Don River Waterfall and Trail

the flow of the Don

On a recent trip into an old haunt, I took these pictures of one of the nicest trails in Toronto, the Don River trail.

It starts at Edwards Gardens as you head south towards the Lakeshore, and covers over 13 kilometres, which is a nice trek whether you're running, hiking or biking.  The pavement is smooth for the most part and offers a wide range of photo opportunities as you can see here.

Entering the Don Valley

Since first discovering this trail in 2005 I've seen lots of physical changes to it over such a short time.  The land on either side of the path has been bulldozed in some areas and opened up to expand to further forests to discover, as well as new bike trails into Crothers Woods.

on route to Crothers Woods

natures' lovely mess

There are new additional waterfall features that have been added to the southern flow of the Don River as well.  I wouldn't compare this to the more spectacular flows of the Niagara Escarpment but for an urban city as large as Toronto, it's still pretty incredible to find as much parkland as still exists here.  One of the locations of the new waterfall features is south of the footbridge on the west embankment as the Don Valley Parkway and Don Mills Road conjoin. 

When the Don Valley Parkway was first built up in the 1950s and 1960s to meet the growing demands of the commuting city, some geographical changes to the land surrounding the Don River involved a pretty large engineering project.  

Port Lands

spooky reflections

I see a lady's face, do you?

new Don Waterfall (handheld-no tripod, no good)

I have no idea what he's doing here

For example two of the hills within the valley were leveled out and the soil was used for grading the highway.  The railways and the Don River were then diverted, as Don Mills Road was expanded along with Eglinton and Lawrence Avenues.  I don't want to dwell on the details of the projects as much as the damage that the price of modernization caused the Don Valley and the river flow of the Don River, which was soon inundated with pollution, heavy flooding and sediment-laden waters.  In other words the Don became a filthy, neglected, polluted mess.

I actually remember when my father would take us down the DVP when we were kids, telling us to hold our noses because it smelled so bad.  It may have been funny then as children, but as an adult, I can tell you nothing upsets me more than polluted waterways.

Guard House - Cherry Beach circa 1930

the docks of the Guard House

Thankfully, in the early 1990s a public forum gathered much steam at the Ontario Science Centre of all the appropriate places to start up a task force to 'Bring Back the Don'.  I'm happy to say than now, over 20 years later, it's just a beautiful sight and sound to hear the crashing flow of the Don over rocks and ridges while making her way south into the Lake Ontario.

Busy bee

So, once you find yourself at the the Lakeshore, if you have enough energy left, scoot across to Cherry Street past the Port Lands Ship Channel all the way down to Cherry Beach where you'll find lovely views of the Lake, the Life 'GuardHouse' circa 1930 and pretty interesting people.   

..life's good..

Entering the Don Valley

Abandoned bridge on the trail

In the midst of all the hubbub of a city of over 5 million in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), you can still find a man swinging on a hammock with a guitar in his hands, toque on his head, and a song in his heart... life's good.

Fenelon Falls (Lindsay)

We are very fortunate to have access to hundreds of waterfalls in Ontario.  When I was a child my parents always took us to Niagara Falls at least two or three times in the warmer months.  My father loved it there, and that was when I first fell in love with the everlasting flow and beauty of waterfalls.  Some are more majestic than others.  Some are man made and some flow naturally from rivers and streams, and I love the philosophy of water flow. The ever changing movement.  

Fenelon Falls located in the Kawarthas is a popular spot in the summer months mostly due to cottage goers and tourism.  There are only about 1500 permanent residents there, so it gets pretty quiet the rest of the year, I'm sure.  This spot is popular due to both the "Locks" and the Waterfalls, which is known as the 'jewel of the Kawarthas', though the setting of this 'jewel' is located in the downtown core of Fenelon rather than surrounded by nature. These 'Falls' were created as part of the Fenelon River, a part of the Trent-Severn water system. 

The "locks" are still pretty popular though with curious onlookers as eager boaters patiently await to get through to the other side.   The popular 'Locks' is actually Lock 34 and if you  click here you can see it in action.  Once on the other side of the lock, the boats bolt into the open water of the Trent to tow an excited water skier or drop a line in the water to fish in a quiet corner somewhere.

