It’s obvious why Niagara Falls gets all the attention, but did you know there are a TON of other Waterfalls in the Hamilton area?
They’re not as big and thunderous as Niagara Falls and they don’t come with an abundance of overpriced trinket shops, but they’re still a great little excursion for your family.
A few weekends ago we visited two waterfalls. Tiffany Falls and Sherman Falls.
Hamilton Waterfalls Close to Home
Hamilton is known as the waterfall capital of the world and there are some good sites out there to help you navigate them. Such as http://www.waterfalls.hamilton.ca/ and http://tourismhamilton.com/hamilton-waterfalls and http://www.cityofwaterfalls.ca/
I chose Tiffany Falls and Sherman Falls for a few reasons;
- Easy access to the falls from the parking area (no long/difficult hiking with little ones and one of the paths is stroller friendly)
- Easy to get to these falls from the highway and close proximity to each other
- Free and almost free (Sherman Falls is free, Tiffany Falls was just 2 bucks for parking)
- Prettiness
As I mentioned in my About page, my husband and I are originally west-coasters and we still love spending time there. We are always on the lookout for hikes and trails in the Halton area that come close to that beautiful scenery (not fair I know, but we still look!).
These 2 waterfall areas are pretty close to meeting that criteria!
First up – Tiffany Falls
I really liked the trail to the falls and I would definitely go back. I’ve seen some pics of this area in the winter and I think it would be a neat spot to check out when everything is frozen over.
Tiffany Falls is located near Wilson St. E. and Lower Lions Club Rd. in Hamilton. There is a very small parking lot and if you are coming north on Wilson St. E. there is not a lot of warning that it’s coming up.
The trail to the falls is really beautiful and stroller friendly. It is not perfectly flat and you will encounter a few spots with some rocks and uneven ground. When you arrive at the falls, there is a viewing platform with stairs, but everything before that should be easily navigated with a stroller.
I think it took us a leisurely 10-ish minutes to reach the falls from our parked car.
My 5 year old and 3 year old easily walked the trail as I enjoyed the scenery.
Beautiful Trail and Bridges
There are 2 bridges that are very pretty and good photo spots. The first bridge is a little high and there is an open space under the railing. I felt like my 3 year old could slip out. There should be another rail running horizontally along the bottom to reduce the empty space. If you have very little ones, you might want to watch them on this bridge.
The trees and plants along the side of the trail were nice and green and you can hear the lovely sounds of the creek. There was a bench that you could sit and enjoy the scenery.
Our kids enjoyed picking up rocks and dipping their feet into the creek.
Parking at Tiffany Falls
The parking lot is small, we were there at 9:30am and lots of spots were taken. I don’t think people spend hours and hours here, so it might not be so tough to get a spot later in the day.
It’s $2 for an hour, which we thought was quite reasonable and it was more than enough time for us. There is machine to get your tickets and it accepts cash or credit cards.
Sherman Falls
Next up was Sherman Falls, just around the corner from Tiffany Falls.
Sherman Falls is located near the intersection of Old Dundas Rd. and Lions Club Rd. in Hamilton.
Although the path here isn’t stroller friendly, it is such a short walk to the falls that you can see if from your parked car.
There is a great bridge that provides a nice viewing spot for the falls. Apparently it’s also a popular spot for wedding photos in the Hamilton area.
Great ‘Hike’ for Really Little Kids Too
If you have really little kids, (or restless kids, who just want to get to the falls already 🙂 ) then this waterfall is for you!
As soon as you get out of your car you can see the falls in the distance and it only takes a minute or 2 to get to the falls.
This was the second time we visited these falls. The first time my daughter was only about 15 months old and I carried her on my back, no problem.
Much like Tiffany Falls (or any object in the universe near water), our kids were drawn to the creek and immediately wanted to dip their toes in it.
Unfortunately our kids seemed to be more interested in the water than the scenery, but I guess we have to start somewhere 🙂
Anyway, despite our kids’ grumblings at the end, we would go back to both of these falls and I think they are great spots to ‘hike’ with young kids to get introduce the to nature trails.
There is no official parking lot at Sherman Falls, most people park their car on Lions Club Rd. right at the intersection of Lions Club Rd/Old Dundas Rd. It is also free to park in this area.
Two Great Waterfalls Perfect for Young Kids
Both of these waterfalls are really easy to get to, have very little hiking involved and are practically free. Tiffany Falls is also stroller friendly.
Have you been to any of the other Hamilton waterfalls? Are they suitable for kids? Please let me know in the comments or connect on Facebook.
Have fun this weekend!
