Healey Falls

While staying at Ferris Provincial Park, we took the opportunity to make a little “field trip” and cross another destination off my “places to see” Google Map.

The falls are about 20 minutes away from the campground, and it was a really pleasant drive. A lot of it goes along the Trent River, so we got to see a few of the Trent-Severn Waterway locks along the way.

This one was a little difficult to find, on account of some vague information out there, as well as Google Maps INSISTING on taking us somewhere that was nowhere near the falls.

In the end though, it was a totally worthwhile stop. We ended up going twice during our stay, and saw it under very different conditions.

The first time was just before sunset, and the water was flowing.

The second time was in the middle of the afternoon, full sun... and very little water flow!

While one made for nicer waterfall photos, the other presented different opportunities for adventuring.

Let us tell you all about it!

Note: See the very bottom of our post for even more photos - we took WAY too many to fit in the post!

The Basics:

Location Name: Healey Falls
Address: 7743 County Rd 50, Harcourt, ON K0E 1L0
Website: N/A
Price: Free!
Reservations: N/A

Getting There

As I mentioned, Google had some weird ideas about where we wanted to go, taking us to about 2 km away from the actual falls.

When I zoomed in on the map, I saw where the falls were, and I directed us over there.

The address I’ve listed above is where you want to map to - it’ll get you to right near the parking area for the falls.

Parking, Etc.

There is a small parking lot just before the road that goes down to Healey Falls - this is where you’ll want to park.

(There are a LOT of signs that make it clear where they DO NOT want you to park.)

From there, it’s a very short walk to the road that will take you to the falls, which is gated.

This road runs along private property, so definitely be sure to stick to the road itself.

It’s a short walk - less than half a kilometre - but a relatively pretty one: it goes along the section of Trent-Severn waterway that leads up to the dam and falls.

Just before you come to the dam, you’ll see an Osprey nest in front of you.

During our two trips, the nest was occupied, which was very cool to see - more on birding in a bit, though!

Maps and Signage

There aren’t any maps, or much in the way of signage beyond “DON’T PARK HERE!” type ones.

No worries, once you find the parking lot and the gated start to the road, it’s a straight shot down to the falls. You won’t get lost.

Washrooms

There are no washrooms of any kind in the area. Plan ahead, hydrate later!

Connectivity

We had really good cell phone connectivity all the way from the parking lot to the falls, and when exploring that whole area.

Accessibility

If it wasn’t for the gate, this would be a relatively wheelchair accessible destination.

The road is wide and flat, you’d be able to wheel up onto the walkway over the falls, and you’d probably be able to get down to the viewing area beside the falls - especially if you had a more robust wheelchair.

That gate... renders all of that moot.

In terms of other mobility issues, as long as you can bend over and step through the gate, you’ll be good to see the falls.

Pets

There was no signage either for or against dogs, but we did see a few being walked there, over the course of our 2 visits.

I’m guessing that as long as you pick up after your dog - and don’t let it harass people or animals- it’s all good.

Miscellaneous

Because it’s part of an active dam and power generation, the flow of the falls can vary WILDLY.

You can explore more of the area below the falls when it’s low flow... but if you have your heart set on a raging waterfall, be prepared that you may not actually GET that.

Getting down to the area below the falls requires some strength, flexibility, so if those are going to be issues... you may want to avoid making a long trip out to this falls.

Best to temper expectations, IMHO!

About Healey Falls

Healey Falls is a large cascade waterfall - part of a hydroelectric dam - on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

The full length of the falls - and dam - is either 25 metres across, or 100 metres across, depending on where you’re reading up about it!

I am absolutely no good at gauging longer distances like that, so really... it could be either - or neither - and I’d have no idea.

Big waterfall, though!

Either way, the water spills down over multiple levels of rock, dropping anywhere from 10-20 metres. Again, that’s depending on where you’re looking it up.

Super helpful, I know!

Entertainment and Activity

Beyond just looking at the waterfalls, there are a few other ways you can enjoy your visit to Healey Falls.

Hiking

Aside from the short walk from the parking, there are two main areas you can explore:

1. Across the Healey Falls

There’s a paved walkway across the top of the dam, with great views over the top of Healey Falls.

This continues after the dam, curving along the side of the river for a distance, before coming to a set of stairs that takes you down to a little valley.

It was pretty overgrown, so we didn’t bother checking it out... but I thought I saw some trails down there, from up on the main walkway.

2. The Bottom of the Healey Falls

For the more adventurous, there’s a really rough little path that you can follow, going down closer to the base of the falls.

How far you can get is going to depend on the flow at the time of your visit.

Our first visit was during pretty high flow, so we were able to get partway down, to some nice views next to the falls:

Our second trip was during a period of low flow, which enabled us to get further down, to walk right out on the falls.

It was fun exploring the area that we’d JUST seen with rushing water on our earlier visit, and to be able to walk down along the river’s edge, below.

Swimming

During our first stop at Healey Falls, the idea of swimming there never even crossed my mind.

We were shocked to see several groups of people using the base of the falls as a swimming hole, on our second visit!

No idea about the legality or safety of swimming at Healey Falls, but it definitely seemed to be a common, popular, known thing to do there!

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

While we didn’t have time to do a TON of birding on our two trips - we were losing daylight FAST the first time, and the second time was on a scorching afternoon! - we did get some good bird watching in!

The Osprey nest was great to see, and very active. The parents were taking turns flying off for food, while the remaining parent was getting chewed out by at least one of their kids. It seemed very dramatic.

There was also a Great Blue Heron near the base of the falls on our first visit, and we also saw an American Robin, Red-Winged Blackbird and Hermit Thrush.

We heard a Cedar Waxwing, but never did see it.

Fishing

Healey Falls is a fish sanctuary, so fishing is only permitted - with a license - between May 18 and November 15.

Standard fishing limits apply - and I’m not sure what kind of fish are available there.

Niantic Games

We didn’t think to open Pokemon Go on either of our trips to Healey Falls, though we seemed to have plenty of connection.

Upon looking at the Niantic Ingress Intel Map later on, it doesn’t look like there are any Portals / Pokestops / Gyms there.

Final Thoughts

This is a fun little stop, especially when you can walk down onto the falls area itself.

I don’t know that we’d want to drive more than 30 minutes or so to see it, but 20 minutes from our campground was definitely worth it - twice!

Like I said, you’ll just want to temper your expectations, and maybe have a backup plan in case the falls aren’t what you expect.

IE: You may be going in hopes of a rushing waterfall, but maybe pack a swimsuit and water shoes, in case you have to adjust the scope of your visit!

We’ll probably visit again, next time we’re in the area.

More Ontario Waterfall Posts

Looking to waterfalling in Ontario? Here are more Ontario Waterfalls to check out:

Aguasabon Falls
Chippewa Falls
Eugenia Falls
Falls Reserve Conservation Area
Gariepy Creek Falls
Hogg's Falls
Indian Falls Conservation Area
Inglis Falls
Jones Falls [Pottawatomi Conservation Area]
Kakabeka Falls
Mink Creek Falls
Onaping Falls
Oxtongue River-Ragged Falls Provincial Park
Provoking Falls
Rainbow Falls
Sand River Falls
Sauble Falls
Scenic High Falls
Walter's Falls
Webwood Falls

Beyond the waterfalls, be sure to check out our Places to See category, to find more interesting Ontario places to explore!