When someone mentions Hamilton, Ontario, the first thoughts that come to mind for most people are inevitably, “Steel town of Ontario” or “home of the Hamilton Tigercats”. What many people don’t realize, even many of the residents, is that Hamilton happens to be the City Of Waterfalls. The Greater City Of Hamilton – comprising of Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough and Waterdown is situated right along the Niagara Escarpment. Of course, where there is an escarpment, there are going to be waterfalls, and plenty of them. At last count, there were over 140 waterfalls and cascades in Hamilton. Some of these are very small and rarely flow, while others are quite large and very popular as tourist attractions.
A Quick Checklist of the Must-See Waterfalls in Hamilton
If you know a little about the Hamilton waterfalls, then you would have heard of the most popular ones – Webster’s and Tew’s Falls in the Spencer Gorge in Dundas, Albion Falls on Hamilton east mountain and The Devil’s Punchbowl in Stoney Creek. However, the smaller ones, while not quite as magnificent, are well worth the hike off the main trails to visit. Canterbury Falls in Ancaster is located on the Canterbury Side Trail of the Bruce Trail. It has good flow in the spring and is a nice hike. It is especially pretty in autumn after a good rainfall. Another gem is Billy Green Falls located a very short walk from Centennial Parkway. You will find here that there is only room for a few cars as you park on the shoulder. During the summer, this waterfall is almost completely hidden by trees and not many people know it is there. Another overlooked waterfall is Little Davis in Stoney Creek. It is located in Little Davis Creek which is downstream of Felker’s Falls. Another rarely visited waterfall is Scenic Falls found on the Chedoke Radial Trail on Hamilton west mountain, just off Scenic Drive. It is a tough one to access from the bottom, but it is a beautiful hike as you walk up to get there.
The City Of Waterfalls Initiative—What We Do
This initiative was launched to promote the waterfalls found throughout Hamilton. It is a completely volunteer group made up of people who love getting out in nature and exploring what their local area has to offer. As a group, we participate in waterfall walks, clean-ups and of course, our now somewhat famous illuminations. If you are interested in waterfalls and have never been to one of our illuminations, you are missing out! While they don’t occur that often, (usually just once or twice a month), they are definitely worth seeing. The volunteers will pick a waterfall that has easy access and bring with them up to 2.5 billion candlepower of spot lamps fitted with various colours of gels in order to light up a waterfall. In return, all they ask for is a non-perishable food donation for the local food banks.
Interested to Know More?
Information on the Hamilton waterfalls can be found at www.cityofwaterfalls.ca. You can also follow us and like our Facebook Group www.facebook.com/groups/cityofwaterfalls.ca which has over 20,000 members. A hard copy of the Cascades & Waterfalls of Hamilton brochure containing information and a map can be picked up at Upper Gage Garage – 451 Upper Gage Ave, Hamilton.
Jay Poel – Lead Volunteer for the City Of Waterfalls
