Westcliffe Falls - Hamilton

I have been down in Chedoke Valley (Radial Trail) a few times since last winter, but haven't seen Westcliffe Falls yet.  You can hear the water from up top (Scenic Drive/Paradise Rd) coming into the gorge, but you can’t actually see anything from up there.   


There wasn't much of a flow to her at this time of year, but it promises to never dry up!  Westcliffe is one of several waterfalls you’ll see if you take the Iroquoia trail off Chedoke Radial.    It’s a terraced, ribbon cascade that stands about 15 metres high and has a wide chest of about 3 metres.  

The easiest way to get to it, is to go down the steel stairway (about 300 steps) and walk up the dirt footpath located on the left embankment from Lower Westcliffe / Lower Cliffview.  You will see it up on your right side once you are over the top.  


I took the hard way down and instead of using the stairs, I dragged and skidded myself down the side of the embankment wall until I reached the bottom of the gorge.  After a few cuts, scrapes and bruises, using the staircase (which is what I was trying to avoid) seems like a better choice....and a safer one!

Although the terrain is very rugged and sparse, there are still some very scenic views down in the valley here.  One of which is the really neat tiered staircase that has been carved out by glaciers as well.  This area would be best viewed though in the spring/summer or perhaps early autumn. 

more notes:
See Lower Westcliffe (Cliffview Falls) / Lower West on this blog  -  is a 4 metre high and 3 metre wide classic cascade waterfall found just north of the Cliffview Falls.

 

Kingston Mills waterfall and Rideau Canal Locks

The Kingston Mills was constructed under the direction of the commanding officer of the British garrison at Kingston in 1783.  He was told to construct both a saw and a grist mill to provide boards and flour for the Loyalist settlers arriving the following year.

He chose the site of the falls to be the Great Cataraqui River in 1784.  This site was one of the earliest mills sites in Ontario - soon more mills had succeeded shortly thereafter.  

In 1914 - 130 years later the present electric generating station was constructed to harness the power of the falls.

We climbed down around back of the Kingston Mills waterfall to find a low, small to moderate-sized cascade with a total height of about 8 metres.  We were lucky to find it in full flow because it can range from a trickle in summer to torrent in spring.  

Around dusk the sun casts a wide angle across the beach which is located just to the south of the mills.  An open park with shallow, sandy shorelines great for picnics and kid-friendly.  Directly just east of the falls are locks 46 - 49 on the Rideau Canal.

I hadn't been here since I was a child, and didn't recognize it at first until I saw some of the familiar historical landmarks which brought back memories.  

The Rideau canal was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on May 25, 1925 as part of the Rideau Waterway which was designated as a Canadian Heritage river in 2000.

The Rideau Canal is a series of lakes and rivers and connecting locks from Kingston to Ottawa for 202 km (125 miles). 

The Rideau canal was built between 1826 and 1832 by private contractors, John Redpath and Thomas McKay (I looked up Redpath to see if it was the same man who established the Redpath sugar refinery and found that it was)

The Rideau canal not only provided merchants from overseas to ship goods to Montreal and Ontario, but it also was critical in assisting in the defense of Canada by allowing boats to to travel to and from Montreal to the Great Lakes without having to travel down the St. Lawrence in potential gunshot range of the Americans.

It had officially opened in May 1832 and has been operating ever since.

The amazing thing about the locks is that they are still operated by hand, using the same mechanism that were used to operate the locks back in 1832.

There is something really special about being here.  No wonder so many millionaires have built homes along the St. Lawrence along with quaint cottages.  Yet still it all feels so undisturbed where young families are swimming in a sheltered bay while others are busy making sand castles.

It was such an awesome day.

Brockville Museum, The Mill and Brock trail

The Brock trail runs along the banks of the beautiful St. Lawrence River. The city was named after General Isaac Brock. It is also home of the famous "Pink Pills for Pale People" manufactured by George Fulford. His home is still standing today. 

The Brock Trail is a 8 km scenic pathway, part of the Ontario Waterfront Trail that runs along Brockville's beautiful waterfront and through city parks. The trail also moves north following Butler's Creek and Buell's Creek with the trail ending on Centennial Rd. at the southern border of the Mac Johnson Wildlife Area. 

