Back in August on our trip to Arrowhead, we made an impulsive gift shop purchase. It was one of those things that you usually put back on the shelf and tell your kids, “maybe another time” or “put it on your Christmas list”. For whatever reason, this time I said yes and K walked away with his new prize – a book on waterfalls.
After then spending the afternoon flipping through Waterfalls of Ontario, he announced his intention – “I’m going to visit every waterfall in this book!” Props to him, but that’s a lot of waterfalls!
On my list of 101 Adventures in 1001 Days, I have a much more modest goal of visiting 5 waterfalls. Now completed, I can now check #56 off the list, thanks in part to K’s determination to explore as many waterfalls as he can.
This past weekend we took a day trip to the Hamilton area and spent the day biking and hiking. After riding 9km of trail (impressive for the kids) at Christie Lake, we went waterfall hunting, trusty waterfall book in hand. The goal was Sherman Falls, and though we took a round about way of getting there, the views definitely paid off.
We parked at the Ancaster Mill and hiked a combination of the Heritage Trail and the Bruce Trail to arrive at Sherman Falls. The early fall weather was perfect and the kids breezed through the 4km round trip. Along the way, we also saw a bonus waterfall, Canterbury Falls.
We were wary of how busy it would be, knowing the popularity of the Hamilton waterfalls and from past experiences. However, we lucked out (maybe because it was late afternoon at this point?) because it wasn’t overly crowded. We got to enjoy the views and explore without feeling claustrophobic or rushed. And the views were definitely worth the trip!
The bigger Tiffany Falls is also within walking distance from Sherman Falls, and most people visit Tiffany Falls first then continue hiking up to Sherman Falls. Since we took a round about route and had some little legs that weren’t going to last much longer, we decided to save that waterfall for another day.
Time spent together, exploring new places and staying active. It was the perfect family day out.
The 5 waterfalls we’ve visited to cross #56 Visit 5 waterfalls off the list of 101 Adventures in 1001 Days:
1. Stubb’s Falls (Huntsville, ON)
2. Bracebridge Falls (Bracebridge, ON)
3. Egan Chutes (Bancroft, ON)
4. Canterbury Falls (Ancaster, ON)
5. Sherman Falls (Ancaster, ON)
Waterfalls of Ontario:
I’ve been so happy with this book. I think sometimes we are so quick to go to Google or Pinterest when we’re scouting out new adventures that we forget what a helpful resource a hard copy book can be. Instead of only seeing the “top results” we’ve learned about little out of the way places to visit, such as Egan Chutes where the experience was amazing. The book has pictures, descriptions, directions, length of the walk to the falls, and even how busy a place typically is. It’s a handy little book.
Get it from Amazon
Thanks so much for stopping by! I often post about my 101 challenge and my outdoor adventure with the kids with the hashtags #101in1001 #101adventures or #asimplesomething. You can join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Or, you can follow me on Bloglovin or subscribe via e-mail to be alerted to each new post!