Princess Louise waterfall with two kids sitting up on one of the higher ledges

There are waterfalls in Orleans and Princess Louise Falls are impressively beautiful and large to be found right on the edge or a residential neighbourhood!

It’s a great spot for a short outing and, depending on how adventurous your kids are and how comfortable you are with a spot of danger, your kids can have a blast climbing up the falls and exploring the surrounding woods and area.

How do you get there?

Princess Louise Falls are located just off of St Joseph Blvd. in Orleans and back onto the Fallingbrook area. You can access it by parking on one of the streets just off of St. Joseph (I have parked on 1st avenue by Cumberland Kanata Landscaping) or you can park up the hill and come towards the waterfall from the top. The St. Joseph route requires less climbing / hiking / balance.

Map of Princess Louise area with black line and arrow showing the walking path to reach the Falls if parking up the hill.

If you park up the hill you can get to the Falls from one of the paths from Princess Louise or from Brookridge Crescent. From the top there are extra paths and bridges that you and the kids can explore. To get to the Falls from above you can either climb down the very steep edges of the falls (something my kids have certainly done) or take the longer less steep route down (though you’ll still need good shoes and be aware that anyone who isn’t comfortable with steep hills and a bit of climbing might find this difficult)

The climbing

My kids especially love climbing up and down and exploring the area. I personally get a bit nervous watching them but they seem quite surefooted and certainly not the only kids exploring in the same way. Again, if you’re not quite comfortable with climbing it could be difficult for you to keep up with some of the less nervous kids. My kids were 11 and 13 when we first went making it easier for me to be OK with them climbing up - plus it made for some nice photos. :)