For ease, I told everyone I was going for a day trip to Algonquin Provincial Park. In fact, I drove through this monster of a natural reserve in the Canadian province of Ontario. But, in what was a very long day that started at 4am and ended somewhere around 10pm, Algonquin was definitely not the feature.
It’s true, Algonquin is great. It is the Ontario version of Banff or Yellowstone. But, to truly enjoy it, you need to A) Camp and B) get on a hiking trail for a least a few hours. On this express visit meant to build an inventory of photos and video, I had time for neither of those two things. When you don’t have the time, sites on the peripheral of Algonquin will better serve you. Oxtongue River – Ragged Falls Provincial Park is definitely one of those.
A day-use park with facilities limited to a pit toilets and a gravel parking lot, Ragged Falls is even hard to find from the main highway 60. Located just eight kilometres west of the main entrance to Algonquin, the entrance is signaled by a small road sign and can be easily missed. The trails can be extremely muddy, especially outside the summer months. The rewards, though, are exceptional.
Oxtongue River – Ragged Falls Provincial Park Image Gallery
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Oxtongue River – Ragged Falls Provincial Park
This day-use park is located eight kilometres from the main West entrance to Algonquin Park. Keep your eyes peeled for a sign for Oxtongue River Ragged Falls Road, just after crossing the river. A short, narrow gravel road leads to a parking lot where you must pay the price for your visit. Although paying day-use fees is never fun, the automated machine here is much more relaxing than the getting a pass at the busy visitor centre up the road. Fees paid at any Ontario provincial park are good at any other Ontario provincial park for the specified time on your ticket. That means, your ticket from Ragged Falls is also good for Algonquin.
A short but rugged trail system takes visitors from the parking lot to the river. You can experience Ragged Falls from both the bottom or the top. This is a fairly long waterfall with multiple drops. The water level varies considerably, depending on the time of year. I’ve visited before when you can wade through the base of the waterfall. On the October 11, 2018 visit, the river was roaring with ample water volume and crossing would have been a death sentence.
A trail runs along the banks of the Oxtongue River from the crest, upstream for a distance. The river gets deceptively peaceful upstream. Although, as you can see in the video below, sporadic ripples in the seemingly calm water suggest that the river is still quite turbulent. The trail that follows the banks upstream is actually a portage for those traveling by canoe of kayak.
On an ‘anti-Algonquin’ tour of the area, you can follow highway 60 through the park to the east entrance and head south to Bancroft. Just to the east of Bancroft, on highway 28, is Egan Chutes Provincial Park. That non-operating (fee-free) park features a similar waterfall to Ragged Falls but with beautiful cliffs on the opposing side of the York River.
Oxtongue River – Ragged Falls Video
The video below was taken on October 11, 2018 and shows Ragged Falls and the Oxtongue River colourfully shrouded in fall foliage. If you like what you see, please give the video a ‘Thumb’s Up’ in YouTube. If you love what you see, please consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel!
