Kakabeka Falls is the second highest waterfall in Ontario (Niagara Falls is higher). On the Kaministiquia River, Kakabeka drops 40 metres from one level to the next. It does this with thunderous majesty, creating a wild, foamy waterfall reflecting the violence of the tumble over the rocky Pre-Cambrian ledge.
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park is where to see this amazing sight. There is a boardwalk, with protective barriers, around the falls. It is well marked, and regularly patrolled by park personnel. For us, it was a pleasure to walk around a well-maintained and easily accessible site. There are maps at a couple of locations along the boardwalk, pointing out the salient features of Kakabeka Falls, and walking routes around the park.
After the last glacial era, the icy meltwater eroded a channel through the sedimentary rocks. The layers of shale are well demarcated in the escarpment that creates the chasm through which the Kaministiquia River surges. Under its powerful water flow, that unstable shale channel continues to erode today.
The rocky escarpment is off limits because of continuing rock falls. Quite frankly, I think it should be off limits because of the rapids and the danger of being swept underwater by the currents. It always looks so calm from a distance, such as from a viewing platform at the top of the escarpment.
Don’t be fooled. That water is a swirling imbroglio which will pull anyone or anything into its embrace. Not exactly loving, but certainly all encompassing.
The Voyageurs, the European fur traders who plied the waters of Northwestern Ontario in the 1600s were cautious around the swirling and plunging waters of this area. They developed a portage around the Kakabeka Falls. Portages were necessary components of the routes through Canada. They were used to bypass waterfalls and rapids, life-threateningly dangerous for the travellers and their laden canoes. The Voyageur route, named the Mountain Portage, was used by several of Canada’s eminent European explorers, surveyors, map makers and settlers. This is commemorated with a plaque at the falls.
Stories, tales, legends often originate with waterfalls. There is a legend that Ojibwe Princess, Green Mantle was captured by the fearsome Sioux. She deceived those warriors by leading them on a false route down the Kaministiquia River towards Kakabeka Falls. The Sioux realised the trickery too late. They and Princess Green Mantle plunged to their death over the thunderous waterfall. The legend holds that you can glimpse the princess in the mist of the falls. She must have been at peace on the day we were there, because she did not appear. However, stretch the imagination, and maybe, just maybe, she floated through this misty section.
Standing on the bridge above the falls it is easy to understand how the Sioux warriors were fooled by Princess Green Mantle. The water is deceptively calm, then suddenly ripples begin, and the waterfalls are just ahead. A stick dropped in the water, swirled and tossed along, taking mere seconds to tumble over the edge. Those little waves pull with significant force.
The bubbling cauldron just where the water overflows fascinated me. The whole scope of this landform was laid out before me. From this vantage point the edge of Kakabeka Falls, and the depth of the drop into the chasm below, were both visible.
From the boardwalk at the side of the falls, their full majesty was on display. That watery plumage, best seen from a slightly off-set angle, did not disappoint. Quite the opposite. The whole scene was enthralling. Pounding water advancing rapidly over the 100 metre wide cataract. Stalwart rocks helplessly trying to dam the flow. Valiant trees standing guard on the side lines. A scene worthy of the phrase “The True North, strong and free!”
Powerful water sculpted this natural architecture, continuously chiselling away at the rock ledge, eroding it attometre by attometre while at the same time we stood mesmerised, and sprinkled, by the dancing spray.
Standing there, I imagined Voyageurs, early map-makers, and even Princess Green Mantle, standing on this spot, feeling the same awe and respect for Kakabeka Falls as I felt.
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