There are very few who know about how amazing the Madawaska Valley is, and of those few, even less have discovered Moore Creek Falls. It is one of the true hidden gems we are so fortunate to have in Ontario.
When I visited for the first time in May 2021, this spot reminded with of the type of Waterfalls in Ithaca, New York. Most waterfalls in this area of Ontario are wide, yet have a smaller stature and are quiet. Moore Creek Falls, found in the middle of the woods, has a thunderous wowing roar!
In May of 2021 we planned a great hiking trip near Barry’s Bay as the goal was to explore more of Ontario, specifically remote trails in the wilderness. As a waterfall lover through our site: http://www.ontariowaterfalls.ca we have known about these large falls for a while and wanted to visit. Although the Waterfall is on Crown Land and accessible by canoe, we wanted to hike (where it starts on Private Land) through Red Deer Log Cabins. I reached out to the friendly owner and told her we were from Ontario Waterfalls and Beautiful Ontario and she was more than happy to set up a time for us to come out. We were happy to pay for Parking and do our part to make this a great experience for the generous landowner.
When we arrived Sandra came out as chipper as ever from her cabin; she even had a map for us! She explained her story (at that time Covid-19 restrictions affected her business) and gave us a great map to get to the falls (see below). What struck out to me from the map was crossing the bridge was the wide Scope of Moore Creek and the beautiful sand formations along her property (which we explored after).
It felt incredible making the trek to the Falls (where very few do) as we crossed some wetlands, hiked up ridges and saw beautiful views of Moore Creek. Within about 10 minutes of the Hike we began bordering around mostly Crown Land, we missed the part of the trail (Point 5) going southeast and ending up near point 6 along Moore Creek as we bushwhacked up and saw a small rapids. Sandra mentioned we would see something (Before the main event) but to keep going, she initially meant the Upper Moore Creek Falls
I can say coming in the way we did was better for the views. After seeing the small rapids we kept along the embankment and in the distance heard and started to see the roaring Thunder of Moore Creek Falls
We had many photo vantages approaching and close by as it was so spectacular and perfect being there on a rainy day. There was also a second chute raging north of the main Falls which I had no ideas existed and added to an already great day (which you cannot see in the photo) Only in Ontario do these extraordinary places exist in the middle of nowhere; somewhere that is not a tourist destination.
We took the time to take in the falls, appreciated all of the vantages and then took some time to rest with the still baby strapped to our back. Hiking to the top of the Falls was possible, but slippery. The constant view changes and shots from the top continued the breathtaking journey!
A short distance continuing upstream is the gentler, but pretty Upper Moore Creek Falls which I also highly recommend visiting.
We enjoyed a nice hike back, talking about the adventure and discussing the great opportunity we had. In finishing, we explored the land Sandra owns and the sandy beach waves along Moore Creek. We wrapped up with a good conversation, talking about a mix of everything from politics to other waterfalls in the area.
Sandra, thank you again for graciously allowing us on your land as an entry point to the Falls!
