Home  |  Ottawa Valley Region |  

River

Mississippi River

Class

Plunge

Size

Medium

Visitability

Mediocre

Accessibility

Free (roadside)

Activity

Busy

Walk Time

2min

Trail

Easy (Private)

Gorge Access

Moderate (Private)

Other Trails

County

Lanark

Go west on Hwy 417 to Hwy 7, and follow west towards Carleton Place. A few kilometres before Carleton Place, turn right on to Lanark Rd 17 and drive north for 10-15 minutes to Lanark Rd 49 (March St). Turn left and follow the road into town. After crossing the first river channel, turn right at Coleman St. At the end of Coleman St, turn left, and then right on Wellington St. Follow the road to the bridge shown in the photo, and park on the side of the road. The bridge is private.

Settlement

Almonte

NTS Map

31 F/1

Easting

405813

Northing

5009097

UTM Zone

The town of Almonte was once called Shepherd's Falls, and it contains 2 waterfalls within short distance, each with two distinct waterfalls (see also Grand Falls). Mill Falls is a set of two pretty plunge class waterfalls, a rare class in Eastern Ontario (but see Rideau Falls). Each waterfall is about 8 m wide, with the upper falls about 3-4 m in height and the lower a good 5 m high. A wooden footbridge leads over the top of the smaller, upper falls to a private residence.

Visiting Mill Falls is, unfortunately, not the best waterfalling experience. Both are located on private property, and while you easily view the upper falls from the road, the lower falls is only visible from private property. One of the old mills in Almonte has been converted to a condominium complex, and the falls is only visible from its parking lot (unless, of course, you can boat up to near the base of the falls - the river is much wider and deeper just downstream of the lower falls). You may be able to obtain permission from the condominium.

This waterfall is covered in more detail in the print version of "Waterfalls of Ontario."