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Click on text in image above to view the selected item -select A or B for desired Trail Map

For Balls Falls click here     For Beamers Falls click here       For Thirty Mile Creek Falls click here

Louth Falls

THE SITE: Louth Falls is located where 16 Mile Creek tumbles over the limestone of the Niagara Escarpment.  This small falls is located in a deciduous forest where the landscape develops when exposed limestone is eroded chemically by weak acids in precipitation. The shallow trenches you can see probably began as joints in the bedrock, which over time were enlarged by chemical erosion.

THE HIKE: From the back of the parking lot follow the path into the woods. Watch for the blue sign for the Louth Side Trail. Follow the blue blazed side trail through the deciduous forest. The trail swings right crossing a creek before coming close to the boundary of the Louth Conservation Area. Here the trail swings left again at the sign pointing to 7th parking and crosses a small creek. Watch for the white Bruce Trail blazes and turn left following these to Louth Falls.

.After viewing the falls, the river bed above the crest is interesting to explore. Head back to the main white blazed trail and follow to a T-intersection. Some walking fern can be found on rocks in this area. Turn to your right and head up the hill.  Follow this main white blazed trail along the escarpment edge back to the road where you can examine the gorge to the left of the parking lot. Also cross Staff Ave to view the deep ground fissures there and the puzzling flow of water. Return to the parking lot.

Ball’s Falls

THE SITE: Ball's Falls Conservation Area is a Historical Park. The discovery and settlement of Ball's Falls resulted indirectly from the American Revolution. The remaining colonies that remained loyal to the British migrated North to Upper Canada in search of new homes. On October 13, 1807, 1200 acres of land was sold to John and George Ball beginning the Ball tenure of these historic lands which lasted for more than a century and a half.

Restored and maintained by the Niagara Peninsula Conservations Authority, the site occupies over 80 hectares (200 acres) of the original 480 hectares (1200 acres) purchased by the Ball brothers. George Ball constructed grist, saw, and woolen mills, which lead to the growth of one of the first communities in this area. The hamlet was known as Ball's Mills, Louth Mills, Glen Elgin, and finally as Ball's Falls because of the two delightful waterfalls on the property. In the mid 1800's, however, significant developments such as the railway and the Welland Canal led to the rapid growth of other villages below the escarpment, and by the turn of the century, most of the activity at Balls Falls had ceased.

The site lovingly restored to its early 1800's atmosphere, now features an operating flour mill, a lime kiln, a church, family home, blacksmith shop, carriage shed, and more. In addition to its historical interest, Ball's Falls is also a centre for nature activities, offering a tremendous diversity of flora and fauna as well as excellent exposures of geologic strata.

 Ball's Falls conservation area is home to 471 species of vascular plants including Wild Sarsaparilla, Green and White Trilliums, Wild Ginger, Wild Geranium, Virginia Bluebells, Canada Yew, Arrowhead, Wild Leak, Asparagus, Wild Yam, Red Mulberry, Wild Columbine, Canada Anemore, Chokecherry, Virginian Creeper, St. John's Wort.
Ball's Falls lies within what is known as the deciduous forest zone. Hardwoods mixed with coniferous trees predominately characterize this area. Species include Eastern Cotton Wood, Butternut, Black Walnut, Shagbark, Hickory, White Oak, Tulip Tree and Slippery Elm.

THE HIKE: From the road curve parking area, locate the blue marked side trail that heads down into the woods. Follow this trail along the edge of the escarpment as you gradually descend down the escarpment. After a stiff climb back up, a set of metal stairs brings you down to the historic Ball’s Falls Conservation Area. Here you will find numerous historical displays and display boards outlining the features of both the falls and the conservation area. A good stone viewing area is provided to give you good views of the large falls. Picnic tables and washrooms are available here and it is a good place for lunch.

After viewing Ball’s Lower Falls and displays, head down to 6th Ave and either cross the bridge to your right of descend to the river bank and cross the small footbridge there. Across the river, turn left and follow the path on the west bank of Twenty Mile Creek. Stop to examine the ruins of the old woolen mill. It was built by George ball in 1824 and used water diverted 100 m from the Upper Falls to power machinery that ran in the mill to manufacture fabrics. Continuing along the path will bring you to a flat stone viewing area with a metre high stone wall to keep the public back from the dangerous edge of Ball’s Upper Falls. Many people climb over this wall for a closer view. If you decide to do so, exercise extreme caution. In the summer when there is only a trickle of water you can walk out onto the crest of the falls for a great view down the gorge. I find the Upper Falls more interesting than the more viewed lower falls. In summer it is not uncommon to see young people near the foot of the falls navigating the (slippery) rocks. At the far edge of the gorge a large volume of water has found its way under the caprock creating an almost separate waterfall. The caprock in this area is quite unstable.

