Discover the Raw Beauty of Hamilton Tiffany Falls

Tiffany Falls is a 21-metre high ribbon waterfall located in the Tiffany Falls Conservation Area, just off of Wilson Street East in Ancaster, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

This waterfall, made up of an Upper and Lower Falls, is surrounded by typical Bruce Trail terrain – rocks to step over and steep ascents. At the Lower Falls, a cascade waterfall, Tiffany Creek tumbles 19 metres from a broad valley above the escarpment into a V-shaped ravine below. It is an imposing sight, towering above visitors and surrounded by dolostone cliffs on either side. The Upper Tiffany Falls at 6.4 metres is a much smaller classical waterfall, which has also been called Washboard Falls.

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Photographer: Jason Li

Description

Tiffany Falls consists of a number of visible layers of rock. The top 5 meters of the face is dolostone overtop of 5 meters of grey shale which is easily eroded. Below this, there is another 5 metres of dolostone and then the visible base of sandstone and grey shale mixture. The shale is easily eroded and allows undercutting of the more resistant dolostone above. This causes collapse of the top layer of dolostone which gives the escarpment its steep face. Red-brown stained deposits (calcium carbonate precipitates) can be observed on the surface of the exposed bedrock.

• Creek: Tiffany Creek Tributary Creek
• Height: 88 feet / 21 metres
• Width: 68 feet / 6 metres
• Coordinates: 46.2382N / 79.9581W

A little history about the Tiffany Falls

Tiffany Falls is named after the very well-known and liked medical doctor, Oliver Tiffany, who came to the Ancaster area in 1796. As the region’s first doctor, he attended to people in a wide area and served them faithfully for over 40 years.

How to get there?

Driving direction to the Tiffany Falls:

• Take Highway 403 through Hamilton and exit onto Rousseaux St (Previously Mohawk Rd).
• Head west (right) on Rousseaux St. drive for about 2 km to Wilson St. (Highway2) and turn right (north).
• Continue about 1.6km to a parking area, there is a small parking area on your right with a sign identifying “Tiffany Falls Conservation Area”. The parking can park about 10 cars, and $2.00 per hour for the parking fees (as of October 2016). Park your car there and follow the footpath that runs along the south bank of the creek.

The footpath from the Wilson Street parking lot crosses Tiffany Creek in two locations. The footpath is steep and quite rocky, so hiking boots are recommended. During wet weather the slopes of the trail can be slippery, so visitors should avoid using the trail when conditions are inclement.

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What do you expect to see?

The forest area is made up of Eastern Hemlock, Sugar Maple, Red Oak, American Beech, White Ash, Basswood, Black Walnut, Hawthorn, Butternut and White Elm.

The highly significant animal, insect, reptile and plant species found within the conservation area include the Purple Clematis, the Hickory Hairstreak butterfly, the Northern Ringneck Snake and the Louisiana Waterthrush.

Following are what people said about the Tiffany Falls:

“This is a great walking trail with lots to see, trees were turning in colour, brook was running, and falls are a great place to take a picture.”

“The falls are a short, easy walk from the parking area. You will only need to pay $2 for one hour at the self-paid parking station, which conveniently takes credit cards. An hour is more than enough time to see the falls and spend time there too”

This waterfall used to be fairly difficult to access during inclement weather conditions, but a new pathway was jointly completed in 2007 by the Hamilton Conservation Authority, the Bruce Trail Iroquoia section, the Rotary Club of Ancaster, and the Trillium Foundation. This new pathway includes two new bridges to cross the creek and a viewing platform.

Follow the trail from the Tiffany Falls parking lot into the woods to the right of the creek bed. Two new bridges and a wide gravel pathway lead you to the falls. The creek bed rounds a corner and there is front of you is the impressive and pretty cascading Tiffany Falls with a new observation platform.

There is a trail up the side of the gorge to the left of the falls that leads to another Tiffany Falls –the upper falls which has a height of 5 metres and a crest of 6 metres. This is a rather steep and dangerous trail up and the trail is usually wet so be very careful if you decide to view the upper falls. There is another way to reach the upper falls which is on Hamilton Conservation Authority lands but it involves crossing over private property.