Albion Falls
Albion Falls (Rating=A) is an impressive complex cascade waterfall 20 m in height and 10 m wide that has a good supply of water year-round from Red Hill Creek.
LOCATION
Albion Falls is located in the City of Hamilton at the southern end of the King's Forest Park property. Three free parking lots are shown on the Trail Map.
Falls Type: complex cascade Falls facing: NE
Latitude: N43.20043 Longitude: W79.81986
Height: 21 m Width: 7 m
Click on the Road Map button below for a Google map and directions. The Falls Locator button shows a map of other waterfalls in the area.
Access is good from each of the three parking lots. It is about a 600 m walk along wooded trails from the Mud St parking lot near Pritchard Street (recommended). Viewing this falls is wheelchair accessible from the northern parking lot off Mountain Brow Blvd. Click on the Trail Map button below for area walking trails.
ToHi RATINGOverall Rating: Albion Falls = A
Waterflow: A -year round flow from Red Hill Creek
Falls Size: A - > 15 m
Aesthetics: A -impressive, good shape, location rock formation, vistas, scenery.
Buttermilk Falls, Devil's Punch Bowl, Chedoke Falls, Felker's Falls
THE ALBION FALLS AREA:
Two new viewing platforms were built in 2006 to provide excellent views of the falls. A huge rainstorm in the summer of 2009 caused a significant change in the appearance of the falls. A large section of rock on the right side was shifted resulting in a new flat shelf area across the falls.
New rock slab at rightIn 1792 a grist mill was erected by William Davis in the new Barton Township near Albion Falls and used to grind the grains that the local farmers would harvest. Not far from the grist mill, a saw mill was also built to serve a small but growing community. This community hosted three hotels, a general store and a blacksmith shop. The grist mill changed hands a half dozen times over the years, but by the early 1900s the small vibrant village called Albion Mills was all but forgotten. Albion was a poetic version of the name Britain, and 'Mills' referred to the saw mill and grist mill which once had their home here. Not far from the original location of the mill, one of the mill stones has had a plaque anchored into it, and it rests in the King's Forest Park.
Albion Falls was once seriously considered as a possible source of water to supply the city of Hamilton. Rocks from the Albion Falls area were used in the construction of the Royal Botanical Gardens' Rock Garden.
The ravine at the Albion Falls has a legend of the Lover's Leap. The story is this: Early in the nineteenth century young Jane Riley, her love with Joseph Rousseau at an end, stood at the top of a steep cliff not far from the thundering Albion Falls and flung herself to the bottom 30 m below. The steep drop has since been dubbed "Lovers' Leap" and many tales have grown up about the suicide.
ALBION FALLS AREA WALKING TRAILS:
Mountain Brow Trail, Bruce Trail. For a map of area trails, click on the Trail Map icon above.
Look from viewing platformFrom the Red Hill Creek parking lot off Mud St, follow the wide main path out of the parking lot area. Very soon you will see a blue trail sign featuring the Mountain Brow Trail. Turn right and follow this trail through the woods and along an abandoned roadway. Approaching Albion Falls there is a good lookout point on the narrow path to your right. Take care here as you are right on the edge of the gorge. A low rail guard suggests you should not cross it for a better view. More than one person has fallen over the edge here so exercise extreme caution.
Back on the trail you will see the lovely Albion Falls in front of you. Its appearance has been spoiled by the rusty guardrail and the strikingly ugly concrete bridge that takes Mountain Brow Road over Red Hill Creek. One wonders who could ever have decided to build such a bridge there. Cross the bridge and walk to the park area on your right to follow the trail around the gorge. Good views of Albion Falls can also be gained on this side of the gorge especially with the two new lookout viewing platforms.
If you wish, you can continue along the escarpment edge until you arrive at Buttermilk Falls. While this falls will most likely be dry there are still excellent views of the gorge below. Continue around the gorge to the far side for more excellent viewing points. More about Buttermilk Falls here.
Then retrace your steps back to the parking lot. You can extend your walk into a 3.1 km loop by continuing along Mountain Brow Trail past Buttermilk Falls and along the Niagara Escarpment edge. The trail continues on the right of the guardrail on Mountain Brow Blvd until close to the curve in the road where the Mountain Brow Trail makes a U-turn and descends a rocky path to meet up with the main Bruce Trail. Keeping to the right and moving straight ahead, the trail descends further to cross Red Hill Creek and soon meets Mountain Brow Trail. Turning right and heading uphill will bring you back to the parking lot in 400 m.
NOTICE:
NOTE: Due to recent issues, NO PUBLIC ACCESS is permitted to the base. Visitors are required to stay on the marked trails and to view the falls from the viewing platforms and vista points provided. City of Hamilton Public Works
HIKES VISITING THIS FALLS:
L50F Albion Falls to Devil's Punch BowlALBION FALLS VIDEO:
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