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River

Muskoka River (South Branch)

Class

Dam

Size

Historical

Visitability

Poor

Accessibility

Free

Activity

Walk Time

min

Trail

Difficult

Gorge Access

Unknown

Other Trails

County

Muskoka

Go north on Hwy 11 from Gravenhurst. Exit the Highway at Hwy 118 and continue north from the stop sign. Follow this road to the next road and turn left. This takes you to the bridge over Muskoka Falls. Park in the gravel lot to the right. The remnants of Hanna Chute is visible to the right, across the wide stretch of the river.

Settlement

Muskoka Falls

NTS Map

31E/3

Easting

633986

Northing

4984356

UTM Zone

Hanna Chute was a waterfall located about 500 m upstream of Muskoka Falls. It was converted into a hydroelectric generating station which began generating power in 1926. Even though the waterfall is now gone, you can still see the overflow blast over the spillway during high flows.

This point on the Muskoka River has a mean annual flow of about 31.4 cubic metres per second. Hydrological analysis (see link below) tells us that every 10 years, a flood of about 205 cubic metres per second passes through the river. Conversely, it also tells us that on average, once every 10 years there is a low flow of about 2.4 cubic metres per second.

Do not drive to see this site. It is visible in the distance from the location where you would likely park when visiting the much more interesting Muskoka Falls, located on the other side of the road.

Can anyone let me know if there is a public way to get closer to the power station for a view of the spillway?