Sherman Falls | TorontoHiking Ontario Waterfalls

Sherman Falls

Sherman Falls (Rating=A) is an impressive 17 m high Hamilton terraced ribbon waterfall where Ancaster Creek tumbles over the escarpment with two cascading drops and a wide flat ledge in between. It has a good year-round waterflow with a crest of 8 m.

LOCATION:	For Sherman Falls, at a stop sign where Old Dundas Road takes a sharp right, continue ahead on the dirt road in front of you which is Lions Club Road. There is free parking on Lions Club Road in Ancaster (Hamilton). Click on the Road Map button below for a Google road map and driving directions. The Falls Locator button shows a map of other waterfalls in the area.
ACCESS:	It is about 200 m to the waterfalls along the Bruce Trail on the East side of Ancaster Creek. A bridge over the creek provides a good viewing spot, but you can easily walk closer. Click on the Trail Map button below for area walking trails.

NEARBY FALLS	LAT	LONG	TYPE	H (m)	W (m)	SOURCE	FACING
Sherman Falls	N43.23814	W79.97280	terraced ribbon	17	8	Ancaster Creek	N
Canterbury Falls	N43.23696	W79.98042	ribbon cascade	9.5	3.5	Canterbury Creek	SW
Mill Falls	N43.23331	W79.97402	complex cascade	6	4.5	Ancaster Creek	N
Tiffany Falls	N43.23797	W79.95836	steep cascade	19	8	Tiffany Creek	N
Hermitage Falls	N43.23637	W79.99804	complex cascade	4	2.5	Hermitage Creek	N

Trail Map	Road Map	Falls Locator

ToHi WATERFALL RATINGS

Overall Rating: Sherman Falls = A

Waterflow: A -year round flow
Falls Size: A - > 15 m medium size
Aesthetics: A -beautiful waterfalls in an impressive green scenic valley.

THE SHERMAN FALLS AREA:

The falls was named after the well-known Sherman family who had a farm in the area. Members of the family were the founders of Dofasco in 1912. This falls is located on private property and has a good flow of water year round. The falls has had a few different owners in recent years. This is a beautifully scenic waterfall seemingly hidden away in a picturesque setting in the middle of a bustling area. At times, with the mist rising from the creek and the sun filtering and flickering through the trees, the scene is almost mystical. No wonder it has sometimes been called Angel Falls and Fairy Falls. Ice climbing is popular in the winter here.

sherman-falls Like nearby Tiffany Falls, the falls face consists of a top 5 m layer of dolostones with an underlying 5 m layer of grey shale. Under this are more layers of dolostone and a base of sandstone and grey shale. All around the gorge, the grey shale has been undercut by erosion, leaving a visible contact between this formation and the overlying dolostone layers. This undercutting results in the collapse of the overlying material and gives the cliffs a steep face. It is the lower dolostone layer that forms the prominent bench ledge in the waterfall. You can see this large unit of dolostone all around the gorge although it is fractured and jointed.

The lower rock layer at the base of the falls (mixture of sandstone and grey shale) is clearly visible but around the rest of the gorge it is covered by talus. [Talus is the loose rock created by physical weathering that lies at the base of a cliff.] Broken debris of various sizes litters the bottom of the waterfall including large pieces of dolostone that have fallen.

You may notice J-shaped trees in the area (as well as at Tiffany Falls.) These are indicative of active slope creep.

SHERMAN FALLS AREA WALKING TRAILS:

Bruce Trail, Tiffany Falls Access Trail, Artaban Rd trail to Monarch Trail. For a map of area trails, click on the Trail Map icon above.

sherman-falls From the parking lot on Lions Club Road or the walk-in from Tiffany Falls, the Bruce Trail crosses a wooden bridge over Ancaster Creek. The falls is right in front of you as you view the falls from it's base. It's very easy to walk right down to the creek bed and the foot of the falls. For a longer walk you can make the trek to nearby Tiffany Falls and back. The round trip is about 5.5 km and will take about 2 - 2.5 h.

To visit nearby Mill Falls, drive back along Old Dundas Road and look for the Ancaster Mill signs. Park in one of the lots. Mill Falls is behind the Ancaster Mill. In fact the restaurant spans the water and lines both sides of the stream. This is one beautiful spot.

UPDATE:

SHERMAN FALLS BRIDGE REPLACED AFTER 25 YEARS OF SERVICE - OCT 2010

From E-Notes of the Toronto Bruce Trail Club (Nov 3, 2010)

"The Sherman Falls bridge has been a landmark for over 25 years. Not only has it served as a viewing platform for one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Ontario, it has also facilitated safe passage for thousands of hikers along the Bruce Trail. It’s also a favourite prop for hundreds of wedding pictures. On any one day the bridge and falls receives dozens of visitors.

The bridge was originally built in the ‘80s by volunteers and with a generous donation from Stelco who provided the steel beams. The beams were assembled in 4 sections and bolted together. Over the years, wear and tear has taken its toll. It was time to replace the bridge. Through the gallant efforts of our volunteers, a generous donation from Siemens Fossil Power Generation, Hamilton, the permission of the landowner, and some help from Hamilton Conservation (talk about a team effort) the project was underway.

The trail was rerouted temporarily to allow safe passage for hikers around the construction area. The old bridge was dismantled. The railings and deck boards were removed and the discarded lumber was piled neatly to one side. Some of the salvaged lumber will be used again on future projects. The exposed steel beams weighing 1400 pounds, were carefully lowered into the streambed using cables and people power. Once on the ground, the beams were cut up into manageable pieces and carried to the nearby roadside to be salvaged.

The footings at each end of the bridge were reinforced. Wooded beams, 8”x8” were used plus logs, placed in a configuration to contain the existing supportive rock. Additional rock was added. The banks of the streambed were also reinforced to reduce the possibility of erosion. This part of the reconstruction was a two-day project in itself. Tons of rock were moved manually by our volunteers on each of the two days.

Lumber for the bridge was delivered to an off-site location for some preassembly. The two 36-feet long 8”x10” Douglas fir beams were shipped directly to the work site. Sixteen volunteers were on hand to receive them; the beams had to be carried from the roadside to the bridge location, a distance of about 150 m. They weigh approximately 500 pounds each. An ingenious device consisting of ropes and rollers was assembled to ease the big timbers into place. The deck boards were ailed down and the handrails were bolted into place.

Nine work parties, 540 volunteer hours and the job was done. For at least the next 25 years, thousands of hikers and visitors will use the new Sherman Falls bridge; it will be there in full view as a back drop in hundreds of wedding photos for years to come. It now becomes part of our heritage…well done volunteers."