Update June, 2018
We’ve revisited this location with some much improved images and much improved video! Check out the latest article here: Inglis Falls Conservation Area.
Inglis Falls is located just south of Owen Sound, Ontario where the Sydenham River meets up with the Niagara Escarpment. The waterfall is a 55 foot, or 18 metre, high cascade that can flow like a torrent or be reduced to a trickle, depending on the time of year and the amount of precipitation.
Obviously the highlight of the small Inglis Falls Conservation Area, the waterfall is not at all a challenge to get to. There is a parking lot at the Conservation Area that will cost $4 per vehicle and the waterfall can practically be seen even before you’ve locked your doors.
In 1862, a four storey mill was built at the crest of the waterfall but burned down a few decades later. Several mills were built afterwards, all falling to the same fate. The last mill burned down in 1945. The Sydenham River at this point has also been used for hydro electricity and drinking water over the years, supplying Owen Sound.
The Bruce Trail runs through the park and alongside the western edge of Inglis Falls. The Trail follows the Niagara Escarpment from Niagara-On-The-Lake in the south to Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula in the north.
Following the Sydenham River downstream from Inglis Falls will ultimately lead you to Owen Sound Harbour on Georgian Bay.
Owen Sound has a population of around 22,000 with 36,000 in the greater area. It was settled under the name Sydenham as early as 1841. In 1857, the name was changed to Owen Sound and the town was officially incorporated.
Owen Sound was once a roaring seaport and interestingly enough, was a dry town until 1972. The city was once home to William Kennedy and Sons Ltd. At one time Kennedy and Sons supplied propellers to 95% of all marine traffic in Great Lakes. The company shut down for good in 1996 and the buildings, there cement floors still present in some locations near Owen Sound Harbour, have since been demolished.
Owen Sound, and the rest of the Georgian Bay area, is suffering from continued lowering of water levels. Georgian Bay has been lowering at a rate that reaches up to a foot per year. At one point early in 2013, the Chi Cheemaun could not leave the port of Owen Sound where it winters because water levels were too low at Tobermory and South Baymouth, its two summer ports.
Signs of the low water levels are present in Owen Sound Harbour. The emergency ladders along the cement water walls have had extensions put on recently to reach down to the water level. Signs warn boaters of hazards below the water that were out of harms way before.
The base of Inglis Falls is obtainable, although probably scorned by conservation area staff. I believe you need to go downstream, along the Bruce Trail to a point where the cliffs of the escarpment give way then work your way back along the river bed. I was unable to try because I was holding a 14 month old baby in my arms the whole time! In fact, the images above and the video below were mostly taken with one hand.
I will return later in the season to reach the base and to take some signature long exposure images of the waterfall.
Other spectacular waterfalls quite close to Inglis Falls include Jones Falls and Indian Falls. There are no fees to visit these locations and they are much less crowded than Inglis Falls. Jones Falls is a similar style cascade on a smaller scale and Indian Falls is a shear plunge, providing an uninterupted drape of water from the crest to the base.
Take a look at this HD Video shot the same day as the images above. The waterflow is outstanding for the start of August as we, like everyone else in North America, have had more than our fair share of precipitation over the past six months or so.
Be sure to switch the settings to the highest for that HD quality and be sure to hit the ‘Like’ button!
