Statement of Values and Ethics
Treating our environment and nearby communities with respect is critical to keeping our waterfalls open and enjoyable for everyone.
The Waterfalls of Ontario project aims to be a responsible resource for the promotion of waterfall discovery. It promotes safe behaviour, respect for property access laws, and encourages a responsible approach to exploration.
Respecting private property is a central principle of responsible hiking and exploration. Decisions about land access belong soley to the land owner, not me or you. Learn more....
With just a few justifiable exceptions, waterfalls found on private property are not promoted by the Waterfalls of Ontario project. Learn more...
Mistakes happen: If you see a waterfall listed here that should be removed, please contact me...
Even in places that are accessible to the public, certain areas are 'off-limits'. This is usually for legitimate safety, conservation or operational reasons.
Sadly, many people ignore the rules. This only stiffens the resolve of local authorities. They erect more fencing, close areas entirely, or have By-Law officers issue fines.
The Waterfalls of Ontario project does not post or allow the posting of photos from prohibited areas.
The majority of our waterfalls are found on land that is accessible to the public. This is because waterfalls are an important part of our natural and cultural heritage.
Parks and conservation areas have been established to protect many of these cool places. A great number more are on Crown Land, which, for the most part, is accessible by all of us. Learn more...
In contrast to its firm stance on private property, the Waterfalls of Ontario project takes the position that Ontario's public lands are for all of us.
Some people claim that waterfalls should be "saved for the locals."
There are a few problems with this logic. First, who is "local"? If you live 5 km away, is that still local? How about 20 km? Who decides?
More importantly, this logic only works if these same 'locals' never travel anywhere. If they did, they'd become 'out-of-towners'. Aren't they now visiting a place that should be saved for different "locals"?
Some consider these 'locals' to be elitist. It's as if these feel entitled to keep these public places to themselves. The phenomenon even has a name: "gatekeeping". Learn more...
I don't think that this is entirely fair. Surely, someone that lives, works and pays taxes in a community can have a vested interest in keeping it pristine. This is noble and hard to argue against.
But this implies that people visiting from out of town have no right to explore the province that we all share. Aren't we all local to Ontario? Ontario is "Yours to Discover", right?
"But tourists make a mess of things!" Perhaps... But over the years I've been advised by many people, all them 'locals', that out-of-towners aren't always the troublemakers.
For example, Facebook group member Dave Barrett hauled away construction debris from a nearby waterfall. He told me "Nobody drove hours to my remote area to dump this stuff beside the falls!"
In another case, a waterfall that turned out to be on private property was only finally "closed" after the owner got fed up with partying and litter. Did people really drive for hours on ATVs just to party in the bush beside this specific place?
The most popular and accessible waterfalls in Ontario will always be busy, especially on summer weekends. People will always seek out nature. This phenomenon isn’t unique to Ontario.
** We have to face it... It is simply unrealistic to expect that beautiful waterfalls near highly populated areas won't attract lots of people. **
Social media tends to funnel people towards a few picturesque spots that are easy to reach. And understandably, everyone wants to go on a warm weekend!
The 'Waterfalls of Ontario' Facebook group was asked to identify the waterfalls that get jammed up the most during summer. To be clear, some places can handle crowds, but others can't:
Desipte all of the above, I still find myself alone at most of the waterfalls that I visit. Other long-time waterfall explorers have told me the same thing. How can this be?
Most of our success comes from avoiding the more popular locations during peak times. Visiting on weekdays helps, as does earlier in the day. So too does visiting 'off-season'. Most people also avoid cooler, damper days.
Ironically, summer is usually the worst season to visit waterfalls. Flows are low, crowds are bigger, and the bugs come out! Not everyone has the luxury of doing so, but if you can, visit in spring and fall.
Should I end 'Waterfalls of Ontario' as a way of 'doing my part' to conserve waterfalls? Does the bad outweigh the good?
Closure would leave a vacuum to be filled by others. There are already other resources encouraging people to visit private property or prohibited areas.
My philosophy is that publicly-accessible waterfalls belong to all of us. The Waterfalls of Ontario project can be a "tool of good" by promoting the responsible discovery of these special places.
Many nature writers have argued that people can only truly appreciate the environment once they have experienced it.
The more that people explore our province, the more that they will appreciate what we have. I've seen this transition in people first-hand, though I agree that we still have work to do!
Local tourism also helps the local economy. Travellers eat at local restaurants, stock up at local stores, or stay in motels. Some lesser-developed areas in Ontario can really use our dollars.
In addition to encouraging responsible exploration, there are other steps that can be taken to limit the over-promotion of waterfalls.
For example, the Waterfalls of Ontario Facebook group was exploding in size during the Covid pandemic. We were on a trajectory to exceed 100,000 members within several months. More members is a good thing right?
I didn't want our group to be seen to be causing all the problems during Covid. So we permanently switched the Facebook group from "public" to "private". This put a dead stop to our viral growth. Bad for business, yes. But it was the responsible thing to do at a time when our waterfalls were under severe stress.
Another easy step is to use care when sharing waterfalls to external social media accounts. Moving forward, the Waterfalls of Ontario project will only share waterfalls with significant infrastructure (sufficient parking, established trails, etc).
'Waterfalls of Ontario' is primarily a hobby. I just happen to share my efforts with everyone else.
Some people suggest that I maintain this website simply as an effort to sell books. Sadly, these people can't understand why anyone would do this sort of thing primarily for the joy of it.
And while it is true that I make a bit of money from book sales, I could make a lot more by flipping cheeseburgers part-time. Seriously! Nobody is getting rich from waterfalls!
This website ran for 24 years without ads. After some encouragement by colleagues, I implemented Google Adsense ads in August, 2023. Inflation was eating into my expendible income. So I justify the ads as "payback" for my travel and time creating this website. Even here, a part-time job cooking cheeseburgers would seriously pay more.
NOTE: If you contributed photos for use on the website and the idea of advertising bothers you, PLEASE contact me and I will remove your image.
Join our Facebook community to share tips, photos and updates. Operating since 2011, this well-moderated, respectful, and informative group is the hub of Ontario's waterfalling community. (Photo by Martin Van Opstal)
