Provoking Falls

We’ve stayed in Algonquin Provincial Park a few times now - Canisbay Lake Campground last fall, and Mew Lake Campground both in the winter, and late this summer.

Somehow, it wasn’t until the end of our latest stay, that we even learned that Provoking Falls even existed!

To be fair, Algonquin Park is HUGE, and there are probably dozens of waterfalls and other things we’ve never heard of.

Anyway, the last night of our recent stay in Mew Lake, I was looking something up online - I can’t even remember what - when I came across a post mentioning Provoking Falls... and that it was close to Mew Lake!

A bit of Googling later, and I had a plan to surprise my husband with a walk the next morning, before pulling up to head to Arrowhead Provincial Park.

I was a bit worried, as I’d been having tendon problems, and had no real idea what to expect on the walk.

In the end, I was worrying for nothing - it was an easy walk, and a really lovely way to start the day!

Let me tell you all about it...

The Basics:

Location Name: Provoking Falls
Address: Mew Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park. (Click for Google Maps location).
Website: Mew Lake Campround
Price: Ontario Provincial Parks uses a pricing matrix across all their parks. See 2024 Camping Fees and 2024 Day Use Fees for more details.
Reservations: Ontario Parks Reservations
Season: January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024

Provoking Waterfall

Provoking Falls is a small, wide cascade waterfall on the Madawaska River.

It’s only about 2 meters in height, and can vary wildly in appearance throughout the year. At the time of our visit, it was two decently wide cascades, and a smaller run-off cascade to one side.

During spring, there can be a LOT more flow after the thaw - some photos I’ve seen make it look like one really long waterfall, completely obscuring the rock formations that were separating the main falls when we were there.

That might be why I can’t find any information at all about how wide the falls are - I guess it really depends!

Logistics

Some information to help you plan your visit to Provoking Falls:

Registration and Check In

As it’s part of Algonquin Provincial Park, you’ll need to have either a camping permit or a day use permit in place, in order to visit Provoking Falls.

These can be booked online ahead of time, and you can register your license plate at that time.

The park seems to be entirely on paperless permits now, so they’ll need your license number, one way or the other. Preregistering online means you can skip the in-person checkin entirely.

We were already checked in for our camping trip, so we didn’t have to register separately to visit the waterfall trail.

Parking

You have a few different parking options, depending on how far you want to walk/bike to get there.

The shortest, easiest path to the falls is from the Mew Lake Campground. There’s a small parking area next to the garbage area (near the comfort station), with a trail leading out from there.

That trail takes you along the outside of the old abandoned airfield, and out to the falls. (See photo below).

Other parking options:

1. The Comfort Station parking lot apparently serves as overflow parking for that trail entrance.

2. There’s a parking lot for the airfield, not far away. It’s marked on the campground map as being the Old Railway Trail parking. You can park there and follow one of the paths out to Provoking Falls. (See our Mew Lake Campground post - it has both the airfield map and the main park map!).

3. The trail head parking lot for the Highland Backpacking Trail is right on Highway 60, at km 29.7. From there, it’s a 2.2 km walk to the falls.

We haven’t done this route, but apparently it’s a more difficult walk than the one from Mew Lake Campground.

Washrooms

There aren’t any washrooms along the trail, but the Mew Lake Campground comfort station isn’t far from the parking lot.

Connectivity

We didn’t check our phones much along the way, but we had enough cell reception to be able to see our “map” - Pokemon Go - run the bird identification app, and post a few waterfall photos to Facebook.

Maps and Signage

There’s not much in the way of maps or signage, so you’re best off having an idea of where you’re going, before you head out.

If you’re going from the Mew Lake Campground, you’ll walk out from the parking lot - above. You’ll come to a bit of a clearing, then meet up with the bike trail.

Turn right at the bike trail, and go until you come to the backpacking trail. Turn left there, and you’ll then be on a straight shot to the falls.

If you need a map on you, I recommend using an app.

As always, Pokemon Go is our go-to when it comes to seeing where trails are, and if we’re headed in the right direction.

AllTrails is another good option.

Accessibility

So, the waterfalls area isn’t wheelchair accessible at all. You probably wouldn’t be able to get close enough to even see them.

For other mobility issues, it’s a fairly easy path. Mostly wide, level, well-packed ground, with some roots and such along the way.

I did it on a bad tendon day - no problems - and would have been able to do the trail in a walking boot or if I had to use a cane.

One bit of advice:

As the main trail from the campground parking lot meets up with the Old Railway Bike Trail, there’s a sort of triangle formed with the paths.

The path from the parking lot meets up with the bike trail head on, but then there’s also a kind of a shortcut trail off to the right.

We took the shortcut leg on the way out. I wasn’t sure how much mobility I was budgeting, so wanted to play it safe.

As it turns out, that trail was a lot more rough / bumpy/rocky than the trail leading up to it, and I would have been better off to walk the few extra metres and stick to the main trails.

Pets

Pets are allowed on the trail, but must be kept on a leash at all times, and not allowed to harass other people, other dogs, or wildlife in general.

Also, owners are expected to pick up after them. Note - we didn’t notice any garbage cans, so be prepared to pack it out with you.

Miscellaneous

There is VERY little in the way of light pollution in the area.

