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River

Muskoka (North Branch)

Class

Slide

Size

Small

Visitability

Average

Accessibility

Free

Activity

Walk Time

3min

Trail

Moderate

Gorge Access

Moderate

Other Trails

County

Muskoka

Exit Hwy 11 and go east on Muskoka Rd 10. Follow Muskoka Rd 10, turning right when it reaches the lake. The road will bend around to the left as it crosses the river. Stay left, and turn left on the first road after the river (Ontario St). Follow this road north for about 500 m until you see the open, clear rocky landscape on the left. Park on the side of the road, and wander over to the falls.

Settlement

Port Sydney

NTS Map

31E/3

Easting

635401

Northing

5008373

UTM Zone

This is an excellent example of a slide class waterfall. Rare in Ontario (to my knowledge at least), the Muskoka River "slides" over an inclined layer of bedrock. The result is more of a natural "water slide" than a cascade or plunge "Waterfall". Nonetheless, this is truly a waterfall, and an interesting overall site to visit.

The waterfall is surrounded on the far side by a row of cottages. No problem this time, as the publicly accessible side is where all the interesting ground is found. A wide, open rocky area can be found between the parking area and the waterfall. If you examine the rock surfaces carefully, it should be fairly obvious that the waterfall used to spill over a much wider portion of this site. The rocks are polished smooth (as you might expect them to be under the existing waterfall), and the few trees are fairly small. Could this be the result of the water level control dam found just upstream of the falls?

Wedding parties occasionally have their photos taken at this spot, especially in fall. The rugged, yet easily accessible landscape is perfect for this sort of thing.