Felker's Falls

Next up in our Waterfalls of Hamilton series: Felker Falls.

I think this might have been the first waterfall we saw after moving to Hamilton. We’d been in an active group of Pokemon Go players before moving to the area, and figured joining in on a local event might be a good way to meet people.

Apparently I overestimated our abilities on that front, but that’s beside the point, LOL.

Anyway, this one event started off by meeting up at Felker’s Falls. Being from Winnipeg - and having just survived over a decade in Minneapolis - I hadn’t had a TON of exposure to waterfalls.

I’d kind of assumed it would be somewhere on the outskirts of the city, not having heard of Hamilton’s status as the “City of Waterfalls”.

Imagine my surprise when we were driving through what looked to be a pretty modern subdivision!

The final turn before the park was a half loop of residential street that didn’t look too different from the one I grew up on, aside from the playground area in the middle of it.

... and, you know, the waterfall just beyond the playground!

I remember being a little disappointed by the falls, which - being summer at the time - were not flowing much, and were pretty obscured by trees.

That opinion didn’t end up changing much over the years, and I had originally not planned to even make a post on Felker’s, when doing this series.

Recently, though, I realized that there was another view of the falls, across from the one I knew about. MUCH better view - completely changed my opinion of the whole thing.

Anyway, let me tell you all about it!

The Basics:

Location Name: Felker’s Falls Conservation Area
Address: Ackland St, Stoney Creek, ON L8J 1R3 (Click for Google Maps location)
Website: https://conservationhamilton.ca/conservation-areas/felkers-falls/
Price: Free!
Reservations: Not Applicable.

Logistics

Some basic information to help you plan your visit to Felker’s Falls.

Registration and Check In

While Felker’s Falls seems to be under the authority of the Hamilton Conservation Authority, it’s not gated or ticketed like (most of?) the other parks.

The waterfall and trails are accessed via a public park area in a residential neighbourhood - there’s no gatehouse, tickets, registration, reservations, etc.

Just show up, park, and go!

Parking

The free parking lot is moderately sized - especially for a neighbourhood park - but it’s multi-use, and definitely gets busy at times.

If you just can’t get parking at Felker’s Falls, know that it’s right on the Bruce Trail - which allows for other parking possibilities, if you’re up for a bit of a walk.

For instance, Paramount Park - Paramount Park (Click for Google Maps location) - is on another offshoot of the Bruce Trail, and has its own parking lot. From there to the Felker’s Falls waterfall is only 1.2 km.

If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you can park at Little Davis Falls and hike about 300 metres along a creek bed, to get to the base of Felker’s Falls.

Just note: There doesn’t seem to be any good way to get up to the rest of the park, from down there!

Washrooms

There are no washrooms on site at Felker’s Falls Conservation Area. Your best bet is to get back on the road, turn left on Paramount, and cross Mud St.

On the left is Valley Park Community centre, with an arena, library, and public washrooms.

Maps and Signage

There is some informational signage at the parking lot. Nothing extraordinary - no dumping, trails aren’t maintained in winter, and warnings about ticks and coyotes in the area.

There are a few directional trail signs, mostly at the entrance points, and where trails split. Trees are marked with Bruce Trail blazes, as well.

In terms of a map, there is a VERY faded one closer to the first waterfall lookout area.

It’s not super detailed in terms of the immediate Felker’s Falls Conservation Area, rather, it details a portion of the surrounding Bruce Trail.

Labeling it as the "Waterfalls walk", it shows this section of trail starting at Albion Falls, continuing along the trail to pass by Buttermilk Falls, Glendale Falls, Felker's Falls, Little Davis Falls, Glover's Falls, East Glover's Falls, Centennial Falls, and Devil's Punchbowl falls.

Accessibility

Overall, Felker’s Falls is pretty accessible... aside from inexplicably not having any designated accessible parking spots?

The trails are all wide, flat and well-packed - if not paved. It’s only a short distance to the main waterfall lookout points, and there are several benches along the way.

The playground probably isn’t wheelchair accessible, but the trails definitely are - to a point.

The short loop of trails - Peter Street Trail - right in front of the parking lot is wheelchair accessible.

The trail continues over the top of the falls via a footbridge, wrapping around to a better view of the falls on the other side.

That viewing area is a little more rough, but I think would probably still be wheelchair accessible - in the right weather conditions. If it’s wet or icy, not so much.

