Arrowhead Provincial Park 451 Arrowhead Park Rd Huntsville, ON P1H 2J4

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The Stubb’s Falls Trail at Arrowhead Provincial Park is an easy but beautiful 2 kilometre trail to take with your family. We started the trail at one of the designated parking lots beside the East Campground. There are several different places you can start the trail, including the main road.

The trail is very well groomed and there is plenty of space to walk side by side with that special someone you enjoy experiencing nature with.

The trail meanders through a mature hardwood forest and it runs parallel to the Little East River and then loops back on the other side for a very enjoyable hike.

Along the way we saw lots of summer wildflowers, like this bunchberry, and the light was filtering through the canopy to highlight the various species.

There were several different dragonflies that we spotted during our hike, but many wouldn’t sit still long enough or close enough for me to snap a photo of them. This black and blue species was very cooperative, sitting quietly on a leaf in the sun, while I took several pictures.

The canopy provided a lot of shade on a hot day, making the walk comfortable and a welcoming escape from the heat at the beaches.

I almost missed this resting moth as I walked by. It was sitting quietly on this leaf just off the trail and I thought it was a leaf. Luckily the shape was distinctive enough to make me take a second glance to realize it was a lovely specimen. I believe it is a False Crocus Geometer Moth. I love the light yellow colour with the light brown markings.

I loved the bright colour of the orange hawkweed against the brown and white of this lichen covered branch.

This stunningly beautiful purple and black dragonfly was unfazed by us or our dog. It allowed me to get up close for a great macro shot.

At the half way point of our walk we reached the main road. Since it was so hot, and the dog beach was right across from the trail, we took Maya for a quiet, refreshing dip, and a snack for us. Then we were off to explore the other side of the river and the falls.

This Maidenhair Fern is so unique when comparing it to the lighter coloured stem and frouds of the other ferns in the forest.

All along the trails we found a variety of ferns that either were found alone or in these large colonies.

Nature is truly amazing. This tree grew up and around a dead stump and survived. It reminded me of the ‘War of the Worlds’ creature. What do you think?

Throughout our hike we came across a lot of different mushrooms including this coral fungi known as Cockscomb Coral. I would never suggest you eat any mushrooms in the wild unless you were completely sure it was edible. So, they say this is edible, but I wouldn’t risk it. There are just too many similar species and it would be so easy to make a life-threatening mistake.

Obviously the highlight of this trail is the falls. If you wanted to see it without doing the hike, go to the furthest parking lot along the trail in the East Campground and that will lead you to a short trail, steps, a bridge and then you can walk down to the edge of the falls. The trail is really worth the walk though.

Even in the middle of the summer the falls still has quite a bit of water running down it. During this time of the year the water curves around the outside edge, gradually cascading down to the bottom of the falls. This is a great spot to take pictures, have a picnic, soak your feet or listen to the relaxing sound of the falls.

For dog owners like us out there, we wanted to warn you about the steps on the southwest side of the trail. The steps are great for people with shoes on who don’t want to slip when they get wet, but they are absolutely horrible for a dog’s paw. The steps are made of metal with up-raised, jagged edges that are not dog friendly. I highly suggest either carrying your dog up / down the stair (if that is an option) or going back the other way.

This is the top of the metal stair case. There is a garbage and a place to leave your bike. We would highly recommend this delightful trail to anyone. The sugar maples provide a dense covering that provides fairly deep shade on hot days, there are a variety of birds, wildflowers and ferns to enjoy and the cascading falls are spectacular.