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River

Chedoke Creek

Class

Cascade

Size

Small

Visitability

Mediocre

Accessibility

Free

Activity

4

Walk Time

1min

Trail

Easy

Gorge Access

Difficult

Other Trails

Lots

County

Hamilton

From Hwy 403 in Hamilton, exit at Aberdeen Ave (go east - you have to!). Go about 500 m east to Studholme Rd (first rd on right) and turn right. Follow to the first left (Beddoe Dr) and turn left. Follow this road to the end, at the Golf Clubhouse. Park in the lot and walk just a little to the west towards the long metal staircase that climbs the Niagara Escarpment. The falls are visible through the chain link fence.

Settlement

Westcliffe

NTS Map

30M/4

Easting

588783

Northing

4785217

UTM Zone

This is actually a double falls. I had originally classified the two as East and West, but for simplicity I've lumped them into one. Come to think of it, this may have originally been a single waterfall several thousand years ago. Remember that all rivers erode their beds, with erosion moving the waterfalls slowly upstream. I would presume that at one time, the two streams met above the waterfall point, and fell together as one. As the streams eroded into the rock, erosion caught up to the point where they diverged, and thus the two different waterfalls were born.

The east waterfall falls as a cascade - actually more correctly a talus falls, since it tumbles over a broken mass small bedrock blocks. The west waterfall is a little more complex: the upper half falling as a long cascade, with the lower half maintaining a 3 m high plunge waterfall.

This is nothing special, especially since it is very dangerous (and probably illegal) to explore the area around the falls. What is interesting however, is that each of these two little branches of Chedoke Creek also has another, higher waterfall just upstream. You can easily view these waterfalls (Cliffview and Westcliffe Falls) by walking up the long metal staircase to the top of the Escarpment. You end up in a beautiful little neighbourhood park affording a great view of the lower city.


This is part of a double falls with Golf Club Falls - West. The falls may have been a plunge waterfall, but now flows through broken boulders at a 45degree angle. Neither of these two falls is anything special, although there is the novelty of two falls side-by-side. Mind you, work your way through the waterfalls webring and you'll find that this really isn't that rare.