a river bifurcation that connects the Hayes to the Nelson River, which flows out of Lake Winnipeg. This river connector was used by the voyageurs to travel from York Factory on Hudson Bay, up the Hayes and across to the Nelson and on to Norway House at the north end of Lake Winnipeg.
Northeast of Robinson Lake is Robinson Falls and the mile-long Robinson portage which was the longest portage between Hudson Bay and Edmonton. Somewhere in this area is Hill Gates, a mile-long narrow gorge. Beyond this it cuts across Logan Lake, passes the settlement of Wetikoweskwattam to Opiminegoka Lake, where it takes the northeast-flowing Lawford River, flows through Windy Lake and over Wipanipanis Falls to Oxford Lake. It flows out of the lake at Oxford House then southeast over Trout Falls to Knee Lake. Exiting Knee Lake, the Hayes passes over a series of rapids and via several channels and widens into Swampy Lake.
At the east end of Swampy Lake, about northeast of Molson Lake and from Hudson bay is the Dramstone where west-bound travelers took a dram to celebrate leaving the most difficult part of the river. Including the rapids downstream from Knee Lake, in an stretch the Hayes loses 5/7ths of its elevation in 1/6 of its length. From Swampy Lake it runs through a stretch of rapids, past Brassy Hill, rising above the river, and takes in the right tributary High Hill River. The river continues northeast through a small canyon for about , therein passing over the Whitemud Falls and Berwick Falls, and takes in the major left tributary Fox River at an elevation of .
The Hayes River continues northeast and takes in the major right tributary Gods River at an elevation of , and reaches its mouth at Hudson Bay, immediately to the south of the mouth of the larger Nelson River and to the north of the mouth of the smaller Machichi River. upriver from York Factory was Rock Depot where York boats had to be replaced by smaller canoes. It was 30 portages and from Rock Depot to Norway House.James Raffan,"Emperor of the North: Sir George Simpson and the Remarkable Story of the Hudson's Bay Company, 2007, page 126
Different parts of the Hayes formerly had different names. According to one source,Eric W. Morse,'Fur Trade Routes of Canada/Then and Now', page 36,1971 they were: "Hayes River" from the mouth to Gods River, "Steel River" to the Fox River, "Hill River" to Knee Lake, "Trout River" to Oxford Lake, and above Oxford Lake, Weepinipanish River and Franklin's River. Another source has: Trout, Bourbon, Jack Tent, Factory, Steel, Rabbit, and Hill Rivers, and the Rivière du Roc.
After the arrival of Europeans in North America, the river became an important link in the development of Canada. In 1684, the Hayes River was named for Sir James Hayes, a Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) charter member and secretary to Prince Rupert, by the French trader and explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson. At its mouth, the HBC established York Factory in 1684, which served as its North American headquarters until 1957. The Hayes was the main route between York Factory and Norway House in the interior of the continent for explorers, , voyageurs and European settlers from 1670 to 1870. To get to the Hayes from Norway House required a short trip down the Nelson River, then a turn onto the Echimamish River. This route became the last leg of the York Factory Express known as "the Communication", once that was established in the early 19th century, connecting the HBC regional headquarters of the Columbia District at Fort Vancouver to York Factory.
The Hayes River became a Canadian Heritage River on June 11, 2006. Today, the river remains untouched. No dams or development mar its course. It is the longest naturally flowing river in Manitoba and therefore a popular recreational canoe route. It offers visitors and local people recreational and heritage experience opportunities including canoeing and boating, hunting, fishing, and learning about Canada’s fur trade.
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