Lower Decew Falls
Years ago, on our first trip to Short Hills Provincial Park, we also paid a visit to Morning Star Mill and Decew Falls. The village is really charming, like a step back in time. It’s amazing that these little spaces still exist and that they’re so accessible. You can get a nice look of the falls from the village, but it’s not the best. To get a better look you need to follow the path out of town and along the gorge’s edge. As we were following the trail, we could see movement at the bottom of the gorge. It seemed that there was an even better view of the falls, it just required some extra effort. That is never a problem!
When I started my research I had no idea there was another waterfall in the gorge, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out about Lower Decew Falls. A little more research led me to some interesting and nerve-racking stories (and this one happened afterwards), which made me unsure about even trying to visit. Eventually, we decided to go for it, but it was clear, this would be no ordinary trip!
Our day started with a quick, muddy hike through Short Hills Provincial Park and then off we went to find the gorge entrance! The directions I had were pretty loose. Everything in the area looked like a “slightly worn path” so when I started going down the gorge I figured that we were going the right way. I quickly realized that we weren’t! By that point though, there was no going back. Slowly we went, sliding down the slippery gorge wall, using stumps and roots as handles just to try and stay upright. Thankfully, we made it down without injury, though at some points, I wasn’t sure we would! At least the bad decision to descend where we did paid off, as we basically slid right to the base of the falls!
Lower Decew Falls was a lot more impressive than I was expecting. The area felt like I stepped into some ancient ruins! The natural rock wall looked like the side of a temple and the whole area had a jungle feeling to it. Maybe it was just because of the humidity! It was also great that we had it all to ourselves, not something that typically happens with the Golden Horseshoe Area falls. I guess the trek is a bit more than most would tackle! Lower Decew Falls is smaller than Upper Decew Falls, but I found it much more interesting because it’s more than just a plunge waterfall. The way the water bounces all the way down and the rest of the scenery make this one of the more impressive falls I’ve seen!
I’ll definitely return to visit Lower Decew Falls again, I just won’t be taking the same route! I can’t wait to try the proper trail and check out the area without testing my nerves so much!
[nggallery id=5]Additional Resources:
http://www.gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/decew.shtml
http://www.gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/decewlower.shtml