Southeast of Chalk River, Hwy-17 crosses the namesake river of the town of Petawawa, home since 1905 to a Canadian Forces base. You can visit a number of small military museums on the base; the largest, the Canadian Forces Airborne Museum, traces the history of Canadian paratroopers. There’s also a riverfront beach and campground, but otherwise the area is strictly off limits, as the numerous signs along the road warn.
The rather quaint, redbrick town of Petawawa itself is two miles north of Hwy-17 via Hwy-41, well worth the short trip through what seems like one big light-industrial park.
Wrapping around the eastern edge of Algonquin Provincial Park, Hwy-17 nears Pembroke, another timber town along the Ottawa River, north of the highway. The main sights here are the many history-themed murals painted on downtown buildings, the “World’s Tallest Totem Pole” along the river, and the Champlain Trail Museum (June–Sept. only; $C5), with exhibits on local history at 1032 E. Pembroke Street.
