Aubrey Falls is a large, isolated and very interesting waterfall over 80 km north of Lake Huron on the Mississagi River. The falls are the center of the small Aubrey Falls Provincial Park. There is a large dam and power station here, and the flow over the falls is greatly reduced or even stopped at night or during the non-summer months. Otherwise the station is mostly unobtrusive.

This is a complicated waterfall. The Canadian Shield seems to be quite a challenge for rivers. The river cascades over the rocks in many places and is in the process of carving out an island at the base of the falls. Just below the falls the river takes a sharp right turn and runs through a deep gorge. There are several drops. The main drop is about 100 feet high.

To reach Aubrey Falls head north on Hwy 129 from Thessalon. The waterfall is 85km north of Hwy 17. This is a winding and scenic drive with lots of nice views of the Mississagi River Valley. It is a lonely drive and will take at least an hour. There is not much in the way of civilization along the way, so make sure your gas tank is full! The park consists of just the falls, a small parking area, pit toilets and a few trails.

The trail from the parking area is nice and wide and relatively level. It will take you about 10 minutes to reach the bridge over the gorge. Beyond that the trail is a bit rougher. Personally I thought the views were better on the near side of the bridge. You can climb up the rocks and make your way to an overhang just beyond the falls for some very stunning views. Trying to get into the gorge near the base of the falls would be very difficult and very dangerous due to the fact that the water levels may change unexpectedly because of the dam.

Nearby Falls

Aubrey Falls is rather remote. Somewhere along Hwy 129 there is a hiking trail to see the much smaller Grindstone Falls. This trail is not well marked however, and I did not see it, and did not have adequate information to find it. It is about 48 km north of Thessalon. I think it may be shortly before the one lane bridge. Here is some information on Grindstone Falls.

Photo Gallery

"Official" View
View from Bridge	View from Bridge with Dam
The Approach	The Island
Panorama (with some help from PhotoShop)

This page has been accessed 12092 times.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 25-Mar-2008 15:47:52 MDT.