Leaving the falls try the alternate route back to your left which travels through the woods high above the original path and gradually descends down to the road and the bridge. Retrace your path back to the parking lot.

Beamers Falls

THE SITE: Beamer Conservation Area is located on the Niagara Escarpment, immediately above the town of Grimbsy and about 2 km south of the south shore of Lake Ontario. The conservation area encompasses the steep-sided, north-south gorge of Forty-Mile Creek, which is carved into the escarpment. The 5 m high Beamers Falls is located at the head of the gorge. The north-facing cliffs of the escarpment are exposed. The drier uplands support forests of oaks, hickories, maples and hemlocks, the steep-sided gorge slopes. The cliff faces are predominantly covered by White Cedar, some of which may be centuries old. The escarpment slopes have forests mainly of Sugar Maple and White Ash, but include other Carolinian species. A small abandoned quarry provides habitat for several species of amphibians and reptiles. Grimsby Point, at the northwest edge of the gorge, is an exposed rocky outcrop overlooking the Forty Mile Creek valley and the Lake Ontario plain.

The most common bird species are the Turkey Vulture and the Red-shouldered Hawk. This is likely a reflection of the recent population increase of Turkey Vulture in Canada. Other species recorded in large numbers include Sharp-shinned Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, and Red-tailed Hawk. Beamers is significant as a concentration point for migrating raptors because of its physiography. The Niagara Escarpment is oriented almost parallel to the southwestern Lake Ontario shoreline. In many locations, the cliffs of this escarpment are up to 20 m high. Often on many days in March and early April strong updrafts occur along the cliff rim as a result of the microclimate. The migrating hawks take advantage of these updrafts. The added feature that helps concentrate hawks at Beamers is a change in the orientation of the escarpment. At this point, the distance between the escarpment and the Lake Ontario shoreline is at its lowest. As well, the escarpment surface is at a much higher elevation than the plain. All these features bring larger concentrations of hawks over the escarpment at Beamers relative to other locations along the escarpment. After mid-April, when prevailing winds tend to have a southerly component, birds usually pass over the park in the early part of the day, then pass to the south as thermals form over nearby farmlands.

THE HIKE: From the parking lot, head to your left as you face the gorge. There is a high earth berm to prevent people from falling into the gorge. I have seen people jump up on top of this berm and almost go over the edge, so be careful. Follow the path along the edge of the gorge for good views of the falls. Go uphill and cross the bridge to the other side. There you will see a laneway past some houses that leads into the conservation area. Follow this blue side trail along the edge of the escarpment until you come to a juncture in the trail. Here you will meet the main Bruce Trail. Instead look for a gravel pathway and follow that trough the woods keeping to your left. You will emerge into an open field with a washroom and a hawk watching tower.

 Look for a path to your right and enter the woods once again joining up with the main Bruce trail. The trail loops trough the woods before it arrives at Grimsby Point which is utterly spectacular affording incredible views of Grimsby below. Follow along the escarpment edge visiting the numerous lookout and hawk/vulture watching platforms. When you come to a well placed rest and observation bench you will observe that the main Bruce Trail descends down the steep embankment. Do not follow the Bruce Trail down but rather look again for the blue side trail and retrace your path back to the parking lot. The spellings Beamer’s Falls and Beamers Falls are both in common use.

Thirty Mile Creek Falls

THE SITE: This is a small cascading series of waterfalls as Thirty Mile Creek flows over the rocky edge of the escarpment. The Thirty Mile Creek headwaters forest is a large wet wooded area (84 ha) that contains predominantly Red and Silver Maple, Swamp White Oak, Eastern Cottonwood, Slipper and White Elm, and Pignut Hickory.

THE HIKE: From the parking area continue to the road intersection ahead and turn right walking downhill. On your left part way down you will see a Bruce Trail sign and a log across the start of the trail. Cross this log down into a wet marshy area and follow the path to a bridge across Thirty Mile Creek. The cascading waterfalls are at your feet. From this vantage point it seems to be one small falls. Look behind you and up the hill to see a second waterfalls. By crossing the bridge and walking along the gorge on the other side you can see that it is a series of cascading waterfalls all the way to the bottom of a very deep gorge. Both sides of the gorge provide good views. In dry periods you will see only a gully of rocks devoid of water. Spring is the best time to view all of these waterfalls. Across the gorge you will see several caves lining the gorge wall that may have been used for shelter by early explorers to the area. Some of these caprock overhangs extend 3 to 4 m out from the wall. Several trees exhibit octopus like roots that wrap around rocks gripping as out of fear of falling into the gorge.

Continue along the gorge edge until you come to a small wooden bridge over a creek. There is not much point in going further so return back to the road and your parking spot.

Enjoy the hike and the day.

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