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Hike Info

N43.240644 W079.960028

16 km or 13 km if the Sawmill Creek Trail (45 min) is omitted.

5 h

Beginner

NA

This hike in Dundas Valley follows the Niagara Escarpment edge for some distance encountering four Ancaster waterfalls along the marked trail map (and one nearby by car). Some hills and steep declines with a few busy roads to cross. Very popular trail system in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area.

The Tiffany Falls lot is now a pay lot. You can park for free roadside at Sherman Falls (limited parking)

The Trail Centre has indoor washrooms, sheltered picnic tables, drinks and snacks available. Open daily 8 -3 pm in summer season; and 8 -5 pm weekends all year.

At the Trail Centre; Hermitage ruins, The Gatehouse; Griffin House

12 Oct 2008, Sept 2009, August 2018

Not wheelchair accessible

December 2020: A new trail configuration is in place between Sherman and Canterbury Falls thanks to the generosity of a landowner granting passage of the Bruce Trail on their land. The main Bruce Trail now flows from Lions Club Road westbound into the Dundas valley Conservation Area. With that, two new side trails have been laid out as shown in the revised Trail Map. These are the Canterbury Falls Side Trail and the Artaban Road Side Trail.

Update 2016: Parking restriction on Lions Club Rd The City of Hamilton has installed “No Stopping” signage on Lions Club Rd. Parking on this road is no longer recommended. A new parking area has been provided by the Conservation Authority on Artaban Rd within Dundas Valley Conservation Area. A day-use fee is in effect. Update 2020: see new trail map 

You can omit the Sawmill Trail and the Homestead Trail to shorten the hike.

Tiffany & Sherman falls; The Hermitage; Griffin House; The Old Oak; Trail Centre art displays.

X-country skiing; snowshoeing

 

The Site

The Dundas Seven Waterfalls

From Tiffany Falls, the suggested route of this Dundas Waterfalls hike follows the main Bruce Trail to Sherman Falls. It then enters the Dundas Valley Conservation Area where the Bruce Trail joins with the named Dundas Valley trail system following the Heritage Trail, the Main Loop and the Homestead Trail to pass Hermitage and Heritage Falls. At the Trail Centre, Sawmill Creek Trail forms a large loop to the north, retuning to the Trail Centre and then on to the Monarch Trail which loops back to near Sherman Falls.

Tiffany Creek below the falls

Trail Centre: The trail centre is a Victorian reproduction of an old railway station. Beside the station is a short section of railway track with an executive coach car that was built in 1929. The Canadian Pacific Railway donated this car to the Conservation Authority in 1978 along with the 1931 baggage car accompanying it.

Sulphur Springs: Located near Sulphur Springs Road (across the road) is the spring that fed the Sulphur Springs Hotel's mineral spa in the 1800's. The waters were considered to have curative properties and hence the Hotel was a popular summer destination. The Hotel closed in 1910 due to two fires. The stone structure was recently rebuilt.

The Hermitage: Built in 1855 by a Scottish settler named George Gordon Browne Leith, this once magnificent stone mansion is now a ruins due to a fire. Take a look at the stones in the remaining structure. The red brick is from the Dundas Valley and the limestone sills were quarried in the nearby Credit River Valley. Much more about this and the haunting in hike L12 Dundas Valley Headwaters Trail.

The Old Oak: At the bottom of the apple orchard at the intersection of the Main Loop and Monarch Trails is a White Oak tree that is approximately 150 years old.

Griffin House: The house stands as a testament to the bravery and determination of black men and women who journeyed to freedom in Southern Ontario by the Underground Railroad. Griffin House offers tours and black-history-related programs as part of the Black Heritage Network. This unique historic site is situated atop a hill overlooking the Dundas Valley.  Public visitation is available holiday Mondays from May to October and during Open Doors.

Gatehouse Museum: This museum, built around the same time as the Hermitage, once housed the gatekeeper and his family. Now it holds in glass display cases some of the history of the Hermitage and the family who lived there. Behind the museum the Ancaster Creek tumbles over the Hermitage Falls before winding its way through the valley.

commentThe Dundas Seven Waterfalls hike takes you on a fine journey to seven waterfalls in the Ancaster area of Dundas that you will enjoy immensely. Beginning at beautiful Tiffany Falls, the trail leads to enchanting Sherman Falls, passes both Canterbury Falls and Little Caterbury Falls as well as the Hermitage Falls and Heritage Falls. The nearby Mill Falls is definitely worth a vist as well to complete the tour. The recently upgraded trail at Tiffany Falls is a huge improvement form the previous dangerous high trail, and the new observation platform is a plus. My sister, Joan, thinks Sherman falls in it's spring setting is one of the prettiest waterfalls she's ever seen.

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Comments (3)
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You can see the Mills Falls if you get on the Heritage Trail that connects to Bruce Trail between Point 5 and 6. It leads to Old Dundas Road and you can take a stroll in the neighbourhood. Very nice area!
Comment was last edited about 7 years ago by Jack Jenn
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I did this hike recently (August 2018). Even with the trail closure between 004 and 005, there's a way to salvage this route and make it (more or less) a loop, while respecting the land owner's "no trespassing".

After seeing Sherman Falls, the...

I did this hike recently (August 2018). Even with the trail closure between 004 and 005, there's a way to salvage this route and make it (more or less) a loop, while respecting the land owner's "no trespassing".

After seeing Sherman Falls, the trail connects with Lions Club Road. From there, walk west along Lions Club Road for 1.1 kilometers. The paved road eventually turns into a gravel path. You'll then reach a signing indicating "Dundas Valley Conservation Area - Merrick Parking Lot".

Continue past the gate (admission is free for hikers and cyclists). In a short distance (300 meters?), on the left, there will be a trail heading uphill into the woods. The turnoff isn't marked, but it will be fairly obvious.

After 100-150 meters, turn left and continue on for several minutes. Eventually you'll arrive at Canterbury falls. (Just past the falls, you'll see the other side of the "no trespassing" sign - so this route bypasses the entire area that's closed). After, continue on normally from Canterbury Falls.

It's not perfect (you have to do some road walking instead of trail walking, and this extends the route by around a kilometres) - but in my opinion it salvages this nice route. See map attached.

On a semi-related note - at Groundhog Hill, what was the "young man here reading a book aloud to his girlfriend lying in the grass". Was that a statue? I may have missed it.

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Peter Albert
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I have updated the trail map and hike to take your update info into account. Thanks for this alternate path to maintain the loop. As for the Groundhog Hill incident that was a real event I encountered while scouting out the hike years ago.

Jack
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