I used to spend a lot of time here in the 90's, almost every weekend as a matter of fact and was amazed by how much it had changed.  One thing I noticed was the local theatre sadly was boarded up as this was almost full on weekends with the latest films.  


One thing I wanted to do this time while taking a picture of the falls, was to finally checkout the Fallsview Restaurant.  It always looked so exotic to me.  Though the view is quite stunning as you enjoy a meal on the terrace, you will probably find conversation will be difficult as the falls are extremely loud as it powers an hydro-electric dam as well.  

High Falls (Muskoka)

I was thrilled to finally get a shot of 'High Falls' in Bracebridge on the way back from a recent trip from Algonquin Park.  

High Falls is located in a Water Park which has 4 other waterfalls all coming together here.  They're all located on Clear River and fed by Lake Muskoka.  

There are also many old growth forest trails that connect to the Trans Canada Trail system. 

If you're planning a day of it, you can rent paddle boats, row boats, and kayaks here to get up close to the falls without any dippy surprises anywhere so it's safe for everyone.  Speaking of dippy surprises, High Falls is also known as the "Niagara of the North".  I don't know if I would go that far, but it's a pretty impressive water flow over the falls at 9 cubic metres a second with a 15 metres drop down the cliff.  

Almost 150 years ago the local farmers used to come here after a long days work to this spot to swim, relax and fish because of the awesome abundance of pickerel in the water.
 

If you are like me and like the look of a 'natural' looking waterfall, you might be a little disappointed to see a metal bridge up top which is the generating station, that runs automatically into the town's centre.
However this is a necessary part of civilization, and it doesn't really interfere too much to the beauty of High Falls.    

If you ever do spend more time here to enjoy the surrounding trails, you might want to climb down along the side of the falls to see a beautiful little creek, called Potts Creek. (named after a family who once lived at the falls).  It has a 15 metre drop with an upper and lower falls.  As for me that will be another time! By the way, Wilson's Falls looks like a beauty which is also within proximity here.

Ragged Falls (Algonquin Park)

I couldn't wait to get to Algonquin Park, but I wanted to fill my thrill for waterfallin' so we drove into the Ragged Falls Oxtongue River Provincial Park.  (Incidentally there is a fee to park there). 

Before starting the trail, a couple was on their way out and they had told us that you couldn't get a really good shot of the falls except from up top.  That was a challenge in itself for me so I was determined to try and get as close as I could to take a picture.

It is true that there is a well groomed trail that leads to a nice overlook of Ragged Falls, which is about 1 km so it doesn't take very long to get through.  

I didn't want to view the falls from up top though, so I opted to climb down the side of the trail to the base where you'll encounter a mass of large and small rocks to overcome to get to the ideal vantage point for pictures at the base of the falls.   

It took a bit of manoevering over the rubble and since I am a little clumsy I usually take my time.  It reminded me so much of Chedoke Falls in Hamilton, although here it only took me about 5 minutes instead of 30 to get to the bottom.  

Ragged Falls is pretty steep and has a nice flowing 'S' shaped cascade.  The waterflow comes from Oxtongue River (which flows out of Algonquin Provincial Park) and eventually into the Lake of Bays, which is one of the sources of the Muskoka river from the south. Ultimately Muskoka River flows to Lake Huron by way of the Moon River.  

There are some nearby waterfalls  like the Gravel Chute (upstream) and Marsh's Falls (downstream).  

Some of the bigger waterfalls on the eastern side of Algonquin Park, which I've been to already are Bracebridge Falls (see my blog) and the Muskoka High Falls (which I'll post soon!).  

All in all worth a peek!

Upper Mill Falls - Ancaster

The Upper Mills Falls  (also known as Ancaster Falls or Old Mill Falls) is situated beside the Ancaster Old Mill Restaurant and is about 7 metres high and 4 metres across.

It is considered a complex classic cascade, but I just consider it beautiful.  As in any waterfall picture, a tripod is necessary unless you can rest it steadily enough on a rock or ledge of some kind.  These two pictures are obviously taken a different times of day and from different vantage points.  

