Bruce Trail and Waterfalls-Ancaster,Ontario

Bruce Trail -- Starting at Wilson Street -- April 3, 2010 Total route was 8-10 km total and, of course, I did some ascending and descending. Today's hike: about 2.5-3 hours. Moderately easy, with a few trickier bits. Being Saturday morning Bus travel takes a little longer and requires a second transfer from the Mohawk West to Meadowlands Terminal to the Ancaster 16 to my starting point of Wilson and Old Dundas. From Wilson at Old Dundas Head north on Wilson St E toward Rousseaux St 800 m Turn right at Montgomery Dr 650 m Turn left to stay on Montgomery Dr 300 m. This will take you quickly to Tiffany Falls. 1. Tiffany Falls (Hamilton, Ontario) Follow the trail from the Tiffany Falls parking lot into the woods to the right of the creek bed. Two new bridges and a wide gravel pathway leads you to the falls. The creek bed rounds a corner and there is front of you is the impressive and pretty cascading Tiffany Falls with a new observation platform. There is a trail up the side of the gorge to the left of the falls that leads to another Tiffany Falls –the upper falls which has a height of 6.5 m and a crest of 7 m. This is a rather steep trail up and the trail is usually wet so be careful if you decide to view the upper falls. After viewing the falls retrace your steps to the parking lot. To access the main Bruce trail you need to cross busy Wilson Avenue. Be careful here! 2. Once across, take the short access trail down and go left on the main trail. This is an interesting section of the trail with some very rocky portions. You might see a few deer in the area. The trail comes out onto Old Dundas Road. Be careful crossing this road to pick up the main Bruce Trail on the other side. 3. As you leave the road and enter the Bruce Trail system once more, you can see and hear Sherman Falls ahead of you. The trail crosses a wooden bridge in front of the Falls. It’s a steep cascade with a wide ledge about two-thirds of the distance down. This is one impressive waterfall to explore. 4. Leaving the Falls, the trail climbs a dirt hill and follows along a fenced-off field and then goes back into the woods and follows the winding edge of the escarpment. I spotted these birds along the way. 5. Around a rock face there is another small waterfall (Canterbury Falls?) as the creek runs down into the gorge. 6. The trail meets a gravel pathway called the Heritage Trail and continues straight ahead. This trail is part of the Dundas Valley Conservation area series of marked trails. The trail comes to a corner, makes a right turn and then goes downhill and follows a small almost dry creek bed. At the bottom of the hill there is a small junction and the trail goes left crossing a small wooden bridge. Before reaching this bridge, Hermitage Creek flows down the side of the escarpment resembling more of a waterslide than a waterfall or a rapid. Hermitage Falls is a short distance further upstream.