Naturally, Hamilton! A Guide To the Green Spaces of Hamilton and Area

Naturally, Hamilton!

Naturally Hamilton: Our Home, Our Future Red Hill Valley Biological Diversity: What is it? Does it exist in Hamilton? Wildlife Hotspots Vistas and Waterfalls Hiking Trails Site List of Wildlife Hotspots, Vistas and Waterfalls Site Map of Wildlife Hotspots, Vistas and Waterfalls Local Environmental Organizations

Hiking

Residents and visitors to Hamilton and Halton regions have access to extensive hiking trails which take them through many terrains: forested river valleys, wetlands, hardwood forests, meadows and the Niagara Escarpment.

Five organizations manage and maintain local hiking trails: Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton Conservation Authority, Conservation Halton, Bruce Trail Association and the City of Hamilton. Information is also provided on the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail, originally developed by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and now maintained locally by the Cities of Burlington and Hamilton.

Royal Botanical Gardens

In addition to its many fine horticultural displays, the Royal Botanical Gardens manages 1,000 hectares of conservation lands. The Cootes Paradise Sanctuary preserves 800 hectares and includes a newly updated Nature Centre full of animals and interesting information about Cootes Paradise. The Rock Chapel property in the Flamborough area is located on the lip of the Niagara Escarpment close to Borer's Falls. Hendrie Valley in Burlington contains 100 hectares of wetland and woods along the lower Grindstone Creek which can be enjoyed from an elevated boardwalk. Excellent trail guides are available at the headquarters building and at the Nature Centre in the arboretum. For more information on trails, special events and horticultural displays, please call 905-527-1158 or visit www.rbg.ca.

Hamilton Conservation Authority

The Hamilton Conservation Authority operates 11 Conservation Areas totalling 3,100 hectares. Several Conservation Areas have trail systems for hiking and cross-country skiing.

The Conservation Authority has constructed trails throughout 1,000 hectares of the Dundas Valley, one of the region's most outstanding examples of the biological zone known as Carolinian Canada (see Biological Diversity). The Dundas Valley Conservation Area includes a trail centre located off Governor's Road west of Dundas.

Christie Conservation Area and Valens Conservation Area offer trails as well as swimming and fishing opportunities. At Spencer Gorge Conservation Area you can use the trail system to find the "peak" of the escarpment at the western end of the conservation area and enjoy the view of the gorge and Tew's Falls.

A hiking trail for the handicapped and visually impaired is located at the top of the Niagara Escarpment at Felker's Falls above Stoney Creek.

Abandoned railway lines have become a windfall for hikers and cyclists in our region. Two old railway lines are now specially surfaced as trails that everyone can use. These trails are barrier-free to ensure access by special needs users and also include areas for horseback riding. One trail extends from Hamilton to Brantford through the ecologically significant Dundas Valley. The other is the Chippewa Trail from Hamilton to Caledonia.

For more information on Conservation Areas and special events, please call 905-525-2181 or visit www.conservationhamilton.ca.

Conservation Halton

Conservation Halton has 11 Conservation Areas which are visited by 500,000 visitors each year. These properties consist of highly significant natural areas representing woodlands, valleys, wetlands and escarpment features. In total, 3,600 hectares have been acquired for preservation, conservation and enjoyment by watershed residents.

The major Conservation Areas include Hilton Falls, Mountsberg, Kelso/Glen Eden, Rattlesnake Point, Mount Nemo and Crawford Lake. All offer a wide variety of outdoor experiences ranging from scenic viewing, nature appreciation, hiking and cross country skiing to picnics and swimming. Mountsberg and Crawford Lake have conservation education centres which provide environmental and cultural interpretive programming to students and visitors.

For more information on Conservation Areas and special events, please call Conservation Halton at 905-336-1158 or visit www.hrca.on.ca.

Bronte Creek Provincial Park, located on the border of Burlington and Oakville, offers activities ranging from swimming in the acre-sized pool, to hiking on trails which wind along the top of the Bronte Creek Ravine, to learning how a farm operated during the nineteenth century by exploring the working farm located within the park.

For more information on Bronte Creek Provincial Park, please call (905) 827-6911 or visit www.ontarioparks.com/english/bron.html.

Bruce Trail Association

Through agreements with private landowners, the Bruce Trail offers hiking trail access along the Niagara Escarpment from Niagara through Hamilton and Halton all the way to Tobermory on Georgian Bay. In this area, many of the trails cross through lands owned by the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Conservation Authorities, and various towns and cities, as well as lands owned by private citizens. These citizens have graciously allowed hikers to cross their lands so that the entire trail is continuous accessible from Niagara to Tobermory. Many access points and side trails exist but volunteer hiking enthusiasts maintain and mark the main trail with upright, rectangular white marks on trees.

The Bruce Trail Association headquarters is located at Rasberry House in the Royal Botanical Gardens arboretum. The Bruce Trail Association publishes a guidebook giving details of the entire trail system. We have listed several easy access points for you to use but if you want more information, please call 905-529-6821 or visit www.brucetrail.org.

City of Hamilton

The city of Hamilton maintains an extensive network of trails in the Red Hill Valley which connect in the south with the Bruce Trail and in the north with Windermere Basin and the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail.

The city has converted another of the area's old rail lines into a trail known as the Escarpment Rail Trail. Beginning at the bottom of Wentworth Street and climbing the escarpment adjacent to the Red Hill Valley at Stone Church Road, the trail links with the Hamilton Conservation Authority's rail trail to Caledonia (Chippewa Trail, see above).

In the summer of the year 2000, the City opened the West Harbour Waterfront Trail, providing additional access to the bay. The new trail connects Bayfront Park in the city's north end with the Royal Botanical Gardens' (RBG) Cootes Paradise Nature Sanctuary, at the site of the "fishway", a mechanism designed to keep Carp from entering the marsh while allowing desirable species passage. The fishway is in operation most mornings from May to July. Contact the RBG to arrange for an opportunity to see it in operation. Once at the fishway, the hiker can continue on to RBG's Princess Point and the South Shore Trails.

For more information on the City's trails, parklands, and bikeways, please contact the City of Hamilton's Culture and Recreation Department at 905-546-2750 or visit www.tourismhamilton.com.

Waterfront Regeneration Trust

The Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail is a project of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and stretches from Trenton in eastern Ontario to the mouth of the Niagara River. The Burlington-Hamilton component of the trail features walks along sandy beaches, through green, forested parks, and past historic beach-front homes.

The Trust has produced a book (available in local bookstores) that outlines the entire length of the trail, known as "A Guidebook to the Waterfront Trail: Explore Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow along the Shores of Lake Ontario". For more information on the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail and other activities of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, please contact them at 416-943-8080, or visit www.waterfronttrust.com.