Brockville Railway Tunnel

Trails are paved and can accommodate bicycles, roller blades, wheelchairs, and strollers. You might also want to visit the Brockville Railway Tunnel, Blockhouse Island, or one of the other parks along the river. Swimming, scuba diving, or just relaxing in one of the riverfront parks are popular activities. 

 

I had to wait until the rain stopped as the skies opened up when I pulled in the parking lot.  It was a very muggy day, so everyone was relieved by the downpour.  Kids were jumping in puddles, even some of the young moms gave up trying to hide under the trees and just allowed themselves to get drenched.

Once the last spell had lifted, I got out of the car and proceeded to the trail.  Just east of the parking lots is a large mill pond first created in the 1790s to serve Daniel Jones saw mill, located near the mouth of Jones' Creek.  

In the 1850s an additional grist Mill was operated by the Shepherd family.  The pond lasted for over 90 years, ans was drained about 1884 to allow for the construction of the CPR rail line to the waterfront.

A little further you can see the Isaac Beecher House.

The land was first granted to United Empire Loyalist Daniel Jones in 1790.  In 1824, Isaac Beecher bought the Jones property and in the 1840 he added the large stone house.  Beecher a tanner by trade owned the house until his death in 1870.  In 1897 the house and surrounded property was sold to the central Canada coal company in 1976 the City of Brockville with the assistance of the Brockville and district historical society bought the site to establish a permanent museum.

In 1981 after restoration and renovation, the Beecher house doors were opened as the Brockville Museum.

During the pandemic a lot of these indoor attractions are closed off from the public - if you're passing through you'll want to check out Brockville.  The homes especially are so unique.  A lot of the historical value is still kept in the small town.  I loved it.

Scenic Falls - Chedoke trail

We went to Hamilton's Chedoke trail for a change of scenery from Toronto.  I personally went for a challenge to ascend that 300+step staircase I remember I used to have so much difficulty with.  

During the COVID pandemic, some of my work colleagues have complained about gaining so much weight.  For me - it was quite the opposite for I used this time at home to improve my fitness level.  Nothing too intense, but a lot weight resistance training, stretches and a bit of cardio was all I did usually on a daily basis just to keep myself active and alert. 

 

We parked the car at the Paradise parking lot and descended the staircase to catch the Chedoke trail at the bottom.  Heading towards Scenic Falls I was really hoping to see some flow this time as I had never been here when there was enough to see.   

Through the trees I noticed some young hikers bounding the broken bridge hopping from one end to the other, looking way down at the cliff below taking risks as young people sometimes do.

I could hear the quiet rush of the water and knew that this time I would get lucky.  Standing to one side of the 65 foot (20 metre) waterfall, I didn't like the angle from above, so I knew I would have to make my way to the bottom if I wanted to get a half way descent shot without the trees in the way.

A few shots without a tripod and up I went climbing the hill to the top.  We did a final loop around to top a bit, but the weather was getting greyer and I was afraid the skies would open up on us.

We made our way back towards the car and now for the moment of truth.  There I stood at the bottom of the steel staircase that once was so grueling for me - I did the first 100 steps without stopping.  I rested on the platform to take a swig of water and to catch my breath - but in no time I was working my way to the top again which seemed surprisingly close.  All in all it wasn't a piece of cake but it was miles easier than I remembered it.    I sat in my car feeling quite proud - and hey I scored another picture for my waterfall collection to boot.

Remember the secret to happiness is progress.  Happy trails

Rockway Conservation Area

 I loved the Rockway Conservation area, located in Lincoln.  We parked at the Community Centre on the top of the hill.  The first thing you see entering into the gorge are the duo waterfalls off into the distance, which are unfortunately almost completely hidden behind trees.

As you can see by my photos, it's early spring but even with the sparse trees, there's no way you can take a decent shot of them.  I won't even post mine because I don't want to encourage anyone to take better pictures of them (which is easy to do! lol).

The first waterfall is known as Rockway Falls which is a ribbon cascade waterfall where 15 mile creek drops 18m into the gorge below.  It's one of four waterfalls in the immediate area and has a width of 4.5 m.   I wondered if there was a way to get a closer picture.  We spoke to a young guy taking photos down by the bridge, but he was unsure of how to get closer.


There also no barrier up top, and I'm sure by looking at the mud tracks, there are people who dare themselves to the extreme.

