About this waterfall.

About Big Thunder Lake Cascade

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With this name, you would expect a big falls! Alas, it isn't. This tiny cascade is found about 100 m downstream from the northwest tip of Big Thunder Lake. This can only be reached by an overnight paddling trip, being located 15 km as the crow flies from Kiosk. The falls itself is located along a portage.

Mink Creek is mostly navigable downstream of the lake, being bordered by riverine wetland on either side. At the falls, however, the otherwise lazy river meets mound in the bedrock and so it constricts into a short narrow rocky channel.

In this image, you can see a big rounded boulder sitting on top of the bedrock. It doesn't take a keen geologist's eye to spot that something isn't right. This boulder is a glacial erractic, brought here by ice during the last glacial advance through the area, about 10,000 years ago. The term erratic refers to a boulder that has been transported from great distance. In this case, this rock looks completely different than the local bedrock exposed at the falls.

Some Key Facts
Region Northeast
County Nipissing
Near Big Thunder Lake
Watercourse Mink Creek
Watershed / % Lakes 1 / 22%
Ownership Algonquin Provincial Park
Landscape Wilderness
Size Very Small
Type Cascade
Modification Natural
Access No Land-based Access
Top / Bottom /
Trail conditions Overnight Water Route
Hiking Time
Coordinates 45.9996,-78.7358
Parking
45.9996,-78.7358
Site ID WOO.NIP.002
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Finding Big Thunder Lake Cascade

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Visiting Big Thunder Lake Cascade


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Waterfalls of Ontario Project

This project has been online since 1999, in print since 2003, and on social since 2011. (See archives: 2003, 2012, 2018). It was the first to inventory and map Ontario's waterfalls for recreational purposes. With your continued help, it grows. Learn more...
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This page last updated on April 20, 2024. Earlier versions can be examined on Archive.org, dating back to 2003.