Sauble Falls Provincial Park is located in the town of

South Bruce Peninsula :''South Bruce Peninsula is not to be confused with the Municipality of South Bruce, Ontario'' South Bruce Peninsula is a town at the base of the Bruce Peninsula of Ontario, Canada, in Bruce County between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. It was form ...

, Bruce County in

southwestern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, west of

Owen Sound Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay. The primary tourist attract ...

. It is in the lower drainage basin of the Sauble River, which flows into

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

. The

campground A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for camping, overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight u ...

consists of two sections divided by County Road 13. The west section of the site is a quiet zone (no

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

s allowed). Group

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

is available in the east section. Many sites along the east portion of the park back up against the Sauble River. The park is also the downstream terminus of the

Rankin River The Rankin River is a river in the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, Ontario, Bruce County in southwestern Ontario, Canada which flows from the east side of the Bruce Peninsula to join the Sauble River (O ...

canoe route. The eponymous Sauble River meanders around the east section of the park and flows down under the county road to the falls. The majority of the falls are actually

rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

to which many people take day trips to play in. There is a section in which people jump from a drop off into a pool in the river. Also in certain years it is possible to slide down the falls if water levels are high enough. It is an operating park, requiring permits for day-use and overnight camping. Facilities include 152 car-accessible campsites, picnic shelter, playground, and docks. Services include interpretive and educational programs.

History

The former town of Sauble Falls was founded in 1864 to support the logging industry. In 1867, a lumber mill was built at the falls (destroyed in 1937). Eventually it had a general store, blacksmith shop, post office, school, and two churches. Between 1905 and 1907, the Sauble Falls Light and Power Company built a hydroelectric generating station and dam (which became part of Ontario Hydro in 1929). With the depletion of available lumber came the decline of the community. The mill ended operations in the late 1920s and the town site was gradually demolished in the 1950s. The park office and parts of the dam and power plant are the only town structures to remain. In 1957 the lands were acquired by the province from Ontario Hydro and from other owners. In 1960, Sauble Falls Provincial Park was established.

Nearby attractions

The park supports and complements other nearby tourism facilities and opportunities, such as summer attractions in

Sauble Beach Sauble Beach (pop. 2000) is a beach community and unincorporated area in the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, in the northern area of southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is on the Bruce Peninsula, along the eastern shore of Lake Huron, on ...

, a town with a fresh water beach at least long.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Parks in Bruce County Provincial parks of Ontario Protected areas established in 1957 1957 establishments in Ontario