The waterfall is adjacent to the Ancaster Mill Restarurant which serves the classic fare that you can expect from an upper middle class menu.  A very popular location for wedding receptions because of its picturesque views from within the restaurant.   

Although the water treatment of the falls are man made outside the restaurant, the actual water source is taken from the Ancaster Creek and is an all-year-round flow (more or less) although it does sometimes freeze up in the winter.

Just a little background about the Old Mill Restaurant (Ancaster Mill).   In 1832 Harris and Alonzo Egleston who had once worked for the William Wiard's foundry had made enough money to eventually buy him out. 

They then expanded their own business and rebuilt the Grist Mill in 1863, which is now known as the Ancaster Mill on Old Dundas Road.  This was the 4th mill in Ancaster and the third to be rebuilt at the current location.  The originals were all destroyed by fire, one in 1812, the second in 1818, and the third damaged by fire in 1954. 

Tiffany Falls - Hamilton

 The Tiffany Falls, is really a very pretty waterfall.  Its classified as a ribbon waterfall and is 21 metres high.  It's a shame that I didn't catch this beauty right after a rainfall, but instead right in the middle of a heat wave in Ontario.  Tiffany is located in the Tiffany Falls Conservation Area, which is just off Wilson Avenue as you descend the escarpment.  There is a small parking lot off to the side and you see a large sign identifying it as you enter.  


Tiffany Falls is made

up of two waterfalls, the Upper and Lower Falls.  The Lower Falls, cascades 19 metres from a valley above the escarpment and the Upper Falls, is about 6 metres located above.  There are dolostone cliffs on either side, and as you can guess if you are feeling at all adventurous, you will have to climb the rock wall above the Lower Tiffany as seen here, to reach Washboard Falls (Upper Tiffany).  


Most of the waterfalls have typical Bruce trail terrain, with rocks to step over and steep ascents and descents, so even if the flow isn't there, you won't be disappointed with the beauty that's all around you anyways.  Hey with a trail that is 840 km long, you are bound to see a thing or two. 
 
Historically speaking, Tiffany Falls was named after Dr. Oliver tiffany who was the areas first doctor.  he studied in Massachusetts and came to live in Ancaster in 1796.  you will find this waterfall very accessible as it has a pull off area off of Wilson Avenue in Hamilton.  The route is direct to get to and is nearby Sherman Falls as well (Old Lions club Road).   

Port Hope (Waterfront Trail)

Port Hope is a lovingly restored and maintained historical town with over 16,000 people.  

Port Hope and its residents are still so determined to preserve its fine architecture and small-town way of life too.  

They are a member of the Green Communities Initiative, which promotes the greening of Ontario by encouraging its member to increase energy and water efficiency, reduce waste and prevent pollution.

We didn't spend a lot of time here, on borrowed time before sunset, but wanted to share a few pictures, like the 

Port Hope Rapids, which is not really considered a waterfall, but rather more like several low rocky steps spread out along for almost a kilometre.  This comes from along the lowest parts of the Ganaraska River (you can search more on the Ganaraska Forest in this blog).
 


You can catch the Ganaraska Trail if you head north on Queen Street, which runs behind this historic town.  It takes about 45 minutes each way.  

Speaking about warming up a bit more, every April, Port Hope hosts a zany "Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny Race", with canoes and kayaks as well as small armada of homemade crazy crafts to commemorate the 1980 flood of the Ganaraska river.

Sherman Falls -Hamilton

I thought I'd catch a few photos of the Sherman Falls before the sun completely swallowed up the day...Sherman Falls is so accessible, you just pull over Old Dundas Road to park and you're there! The challenge is sometimes half the fun though.

Sherman isn't one of my favorites although it is a year round flow and has a nice cascading two-tiered effect that flows over the escarpment in Ancaster.  The rock itself is so smooth that most in the area, which gives it that pretty, graceful look perfect for wedding photos or other photo shoots.  Recently Sherman was lit up by Chris Ecklund et al, to shine brightly in pink...not my choice.  Personally I prefer violet or blue hues.  The 'light shows' and have been to only one are getting better all the time.