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River

Kagawong River

Class

Plunge

Size

Medium

Visitability

Good

Accessibility

Free

Activity

Moderate

Walk Time

1min

Trail

Easy

Gorge Access

Unknown

Other Trails

lots

County

Manitoulin

From Sudbury, drive west on Hwy 17 to Hwy 6. Turn left (south) and follow Hwy 6 to Manitoulin Island. At Little Current, turn right on Secondary Highway 540, and drive for about 20-30 minutes to the village of Kagawong. The falls are on the right side of the road, just as you enter the village. Watch for the small parking area on the right. There should be a sign. NOTE: You can also access Manitoulin Island by car ferry from Tobermory.

Settlement

Kagawong

NTS Map

41G/16

Easting

402531

Northing

5083758

UTM Zone

A beautiful falls set in a beautiful little village, this is one of the prettiest plunge class waterfalls in Ontario. About 10-12 m in height, the water falls over a prominent limestone formation, and drops vertically to the pretty plunge pool at the base of the falls. The far side of the gorge is covered in forest, while the near side has been tastefully developed as a visitor area.

Unfortunately, on the only day that I've ever been to this waterfall, the park was closed for major renovations. I was only able to see the falls from the parking lot. An inviting staircase leads to a trail through the woods to the base of the falls. You can also apparently follow a trail downstream to the mouth of the Kagawong River, less than 1 km downstream at Mudge Bay on the North Channel of Lake Huron. You can also apparently swim in the plunge pool below the falls.

Water in the Kagawong River drains Lake Kagawong, which is found just a few km to the south. Since Manitoulin Island is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world, it follows that lakes like Kagawong Lake and Lake Manitou are probably among the largest lakes on an island in a lake… Now, there are islands in Lake Kagawong, so as you guessed it, these islands would be the largest islands in a lake on an island in… :-)