Where is Walters Falls Waterfall

WALTERS FALLS WATERFALL

Walters Falls Waterfall

About Walters Falls Waterfall

Walter's Falls is a good sized waterfall on the edge of a small town, also named Walters Falls. It used to be the site of a saw mill and woollen mill until the saw mill burnt down, but the woollen mill remains. Today, Walter Falls sits behind a small Inn,The area surrounding the inn features a river, a dam, the large waterfall and a forest with outcroppings of the Niagara Escarpment. The area is maintained in a picturesque condition and is considered a local tourist attraction, you can visit the falls from the viewing platform or you can hike down to the base through a relatively easy hike.

Walters Falls History

An old sawmill used to be located here, built in 1854 and there is now an inn on the site. The on-site overlook does not provide a great view of the falls, but you can get down into the gorge with some effort. You can stop by and visit this waterfall after visiting the more impressive falls in Owen Sound, or on your way from Eugenia Falls to Owen Sound.

Walters Falls was founded in 1852 when John Walter of Toronto took up 300 acres of wild land on the south branch of the Bighead River. Walter set up a sawmill in 1853 with a new one being erected in 1864. This mill operated inside the village of Walters Falls which built up around it. By 1865 the town was served by a grist mill, a woolen mill, a post office, a tavern, a blacksmith, a wagon maker, two carpenters, a millwright and a tinsmith.

The main sawmill in the village was purchased by the Hallman family in 1944 and rebuilt after it had lain mostly idle for 22 years. It burned down on October 15, 1984 and was still utilizing a water-driven turbine up to that point to provide one-third of its energy. The fire was likely caused by an electrical accident.

A new facility was rebuilt on the outskirts of the village and started operations in March 1986. The original sawmill was used for storage until the early 2000s when the remaining building was demolished and an inn was built in its place. The area surrounding the inn features a river, a dam, a large waterfall and a forest with outcroppings of the Niagara Escarpment. The area is maintained in a picturesque condition and is considered a local tourist attraction.

Walters Falls Waterfall Video

Visiting Walters Falls

Keefer Falls is a great place to visit and there is a good chance you will have it to yourself, It wasn’t until researching after my visit that I found out that Keefer Falls was indeed on private property. Whether that was a recent occurrence or not, I don’t know.

Keefer Falls is a 25′ waterfall that was once the site of something called Slattery Mills Falls, just to the right of the brink there are the remnants of an old dam and some old stone walls.

If you do wish to visit Keefer falls, please remember that it is on private property and while accessing the waterfall is easy and well marked, it is not on public land.

More About Keefer Falls

Keefer Falls plunges about 40'to 50' from Keefer Creek and then continues into Georgian Bay. It was named Slattery Mills Falls at one time and there are a few stone remains of an old mill. The land formation is very unique in the area surrounding the falls. It appears as though it is simply a flat field and as you approach the falls you can hear it and the land just drops off into a limestone hole into which the falls plummets.