A Journey to Hamilton

In late May, I went on my third major hike of the year. During my 28-kilometer trip, I passed through Hamilton, Dundas, Flamborough and Aldershot. The trip was more interesting than I expected; I’ve been to Hamilton several times to visit Dan but I never realized how much great scenery was just a few kilometers north of the city.

Nathan and I take the Go bus to Hamilton and start walking a few kilometers west of the downtown core. Hamilton is a large industrial city with ample commercial amenities, making it fairly uninteresting from a hiker’s perspective. We exit the city and head north, towards the large, unnamed mountain just outside of town. We slowly ascend the steep hill and get a great view of Hamilton from a lookout point at the plateau. Rich, green vegetation extends all the way to Lake Ontario; the downtown Hamilton skyline is clearly visible in the distance.


Spencer’s Gorge, a large conservation area featuring some of the most stunning and varied scenery in southern Ontario, is located a few kilometers up the road. The entrance, featuring a park with a stream, is unassuming. However, as I walk along the stream, I notice a faint rumbling in the background. Following the noise, I arrive at Webser’s Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Ontario. I descend using an old, creeky wooden staircase, into the heart of Spencer’s Gorge. Tall deciduous trees extend up from the muddy banks of the stream. The water flows rapidly before curving around a bend.


I notice a narrow, rocky ridge at the base of the waterfall, located a meter above the rapid-moving stream. Although it consists of soaking, crumbling rocks, covered in slippery algae, I think it’s just barely wide and stable enough to support me. Slowly and carefully, I walk along the narrow edge, putting my weight against the wall of the escarpment to ensure that I don’t follow onto the jagged rocks below. There’s a close call – I step on a combination of algae and dirt that immediately crumbles, but I grab onto the wall and barely keep my balance. After an agonizingly slow walk along the ledge, I finally make it to the rocky ridge directly behind the waterfall. Although I’m a meter behind the actual waterfall, Webster’s is so powerful that I’m soaked in a matter of seconds. Still, I sit there for a few minutes, enjoying the view and savoring the challenge.


After a slow, careful return to dry land, Nathan and I spend over an hour hiking through the vast wilderness within Spencer’s Gorge. Although there are some signs of human activity (shoe prints and litter), there are no formal trails in the gorge. Thus, the level of challenge (and safety) of this part of the hike is quite variable. Although many parts of the valley feature flat ground, there are many sections where we have to carefully step on stones to cross a stream, or maneuver along a narrow, muddy ledge elevated several meters above the river. We follow the river until we eventually reach a clearing, featuring railroad tracks and an otherwise empty field. Fortunately a few other hikers arrive within a few minutes and tell us about a shortcut that shaves five kilometers off our trip.


Following the hikers’ directions, we follow the railroad tracks for a kilometer until we find a sharp, ascending dirt path climbing up the side of the mountain. Eventually, we reach Dundas Peak, one of the most scenic lookout points in southern Ontario. The peak is a rocky, jagged ledge jutting out from the base of the mountain. It provides a great view of the Dundas and Hamilton skyline towards the south, and a vast, green forest to the north and west. There are no barriers or guardrails – the peak simply extends a few hundred meters above the forest floor below.


We spend the next hour hiking through the forest at the top of the mountain. Eventually, we find Tews’ Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Canada, located at the northeastern edge of Spencer’s Gorge. A small stream of water plunges over a 40-meter vertical drop in the rock formation. That’s only a few meters shorter than Niagara Falls, though obviously Tews’ Falls has much lower volume. The valley below (which is accessible by a hiking trail that we were unable to find) is clouded in mist from the falls, and features a lush, green forest. Incredibly, I see a few girls walking along the stream, a few meters away from the crest of falls. If they slipped, they would fall to certain death below.


After exiting Spencer’s Gorge, Nathan and I hike east for an hour through flat, desolate farmland. Although the landscape is less interesting than the unique topography of Spencer’s Gorge, it still provides a welcome variety in the scenery.


Eventually, the terrain becomes rockier and the farmland is replaced by cottages, ravines, and endless green fields. We nearly get lost but, surprisingly, find a Sikh temple among the rolling hills. A few men give us directions to get into town. Generously, they also offer us food, water and invite us to rest in the temple for a few minutes so we can avoid the hot sun.


Eventually, we reach Aldershot, a small town on the southwestern shore of Lake Simcoe. We walk along the downtown core, which features a number of fairly generic plazas and restaurants. Unfortunately, we get stuck in a heavy thunderstorm which precludes us from exploring the town further; we were hoping to see Lasalle Park, which backs out onto Lake Ontario. We try to wait out the storm but have to walk to the Go train station after dark, during some moderate wind and rain.

Overall, this was one of my most memorable hikes. There was great scenery, and I avoided falling of a mountain. It was a good day overall.