Waterfalls in Burlington

By Joseph Hollick former City of Burlington employee and current Secretary of the Giant's Rib Discovery Centre.

Five Waterfalls

1. Boundary Falls  
2. Snake Falls
3. Lower Snake Falls
4. Kilbride Falls
5. Bronte Creek – 407 Waterfall
6. Criteria used to define a separate Burlington waterfall

Boundary Falls

This is a boundary waterfall where it is located in both Burlington and Hamilton. This is a small tributary of the Grindstone Creek, which originates from a pipe under the railway tracks on the south side of Main St. in Waterdown.

Entrance #1:Park on the south side of Main St. in Waterdown opposite the entrance to the sewage treatment plant at the curve. Cross over the railway tracks on the south. Be careful coming down the hill as it is slippery and steep.

Entrance #2*: You can reach the falls by the Mill Street entrance located on Waterdown Road which has a less steep slope: Entrance of Grindstone Creek Trail (Snake Falls)

*Thanks to Michael for the update!

The waterfall has a vertical drop of 6 m and a crest width of 2m. From this vertical drop, it cascades down and connects into the Grindstone tributary between Snake Falls and Lower Snake Falls.

This waterfall has a large overhanging cap rock which even when dry is very interesting to visit because of this rock formation. In winter the ice often extends the full height of the waterfall from the top of the cap rock to the bottom and can be impressive to view.

Snake Falls

This waterfall is located in Burlington just outside of Hamilton’s boundary, however the stream above the falls is in Hamilton. This is a tributary of the Grindstone Creek, which originates from the creek on the north side of Main St. in Waterdown beside the sewage treatment plant via a culvert under the road and railway tracks.

Park on the south side of Main St. opposite the entrance to the sewage treatment plant at the curve. Cross over the railway tracks on the south side near the wooden bridge connecting Snake Rd. to Main St. Be careful coming down the hill, as it is slippery and steep.

The waterfall has a vertical drop component near the top but is largely a cascade about 25 m high.

It is nearly impossible to get a good photograph of the entire waterfall, thus most pictures show only the upper section, which includes the vertical drop and some cascades, or just the lower cascade section.

Lower Snake Falls

This waterfall is located about 100m downstream of Snake Falls. This is a tributary of the Grindstone Creek, which originates from the creek on the north side of Main St. in Waterdown beside the sewage treatment plant via a culvert under the road and railway tracks.

Park on the south side of Main St. opposite the entrance to the sewage treatment plant at the curve. Cross over the railway tracks on the south side. 

Or a person can follow the Bruce Trail from The Great Falls in Waterdown (at Smokey Hollow) down the Grindstone Creek about 6 sets of stairs (about 20 minutes walking).

Kilbride Falls

Kilbride Falls is located at the southern end of the community of Kilbride in the City of Burlington on the east side of Cedar Springs Road.

Kilbride Falls is considered a classic cascade type falls. Its height is approximately 3m (10 ft.) and its width varies from 2m (7 ft.) to 3m (10 ft.). Kilbride Falls is located on a branch of the Bronte Creek and has year round flow.

When the leaves are off the trees this waterfall is visible from Cedar Spring Road as you drive northbound into Kilbride. To get a closer view you can park on the shoulder where it widens out on the slight hill into Kilbride, then climb down the embankment to the creek and follow it upstream to the falls. There is no trail (yet) to this falls, thus be careful climbing down and following the creek to the falls. Also be careful on the roadway as there are some curves on the roadway and vehicles may not be expecting you.

Bronte Creek - 407 Waterfall

It is located east of Appleby Line on the west side of Bronte Creek 30m' south of the Highway 407 bridge over the Bronte Creek.

This is a small tributary of the Bronte Creek, which originates from a farmer’s field on the north side of Highway 407 (east of Appleby Line) via a culvert under the highway.

This waterfall is not accessible. 

Criteria used to define a separate Burlington waterfall

1. The waterfall has to have a vertical drop of at least 3 m. or 10 ft. either as a vertical drop or a cascade.
2. The crest width has to be at least 1 m. or 3 ft. wide.
3. There must be water flowing over the waterfall at least in peak storm events, but preferably on an annual or seasonal basis, but not necessarily every day of the year. 
4. If the waterfall is a cascade type, it should have a well-defined drop or cascade that people could clearly define as a waterfall.
5. If a waterfall is close to another waterfall on the same creek or stream, (upstream or downstream) they have to be separated so that both waterfalls are visibly distinct or they are more than 100 m apart. That means that you cannot see both waterfalls normally from one location.
6. If a waterfall is beside another waterfall but coming from two separate creeks or streams, then they could be considered as two separate waterfalls.
7. There has to be a well-defined waterfall or channel and not just be runoff coming over the escarpment during heavy rainfalls.
8. The waterfall has to have some natural component to it and not be entirely man-made.  Many waterfalls have a bridge at the top or man-made channel or pipe at top or bottom to control the water. But the actual drop or waterfall section is natural.
9. The waterfall has to be located within the boundaries of the City of Burlington.

Based on the above criteria, five waterfalls have been found in Burlington that could be considered separate waterfalls.  

Of these five waterfalls,

• One is a boundary waterfall being located in both Burlington and Hamilton. 
• One waterfall has been found that can be viewed from a car while driving by depending on the time of year (leaf cover may block the view).
• Two waterfalls have been found to be dry for much of the year and are indicated as such.

For more information on waterfalls and cascades of the Niagara Escarpment please visit the Giant's Rib Discovery Centre website at http://www.giantsrib.ca/.

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