Naturally, Hamilton! A Guide To the Green Spaces of Hamilton and Area
Dundas Valley Conservation Area
Trails
Royal Botanical Gardens
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| West Hamilton - South Shore (206 ha): | ||||
|
Ginger Valley Ravine Road Calebs Walk Forsythe Arnott's Walk Kingfisher Pt. South Shore |
1.3 km 1.3 km 516 m 357 m 1.1 km 224 m 4.2 km |
hilly easy easy easy moderate hilly hilly |
1. Paisley Ave., parking available. 2. Macklin Rd., parking available. 3. Cootes Dr., park on shoulder of road. |
Trails are connected through Cootes Paradise to Princess Pt. Trails mainly in hardwood forest containing 400 year old oaks. Trail also follows edge of marsh and Spencer Creek. Wildlife abounds. Several boardwalks. |
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Dundas - North Shore (259 ha): | ||||
|
Captain Cootes Marshwalk Grey Doe Homestead MacDonell Pinetum |
3 km 576 m 787 m 552 m 742 m 2 km |
moderate hilly hilly moderate easy moderate |
1. Old Guelph Rd. parking lot. Admission fee in summer. 2. York Rd., small parking lot. |
Marsh boardwalk and trails along the water edge. Nature Centre. Ravine through hardwood forest. Boardwalk on Grey Doe Trail. Many open areas with late summer-autumn wildflowers. Hardwood trees and conifer stands. |
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Burlington - Hendrie Valley (100 ha): | ||||
| Bridle Yellowjacket Tollhouse |
950 m 1.3 km 1.5 km |
moderate moderate moderate |
1. Valley Inn Rd., small parking lot. 2. Via Laking Garden on plains Rd., parking lot; Admission in summer. 3. Large parking lot on Plains Rd. across from Royal Botanical Gardens' Headquarters. 4. End of Unsworth Drive off Plains Rd. West. |
All trails are near Grindstone Creek and several ponds in the valley. Marshes, wooded slopes, boardwalk. Look for spawning salmon and trout in creek in autumn. |
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Flamborough - Rock Chapel (75 ha) | ||||
| Escarpment Armstrong |
2.8 km 827 m |
easy hilly |
1. Rock Chapel Rd. | View of Borer's Falls, overlooks Cootes Paradise, Maple Syrup/Pancake Breakfast (March only), Geology exhibit, springs. |
Hamilton Conservation Authority
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| East Hamilton - Felker's Falls: | ||||
|
Peter Street Trail Escarpment Edge Trail through woodlot |
822 m 487 m |
easy easy |
1. Take Mud St. to Paramount Drive to Ackland St. | Trails constructed for use by wheel-chairs and visually impaired. Trail guides available for the visually impaired. Waterfalls, view of the city. |
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Dundas - Dundas Valley Conservation Area (1012 ha): | ||||
| Headwaters Spring Creek Heritage McCormack Monarch |
0.5 km 3.3 km 1.8 km 7.5 km 8.3 km |
moderate moderate moderate moderate moderate |
1. The Gatehouse on Mineral Springs Rd. 2. Dundas Valley Trail Centre. 3. Old Dundas Rd. 4. Dundas Valley Trail Centre. 5. Old Dundas Rd. |
Trail Centre, cross-country skiing, Hermitage ruins, Gatehouse museum, Carolinian Canada site, hardwood forest. |
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Flamborough - Christie Conservation Area (336 ha): | ||||
| Around the Lake | 8 km | moderate | 1. Follow Hwy. #5 west of #6. | Wildlife management area, beach, cross-country skiing, trout ponds for fishing. |
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Flamborough - Valens Conservation Area (284 ha): | ||||
| The Boardwalk | 10 km | easy | 1. Valens Rd. north of Hwy. #8. 2. Regional Rd. 197 west of Hwy. #6. |
Wetland, boardwalk, observation towers, cross-country skiing, lake, camping, waterfowl, fishing. |
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Flamborough - Spencer Gorge Conservation Area (54 ha): | ||||
| Bruce Trail | easy to difficult | Harvest Rd. east of Brock Rd. | Waterfalls, views of gorge, Bruce Trail connects this conservation area and Webster's Falls. | |
Rail Trails (Hamilton Conservation Authority)
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail | 32 km | easy | Seven nodes or small parks along the trail: West Hamilton, Sanctuary Park, Dundas Valley, Binkley Road, Old Highway 52, Field Road in Jerseyville, and Brantford Jaycees Trailhead and Parking Area. | Travels from west Hamilton through the middle of the Dundas Valley Carolinian forests, then through rural landscapes to Brantford. Connections to Dundas Valley trails. Biking, hiking, walking, wheelchair and horseback access. |
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Chippewa Trail | 15 km | easy | Three nodes are proposed: Stone Church Road and Dartnall Road, Glanford Station, and Regional Road 66 north of Caledonia. | Travels through urban and rural areas. Crosses through the watersheds of the Red Hill Creek, Twenty Mile Creek, Welland River, and the Grand River. Biking, hiking, walking, wheelchair and horseback access. |
City of Hamilton / City of Burlington
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Bayfront Trail | 2 km | easy | Bayfront Park and Cootes Paradise Fishway. | Travels along shore of Hamilton Harbour, along Desjardins Canal and into Cootes Paradise at the Fishway. Connects to Desjardins Trail that goes to RBG's Princess Point and South Shore Trails. |
| Trail Name | Length | Ease | Access | Highlights |
| Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail | 10 km | easy | Spencer Smith Park in Burlington, Van Wagner's Beach/Confederation Park in Hamilton. | Travels along sandy beaches, through green, well-treed parks, and past historic beachfront homes. |
Bruce Trail — Selected Access Points
(Look for the obvious white trail blaze markings painted on trees)
| King's Forest Park at mountain brow, Hamilton (numerous locations) Devil's Punchbowl at Ridge Rd., Stoney Creek Battlefield Park at King St., Stoney Creek Felker's Falls Conservation Area Dundas Valley Conservation Area Dundas Train Station on Hwy. #8 mid-way up the escarpment Spencer Gorge Conservation Area RBG Arboretum (Headquarters of the Bruce Trail is located there). |
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