If you’re up for making the walk at night - and the conditions are right - I bet the falls would make a fantastic backdrop for Northern Lights, the Milky Way, etc.

Just be cautious, as there are bears - and other wildlife - in the area.

Entertainment and Activity

A bit of information on the various ways you can enjoy the Provoking Falls area, and the walk to it:

Hiking

We’ve only accessed the falls via the Mew Lake parking lot, so your experiences may be a bit different if accessing via different trails.

For this route, you’re looking at just under 2 km, round trip.

The trail from the little parking lot starts out really narrow - as pictured earlier on in this post - but pretty quickly turns into a wider trail.

Rustic, but relatively flat and level. Fairly early on - a few hundred metres, I guess? - you’ll come to a big clearing.

At that point, you’ve got a couple options: you can continue heading straight, and the path you’re on will shortly meet up with the Old Railway Bike Trail, OR you can take a shortcut trail off to the right.

As noted earlier, we took the shortcut leg, which ended up being more narrow/uneven/wild than the main paths were.

Either way - main trail or shortcut leg - you’ll turn right when you get to the bike trail.

In another few hundred meters or so, you’ll come to the Highland Backpacking Trail, and turn left there.

You’ll likely be hearing the falls by now - you’re not far away!

Soon, you’ll come up to an incredibly janky bridge over the Madawaska River.

The bridge gives you a decent view of the falls, but it’s just on the other side of it where you’ll get the really good views.

There’s a clearing off to the right, providing easy access to the big, flat rocks that flank the falls.

Once you’re done at the falls, it’s back over that freaky little bridge, and back the way you came.

Super easy!

Biking

You can cycle PARTWAY to the waterfalls.

If you’re coming from the Mew Lake Campground, the trail seems to be bike friendly about ⅔ of the way to the falls.

Around the halfway from that parking lot, you meet up with the Old Railway Bike Trail, and it seems you can continue cycling on that trail for a bit.

At some point - around the ⅔ mark - you’ll come across a sign that prohibits bikes. This might have been where it met up with the Highland Backpacking trail?

Anyway, if you’re coming from a distance, you might want to use the Old Railway Trail to get most of the way there, then just lock your bike up to a tree or something, and walk the rest of the way.

(We didn’t notice any bike racks, but we could have missed them!)

Swimming

We visited early on a cool morning, right before we were to pack up and head off to our next stop.

So, not only were we really not looking to take a swim, no one else was - at the time - either!

That said, apparently the falls are a popular place to take a dip on a warm, sunny day.

So, something to keep in mind if you’re camping and looking for a new swimming hole... or hiking for photography, and don’t necessarily want people in your waterfall photos!

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

The morning of our walk out to Provoking Falls, the weather wasn’t really great for birding - really overcast, felt like rain was coming, and it was pretty windy.

So, we didn’t really see or hear much in the way of birds. The odd time we did see a bird, the lighting and conditions were terrible for photography.

The one stand out for us was when we were walking back from the falls.

There’s a point where you turn off from the backpacking trail onto the little trail back to the campground. Right after we’d turned that corner, a BIG bird flew across the path in front of us.

It was a broad-winged hawk, and he had no desire to have his photo taken that morning!

Anyway, all told, we saw: American Crow, Black-Capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Broad-Winged Hawk.

... and we heard: Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Red-Breasted Nuthatch.

Boating

Sections of the Madawaska River are popular for canoeing and kayaking.

We did see a sign indicating a portage route near the falls - I can’t imagine it would be fun to go over them!

Fishing

We didn’t see anyone fishing during our visit to Provoking Falls, nor did we see any signage for or against fishing.

In general, though, the Madawaska River seems to be a popular venue for fishing - I think moreso in the calm areas of the river.

In those sections, you can find Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, and Walleye.

Niantic Games

There are a few Ingress Portals / Pokestops near the parking lot - around the campground comfort station.

There’s also one about halfway along the trail, and one on the Highland Backpacking Trail near the actual waterfall.

Final Thoughts

This was a really nice way to start the day - an easy walk, really peaceful, with a nice little payoff at the end.

If it had been a much longer or more difficult walk, I may have been disappointed by the falls - they’re not *spectacular*, but nice enough.

That said, we visited in late summer, when they’re at the lowest flow - I bet it’s much nicer in the spring.

Anyway, I’d love to do this walk again in the fall. It would be a gorgeous walk, surrounded by fall colours... and I’d love to see the trees reflected on that glassy river upstream!

We’ll definitely be back to Mew Lake Campground, and we’ll definitely be visiting Provoking Falls during those trips.

I might pack a picnic lunch next time - it seems like a really pretty place to spread out a picnic blanket and just enjoy a leisurely meal surrounded by nature, you know?

More Places to See

Looking for some nice sights to see and great places to visit while you're out on your camping adventures? Here are a few of our favourite day use parks, attractions, etc.

Batchawana Bay
Big Bay, Ontario
Bruce Peninsula National Park
Falls Reserve Conservation Area
Flowerpot Island
Gariepy Creek Falls
Menesetung Bridge
Point Pelee National Park
Scenic Caves Nature Adventures
Spirit Rock Conservation Area
Temagami Fire Tower