Bracebridge Falls in the centre of Bracebridge, Ontario was in the spotlight in late April, 2013 as the region saw flooding rarely seen before. At the bottom of the article is a video from CBC with raw footage while the flooding was going on.
Bracebridge Falls is a two stage cascade style waterfall in downtown Bracebridge, along the north branch of the Muskoka River. There’s no coincidence that the waterfall just happens to be alongside the downtown. When the town was incorporated, the waterfall was the highlight for its energy producing power.
Both the upper and lower waterfalls have been heavily altered by man over the past century and a half. Each section of waterfall is partially dammed.
Bracebridge was incorporated in 1975. The town was named after the book ‘Bracebridge Hall’ by Washington Irving. The book was published in 1822. Irving is better known as the author of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘Rip Van Winkle’.
Bracebridge has a population of 15,414 and is in the heart of cottage country in the Muskoka Region of Ontario. There are several other waterfalls along the Muskoka River near Bracebridge, including Wilson’s Falls and Muskoka High Falls.
The town was founded on water power from the river and waterfalls. In 1894, Bracebridge became the first town in Ontario to have its own hydro generating station.
The waterfall is very accessible and easy to get to. The area is certainly not a wilderness environment. Free parking is ample right next to the waterfall and trails run along the river.
Bracebridge is located around 185 kilometres from downtown Toronto and is around a two hour drive. It’s an easy place to get to from the Greater Toronto Area. Simply take highway 400 north and just past Barrie, Ontario, turn off at highway 11 and continue north.
This HD Video was taken the same day as the images above. Arriving on a Tuesday at around 7:00 in the morning seems to be a great time to see the waterfalls without a crowd. In fact, I was pretty much by myself for the whole time.
Be sure to switch to the highest quality settings and be sure to hit the ‘Like’ button!
This video is raw footage taken during the flooding late in April, 2013. It’s even more drastic when you try and match up points of reference from above. Many, including the cement structure that sticks out in the water below the waterfall, are simply not visible because they are underwater.
