Sunday 30 June 2013

Borer's Falls/Rock Chapel Walk, Flamborough, ON

It was such a nice sunny day so Gord and I headed to Flamborough (about a 50 minute drive west) to hike around the Borer's Falls/Rock Chapel Walk ... we'd never been there before.

With more than 100 years of history, Borer’s Falls was originally used to provide water power for the Rock Chapel Village Sawmill. Borer’s Falls is 15 metres high and can be seen year round. This mill was run by the Borer family. After years of land clearing throughout the area, the creek’s flow was altered to the point where it could no longer power the mill. Borer family descendants still live in the area today.


The trail is part of the Bruce Trail (885 km [550 mi]).

The Bruce Trail begins in the Niagara Peninsula of Southern Ontario in Queenston on the Niagara River, not far from Niagara Falls. From there it travels through the major towns and cities of St. Catharines where it passes through wine country near the Short Hills Bench. It continues due north through Hamilton, Burlington, Milton, Halton Hills, Walters Falls, Owen Sound, Wiarton and finally Tobermory.


After we parked, we walked to Borer's Falls.


A sign that we were on the Bruce Trail.

I walked down the short path to the top of the falls ... I stepped in the water and it was refreshing.


There's Gord on the bridge.


Here's looking down the falls.


I walked back towards the bridge and then walked under it.


There was quite a view of Hamilton and Dundas!


We walked back to the parking lot and then followed the Escarpment Trail (2.3 km [4.6 km return]).


Along the way, there were spots to stop and learn.


I found this remnant of another time in the woods.


Back on the trail ...

In March, you can get a maple syrup/pancake breakfast here.

Here are Gord and I on a look-off.


We veered off the Escarpment Trail and headed down to the Armstrong Trail (827m).


You have to climb down down down.  Thankfully these old steps were closed off ...


... and replaced with these ones.


And then it got more natural ...

Seriously?!  Someone left a coffee cup in the woods?!

Time to start heading back up up up again ...


We were back on the Escarpment Trail again ...


We took the Rock Chapel Trail to loop back to the parking lot.


Then the trail got less obvious but we kept going.


Look how high the grass and weeds were in some places!



Are you sure we're not just in a field?  Nope!  There's a trail sign.


The trail did lead us back to the parking lot.


Here are the trails we followed today ... the pink one is the Escarpment Trail, the dashed orange one is the Armstrong Trail (we started and ended it at the same spot [the bottom one] since the top entrance was closed) and the yellow is the Rock Chapel Trail.


It was a great day to be outside enjoying nature and getting some exercise.

1 comment:

Masshole Mommy said...

Oh, I would LOVE to have this near me!