Wawa, Ontario Tourist Points of Interest – Magpie High Falls
After our visit to the Michipicoten Dump, we were quickly running out of daylight as we headed for the High Falls on the Magpie River. Before getting to that destination, though, we had to first make a short stop to watch a flock of Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) pick their way through some commercial blueberry fields which stretched out on both sides of the roadway leading to the High Falls.
The Magpie River begins in Esnagi Lake and from there flows about 100kms to empty into Lake Superior near Michipicoten, Ontario. At High Falls, the river naturally flows through eroded joints and cracks in the pink grandodiorite bedrock as it tumbles to the river bed below.
In modern times, a weir at the head of the falls, holds back and controls the waters of the Magpie River so that a steady flow of water can be provided for the Harris Hydroelectric Generating Station to the right of the falls.
For those who have the time or are feeling energetic, there is a trail from the Visitor Information Center which follows along the river from Highway 17 to the High Falls visitor area.
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