Really, it's not ever worth it, and if you are a social media buff, you've probably seen young people who take pictures of altitudes that would make you cringe.  I don't advocate thrill seeking behaviour and I think if we all encourage it, it won't ever go away.


Back to the trail-the path in it's worst state is mucky, slippery and slopy.  Wear well-treaded boots or shoes and be prepared to get dirty.  I love this kind of hike because it is good exercise, but there are plenty of trails here that are safe after all it is the Bruce Trail so it's pretty well maintained.

The trees are well marked and because it's early spring, we found a few divergent rivers caused by flooding.  Once you get into the valley near the bridge, you will see a very pretty cascading waterfall, which is a classical cascade water fall with a crest of 4.5 m and a drop of 5 m.   with an amazing flow from the 15 Mile creek.

Further down into the valley, there is another waterfall cascade which is best seen right after the rain, like you seen my pictures, I really can't complain about the water flow even if I was disappointed by many of my shots as I didn't bring my tripod!

I'm coming back again to this spot when the foliage is out,because I think this would be an absolute gorgeous here when the grass has grown.

All the conservation areas south of Jordan and around the St. Catherine's area are all beautiful.  We stopped for lunch just before the COVID-19 became a pandemic so now that all those places are closing down for the time being I will concentrate more on hiking and exploring and less on eating.

Good news for me as I love to do both!

Morningstar Mills Decew Falls

The Morningstar Mill was a working grist mill owned and operated by the Morningstar family in 1872.

Today you can visit the Morningstar Mill as a heritage property owned by the City of St. Catherines with partnership with the friends of Morningstar Mill.

The property has several accessible buildings still such as the grist mill and turbine shed, a saw mill, a blacksmith and carpenter's shed and the home of the Morningstar family.

Mountain Mills as it was called operated from 1883 to 1933.  It had three turbines.  One for the grist mills, another ran the saw mill and third ran a generator which provided private lighting on the property.    The grist mill turbine also ran an apple cider mill.  There was an orchard of apples, cherries, pears and peaches.  Local farmers would bring their horses and wagons and wait for their apples to be pressed into cider.  The nearby barn had a team of horses, a cow, chickens and pigs.


To make repairs in the grist and saw mills, the Morningstars had a blacksmith and carpenter shop located on the property.

When the Morningstars first purchased the Mountain Mills, the sawmill building was used as a community hall where local dances were held.  After a serious fight had ensued on the property they closed it down and converted it into a sawmill which continued to operate for over 40 years!

After Mr. Wilson Morningstar passed away, the sawmill was not maintained and was eventually dismantled.  The current sawmill was built by the Friends of Morningstar Mill in the 1990s.


I love history and especially when it applies to architecture.  I want to come back and revisit again to take a walk along the Laura Secord trail and the Bruce trail, which is just located directly behind the Morningstar house.

Albion Falls - Hamilton

Albion Falls is a great little waterfall located in Hamilton's east end at the top of Mountain Brow Road.  It's a 19 m classical and a cascade waterfall flowing down the Niagara Escarpment in Red Hill Valley, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 

It's a popular focal point of the King's Forest and has a year round flow so you won't be disappointed like some of the other waterfalls in Hamilton, which have a seasonal flow only.   

There's a nice hike here as well through the King's Forest.

 Although I prefer more of a curtain-like cascade, or a secluded waterfall, Albion is still a great one to view, especially for the first time.  

 

It's very accessible, as it has a parking lot right across the street - much for busy now than it was when I first started hiking here around 2008.   Back then the stairs were falling apart and there were some tricky hills to go down, to get closer for a bird's eye view, front and centre, but since there have been much overdue modifications.

.  You'll notice right away why it is categorized as a complex cascade as it has multi-level tiers and makes for a nice backdrop for simple wedding pictures.  I wouldn't suggest bringing the whole wedding party here, but certainly a pre-wedding romantic shot would be nice, which I've seen here plenty of times.   

 


There are many different vantage points for picture taking here, but for me it's been over-photographed, so it isn't a favorite of mine anymore.   It's kind of like that favorite song that gets played too much on the radio and you find yourself not wanting to hear it anymore!  Like I said for the first time viewer though, this is always a great start!

 

If you are chasing waterfalls - Don’t miss Hamilton’s Albion Falls—one of the city’s crown jewels #AlbionFalls #HamiltonHikes #OntarioAdventures #HiddenGems #NatureTherapy