Albion Falls

City of Hamilton / Mt Albion, Ontario, Canada

About Albion Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Albion Falls was probably one of the prettiest (if not THE prettiest) waterfalls we encountered while waterfalling in and around the City of Hamilton.

Ever since someone contributed a photo of this falls on our Facebook page, we eagerly anticipated a visit to this two-tiered waterfall and we weren’t disappointed!

Albion_Falls_078_10122013 - Albion Falls
Albion Falls

It looked to us to be impressively large though the literature seemed to have proclaimed that the falls was about a modest 19m in height and 18m wide.

As you can see in the photo above, Albion Falls also had plenty of character with its rippling texture over its cascading drop.

Its nice flow even persisted as late as our October 2013 visit (suggesting it should have year-round flow).

Indeed, I had spent plenty of time taking photographs of this falls from a variety of positions, and yet I still could get enough of the experience.

Add it all up and this could very well have been our favorite waterfall in the Hamilton area.

Experiencing Albion Falls from its base

Albion_Falls_003_10122013 - People going around the physical barricade to access the trail to the bottom of Albion Falls
People going around the physical barricade to access the trail to the bottom of Albion Falls

The photo you see at the top of this page was taken from the base of Albion Falls.

However, during our visit, it appeared that the trail to get there had been closed since August 2013.

Yet that didn’t stop hundreds of people from crossing Mud St then finding ways to go past the barricade.

Just beyond the barricades, there were steps that then led down to a scramble on somewhat steep and slippery escarpment slopes.

All along the descent, there were intermediate views where I was able to see the falls at more elevated profile angles.

Albion_Falls_096_10122013 - Some people managed to traverse this very sketchy and narrow traverse to reach the ledge beneath the upper tier of Albion Falls
Some people managed to traverse this very sketchy and narrow traverse to reach the ledge beneath the upper tier of Albion Falls

I also noticed some people deviating from these intermediate ledges and taking risks to scramble towards the uppermost tier of the falls.

The final section of the descent was definitely a bit steep and slippery, but with adequate footwear and a healthy respect for the hazards, I thought it wasn’t bad at all.

And for so many people to disregard the closure notice to get down here, I’d imagine the closure was largely driven by the fear of erosion.

So it made me wonder if the authorities would be better off building steps to minimize the erosion of this lowermost section.

Albion_Falls_044_10122013 - Context of people enjoying the bottom of Albion Falls
Context of people enjoying the bottom of Albion Falls

Anyways, only after making it to the bottom of the scramble were we able to get right in front of Albion Falls for that close-up look at its character.

Now given that getting down here required an act of rebellion, there was indeed some uncertainty around how long this access will persist.

Nevertheless, the high scenic rating we’ve given Albion Falls was largely based on experiencing it from its bottom.

Experiencing Albion Falls from the Sanctioned Overlook

The base of Albion Falls wasn’t the only way to experience the waterfall.

Albion_Falls_011_10122013 - View of Albion Falls from the sanctioned overlook
View of Albion Falls from the sanctioned overlook

We also did a more sanctioned way that involved crossing Mud Street, then walking over the bridge crossing Red Hill Creek towards another car park on the opposite side of the creek.

There were viewing platforms there to take a more distant view of Albion Falls.

However, it was a little on the disappointing side due to the overgrowth and lack of intimacy with the falls.

From the immediate area around the overlook here, there was definitely no safe way to reach the bottom of the waterfall to improve the views.

A third way to experience Albion Falls

A third way to see Albion Falls involved following the Bruce Trail to the right of the stairs leading to the base.

Albion_Falls_097_10122013 - Following the Bruce Trail in pursuit of a third way to experience the Albion Falls
Following the Bruce Trail in pursuit of a third way to experience the Albion Falls

I followed this trail around the gorge until I noticed a spur trail to the left leading towards a guard rail as well as an open ledge.

This ledge was where I was able to get a frontal birds-eye view of Albion Falls from across its gorge.

I had to be careful not to get too close to the edge of this ledge considering it was a sheer drop below.

But if the trail closure to its base started to be enforced, then I would recommend seeing the falls from this spot as the next best alternative.

Albion_Falls_104_10122013 - Wide open view of Albion Falls from a cliff near the Bruce Trail
Wide open view of Albion Falls from a cliff near the Bruce Trail

Personally, I found it to be an improvement over the sanctioned overlook mentioned just above.

All in all, I had spent nearly 90 minutes at the Albion Falls to experience it in all the manners described above.

The hiking was short (possibly less than five minutes or so to get to its base slowly) or less than 2 minutes to get to the alternate overlooks.

So most of my time spent here was really for enjoying the waterfall, and that further enhanced the experience.

Authorities

Albion Falls resides in the City of Hamilton in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is administered by the City of Hamilton. For information or inquiries as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: hamilton, ontario, canada, waterfall, mt albion, mount albion, city of waterfalls



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Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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