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Hi Folks!,
I'm looking at doing a circuit around Barron Canyon area. Planning on visiting waterslide / high falls (likely for pictures only) via canoe coming ashore at the hiking trail at Northeast corner of Stratton L. I believe getting to the water slide shouldn't be a problem, but how difficult is it to make it down to the bottom of the waterfall from there? Or would another route to the high falls be better (ie bushwhack from St Andrews L)? Was thinking of following North shore...
Thanks in advance!,
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I visited High Falls for the first time last November on foot via the "Cheater Trail"/backpacking trail.
From what I seen the Northeast Corner of Stratton is by far your best bet for canoe access. You can stash your canoe essentially anywhere on the shore up there as the hiking trail literally follows the shoreline up in that bay. For the most part you'll be dealing with a rocky shoreline. The trail from here is super easy to follow and you'll only be a few minutes away from the waterslide.
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Ash - ATVenture's suggestion is definitely the way to get to the waterslide. The trail continues past the waterslide down to the foot of the falls. It's steep and rocky, but quite doable for anyone in reasonable shape (I usually avoid it due to knee problems). Keep an eye out for poison ivy - there's a fair bit of it in the area.
For a really good view of the falls from the other side of the pond, it's not a difficult bushwhack over from the St. Andrews Lake/High Falls Lake portage.
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Are you saying you want to portage the Water Slide and High Falls. Ie get from Stratton to High Falls Lake via that route. Or, do you just want to see them? Another point that might not be obvious to people who are not used to the area. The Water Slide and High Falls are not the same thing. Many people who visit beach their canoes on Stratton walk to the water slide area, turn around and go back to their canoe. High Falls is further down stream and not visible from the water slide area.
Portaging through there would be tough. Not impossible but very tough. You would be portaging through some bouldery rocky country with multiple waterfalls of different sizes. More than just the Slide and High falls.
If you just want to see high falls. You can follow either the north or south shore going downstream from the slide. I think it is easiest on the south shore. But odds are you will get wet trying to get over to the south shore. It is still worth seeing High Falls by approach from the St. Andrews portage. Totally different view and perspective. Plus there are a couple of other small cascades that you can see from that side.
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Great feedback everyone - Thank you :-) To clarify I was thinking I'd park my kayak on the hiking trail @ NE corner of Stratton L check out the waterslide, hike down to the bottom of waterfall, then hike back to my boat. Not planning on portaging through.
@MartinG - Great pics :-). Where is your first pic taken from? Is this from the South shore bushwhacking from St Andrews L? For the second, did you have to get into your boat to take, or were you able to take from shore?
Thanks :-)
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First pic is from the South shore bushwhack from the St. Andrews to High Falls portage. It's not so much a bushwhack as a follow the maze of trails thing.
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Walking from the Stratton end is the quickest to the falls but as already mentioned the view from the St. Andrews route is the best and easier to tackle
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