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River

Redhill Creek

Class

Ramp

Size

Medium

Visitability

Good

Accessibility

Free

Activity

Moderate

Walk Time

1min

Trail

Easy

Gorge Access

Difficult

Other Trails

Lots

County

Hamilton

Follow Hwy 403 south past downtown Hamilton and exit on to the eastbound Lincoln Alexander Parkway. Exit at Dartnell Rd and go south to Stone Church Rd. Turn left (east) on Stone Church Rd, left at Pritchard St, and then left on to Mud St. There are several parking lots, but the best is located on the right side of Mud St, just west of Pritchard St.

Settlement

Albion Falls

NTS Map

30 M/4

Easting

595871

Northing

4783736

UTM Zone

Albion Falls is one of the largest of a number of waterfalls in the greater Hamilton region. Fortunately, the area around Albion Falls has not been developed as much as that of many of the other falls in the area. Unfortunately, the city of Hamilton wants to build an expressway right down the middle of King's Forest Park, presumably within several hundred meters of the falls. This highway is seen as a necessary link to connect the Lincoln Alexander Parkway on the mountain to the Queen Elizabeth Way towards the lake. While I admit that the connection in east Hamilton is a good transportation decision, directing it right through one of the region's largest natural areas is not a good ecological decision. The area around the falls is also known as Albion Mills or Mount Albion.

The waterfall is composed of two very steep ramp class falls. Each waterfall is perhaps 7 to 8 m in height, falling at an angle of about 80 degrees. A small ledge of thicker dolostone separates the two falls. Large blocks of dolostone litter the base of the waterfall, having broken off of the massive layers found further up the stratigraphic sequence.

There are several parking lots in the area - I prefer the one on the west side of the creek, as it gives a clear view of the falls and much of the gorge. You can get a great overall view of the entire scene by just jumping out of the car and walking to the cliff edge. Be careful here though: the gorge walls are very steep and there is no fence! If you walk east along Mud St over Red Hill Creek and descend the staircase on the right bank of the river, you can get to a more intimate view of the base of the falls.

This waterfall is featured in the book "Waterfalls of Ontario" available from Firefly Books.