The Princess Louise Falls in Orleans

For YEARS I knew about the Princess Louise Falls but never bothered to visit. I thought they were just by the side of the road versus requiring an actual hike, so it was easy to just keep putting off, thinking I’d find myself out near there eventually.

But then I heard that they could be combined with a bit of a hike, and I was much more intrigued!

We headed out with our toddler on a hot day in June, and it was a perfect hike for kids. Not only was there the stunning waterfall, but there was a park halfway there, tucked right alongside the hiking path through the forest!

Combine that with the fact that we basically started our hike at Starbucks, and this trail had everything we needed. It’s also accessible by bus! The stops closest to it are #1688 and #2745 on St. Joseph Blvd.

Getting There

We wanted to have a hike before seeing the falls, so we decided to follow the route that started at the corner of St. Joseph Blvd. and Trim Road in Orleans. We parked right in the parking lot of the Starbucks, and then crossed the street at the roundabout.

If you wanted to park closer, you could head into the neighbourhood at 1^st Avenue off St. Joseph Blvd. Then it would be a super short walk to cross over St. Joseph and find yourself at the falls! You can spot them from the road, so there wouldn’t be too much guessing involved.

From where we began, there was a well beaten path heading into the forest at the southwest junction of the roundabout.

The Forest

As we entered the forest, we noticed a trail branching off to our right immediately, and one heading uphill ahead of us. We decided to go uphill first, thinking we’d take the easy way back. This proved to be the best route for us anyways, as it allowed us to stop halfway and play at the park with our daughter.

That first uphill climb proved to be the toughest of the whole hike, and then things levelled off a bit. We headed off to our right since the falls were in that direction.

There were no trail markers along the way. But the trail was so well worn into the dirt that it was easy to follow. In the beginning, anytime the trail split it was easy to tell that it would be heading into a neighbourhood… Not the direction we wanted to go!

There were a few roots and rocks scattered along the trail, but for the most part the footwork wasn’t too technical. Still, I would recommend a pair of good running shoes, but a full-on hiking boot isn’t required.

The Park

Because we were so close to a neighbourhood, we popped out of the forest into more open sections of field a few times but passed through those quickly.

When we had walked 800 metres, we came to a little park nestled into the trees! Our daughter being 3 years old, we naturally had to stop.

After a good long park sesh we carried on. We reached the first confusing trail split after hiking 1.6 km. We pulled out our phones to figure out where the falls were in relation to us and ended up taking a quick left and then a right soon after.

The Creek

Turns out we were headed in the right direction because at 1.8 km we arrived at a section of trail that had been built up with fences and a little bridge over a creek running through the woods. We crossed over to the other side and followed the fence line to keep on the trail.

At 2.1 km we hiked out into an open field, and spotted the trail continuing downhill on our righthand side. This was our first significant downhill, but there were a few that came after as well. In a couple spots I really wished I had my hiking poles. We went on a day after it had rained a TON and so the trail was quite muddy and a bit slippery.

The Falls!

Soon after, we spotted the sidewalk along St. Joseph Blvd. on our left-hand side, and arrived at the falls after hiking just 2.4 km.

The little hill to get down close to the falls was VERY steep, and our toddler needed assistance. There was also a bit of a man-made canal beneath the falls that diverted the water and was quite the drop into, so we always made sure to keep her close to us.

The falls were lovely, and our daughter was definitely impressed. Even though we could spot the road from where we were sitting beside them, the sound of the water drowned out all else and we had a beautiful rest, feeling completely immersed in nature despite the suburbs all around us.

Heading Back

We didn’t see an obvious trail on the other side of the falls, although that was the direction we needed to go in. So, we headed back on the trail we had come in on and popped out on the sidewalk when we first had the chance.

We figured we would walk along the sidewalk for a bit and then just re-enter the forest at our first opportunity. But by the time we saw a footpath to get back into the forest, we could see the Starbucks from where we were and decided to just continue along the sidewalk.

St. Joseph Blvd is a very busy road, so we made sure to keep our little one close. Then, we made our way back to Starbucks and grabbed a few treats from them to enjoy on the patio before heading home. I truly believe there should be cake pops at every trailhead.

Trail Thoughts

By the time we had walked the full loop out to the falls and back, we had covered 4.6 km. It took us just under 3 hours, but again, that was with a toddler, and some very long breaks at the park and the falls. This hike could be done, much, MUCH more quickly!

I’m really glad we finally made it out to the Princess Louise Falls. The forest around them was beautiful, and the falls are just such a lovely gem in the middle of the city. This trail is definitely up there on my list of trails to hike with kids in Ottawa!

Map and Elevation Gain

Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.