About DeCew Falls
DeCew Falls was a waterfall where we had quite a bit of trouble finding a way to get a good look at it. The photo you see at the top of this page came from inside the historical Morningstar Mill, which happened to be open the morning of our visit (which also just so happened to be during the long weekend of Canada’s Thanksgiving holiday). Our Waterfalls of Ontario book
Instead, we had to settle for the subpar views from inside the mill as well as from just outside the mill where only the very top fraction of the waterfall could be seen. Given the unsatisfactory waterfalling experience, we had to give it a low score even though it would’ve scored much higher had we somehow gotten to view the waterfall from its base. At least from the view inside the Morningstar Mill, we also noticed another waterfall spilling into the same gorge though it was mostly obscured by foliage.
From the car park for the Morningstar Mill (see directions below), we walked past the mill complex towards a narrow opening in the fence. There was a lookout with a very partial view of the falls from next to the mill, but this view left much to be desired. Once we were past the opening in the fence, we then followed the Laura Secord Trail, which coincided with the Bruce Trail, as it followed along the rim of the gorge with chain-linked fences put up to prevent people from getting too close to the gorge edge.
After a few minutes of walking this trail, the fence went away, and then we encountered a very steep “path” that led towards the base of the gorge. It was definitely too difficult to do it with our daughter so I decided to go down partway to take a look at whether it would be doable. But with the muddiness of the terrain, the steepness (despite the ropes put in to help with the descent), and potential nasty consequences of a fall here, I didn’t make it past half way before I decided not to push my luck and go back up to the top of the gorge.
Little did we know (until after the fact) that we would have had an easier time continuing to walk along the Bruce Trail until we would reach the Lower DeCew Falls. Then, we would have to hike upstream from within the gorge to reach the view of DeCew Falls that was pictured in our Waterfalls of Ontario book. I guess that’ll have to wait for a return visit.
Finally, the Morningstar Mill was a pretty interesting exhibit in and of itself as we checked out the machinery involved to harness the power of moving water. Apparently, the mill only opens from 10am to 3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. We were surprised at how popular this place was despite the difficulties in getting a satisfactory view of DeCew Falls. The price of admission was free though the staff here appreciated donations to keep this historical site preserved.
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