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River

Beaver River

Class

Plunge

Size

Large

Visitability

Average

Accessibility

Free

Activity

Moderate

Walk Time

5min

Trail

Wheelchair Accessible

Gorge Access

Unknown

Other Trails

Some

County

Grey

Follow Hwy 10 north to Orangeville and continue northwest to Flesherton. Turn right (east) on Grey Rd 4 and then left (north) on Grey Rd 13. Watch for the signs for the park, which is accessed at the end of a short road to the left called Pellisier St. There is a parking lot at the falls, which is probably closed during winter.

Settlement

Eugenia Falls

NTS Map

41 A/7

Easting

537755

Northing

4906776

UTM Zone

Eugenia Falls is a fairly well known waterfall, marked on many road maps. The waterfall is tall, but fairly narrow, as it does not usually discharge a large amount of water. The development of a nearby hydroelectric power plant diverts much water away from the falls. This water is used to develop approximately 4500 KW is generated from the 150 m head available at the site. This is apparently one of, if not the, highest heads available for power generation east of the Rockies.

Water draining from Eugenia Lake flows over the edge of the Cuckoo Valley, in turn draining into the Beaver River. Eugenia Falls was 'discovered' by a Mr. Brownlee in 1852, and was the site of a short-lived gold rush until the 'gold' turned out to be pyrite (fool's gold). While there was no gold ever found here, you will definitely find a "gem" of a falls. Surveyors named the falls after Empress Eugenia, who was a consort of Napolean III.

You are treated to a view of the crest of the waterfall from the parking lot. It is recommended that you stay on the "safe" side of the stone wall, since the vertical cliffs here are easily 30 m high! For a better view of the overall scene, walk to the left on the trail along the edge of the forested gorge. Find the clearings in the woods and look back to the falls. This view from this site is beautiful...when the waterfall is flowing. You can also continue further along the trail to another weakly defined path down to the bottom of the gorge. I've never done this, but I am told that, while very demanding, you can eventually make your way back to the base of the falls (the trip to the bottom of the gorge is not recommended for children or the elderly - please use caution! I've never done this trip and can't say whether it is safe!).

This waterfall is included in the print version of "Waterfalls of Ontario."