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.