More on the trails in a bit, though!

Pets

Dogs are allowed, but are supposed to be leashed at all times.

Just be sure to pick up after them - while we didn’t see any poop bag dispensers, there ARE garbage cans on site (at the parking lot).

Also, as a note: It seems to be a VERY popular place to walk dogs. On a recent trip, we counted more dogs than people!

Something to keep in mind if you’re not a dog person... or if your dog isn’t a dog person. A dog dog?

Park Store

There is no park store at Felker’s Falls Conservation Area.

Visitor Centre

There is no visitor center at Felker’s Falls Conservation Area.

Picnic Area

There’s a LOT of lawn, but not much in the way of picnic tables. I think I only saw one, on a recent visit!

If you’re looking at picnicking on the lawn, just be aware that there are ticks in the area.

Anyway, beyond picnicking, there are a few benches along the trail, especially at lookout points.

There’s also a large playground that looks to be in really good condition.

Connectivity

We’ve always had really good cellular reception in the whole general area of Felker’s Falls. (We’re on Roger’s Wireless).

I can’t imagine you’ll run into reception issues anywhere nearby, even journeying out on Bruce Trail.

Felker’s Falls Waterfall

Felker’s Waterfall is a 22 metre tall Terraced Ribbon waterfall, with a crest of about 6 metres.

While it does flow year-round, it’s not as impressive in the summer, as it is after the spring thaw. Right after a large rainfall is also a great time to see the falls.

The rock face that surrounds the falls may not be as colourful and impressive as the one at Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall & Conservation Area, but it’s still interesting geology.

The whole Niagara Escarpment has interesting rock faces, rock formations, etc though!

One thing to note: The first viewing area you come to is NOT a great view - the falls are pretty obscured by trees, and the angle is weird.

The second viewing area - across the bridge (more on that in a bit) is a MUCH nicer view!

Misc

Some random factoids for you, about Felker’s Falls Conservation Area:

History

Before becoming a Conservation Area, the property was owner by Joseph Benjamin Felker. He was born on the property in 1880, and lived there for his whole life - until 1956.

I did a quick search to see if there was anything more about him out there, but - aside from census information and such - not really much of interest.

Anyway, another name of importance to Felker’s Falls Conservation Area is Peter Street.

I’ll be honest, when I saw “Peter Street Trail”, I assumed it was named after a road that may have existed on the spot, before realizing it was named after a person.

I also ended up with a mighty earworm: Celtic Connection's Peter Street remix is still a guilty pleasure of mine, AGES after its release. Traditional Newfoundland pop meets Eurodance - love it!

ANYWAY...

Peter Street (the person) was a disability rights advocate who lived from 1938 to 1984. A memorial plaque at the edge of the trail tells about how is zest for life was inspiration for both disabled and non-disabled people, alike.

The wheelchair-accessible trail closest to the parking lot is named for him.

Invasive Species

Invasive plant species are apparently a big issue on the Bruce Trail, and people are encouraged to brush off their boots before/after using the trail.

To that end, there are two boot brush stands in Felker’s Falls Park.

One is just before the waterfall lookout on the Peter Street Trail, and one is just after the footbridge, as you’re headed to the second waterfall lookout.

The trail on that side, specifically, can get really mucky, so these are GREAT!

Entertainment and Activity

Some basic information on the things you can see and do at Felker’s Falls:

Hiking

So, you’ve got a few options in terms of getting a bit of a walk in.

Peter Street Trail

The easiest, most accessible trail is available right across from the parking lot. I’m not entirely clear on how much of it is the Peter Street Trail, but it’s at least part of that section of trails.

Basically, a short paved path from the parking lot takes you to a couple of trail entrances, pretty close together.

We generally skip the trail entrance to the left and go to the second one. This is right beside the two little sign boards, in front of a fence.

This takes you to the first lookout area over the waterfall (the other is on the Bruce trail, not Peter Street Trail) - less than 100m from the parking lot.

Continuing past the waterfall will take you along the little gorge, turn to the left to walk along the escarpment.

There CAN be some nice views out over the city of Hamilton... but this is seasonal. Trees fill in and obscure the view in the late spring/summer.

Soon enough, you’ll come to a trail split.

Going straight / to the right, you’ll be on the East Mountain Trail Loop, which is a big, 10 km circle that takes you to places like Albion Falls, Eramosa Karst, etc.

Turning to the left at the split will loop you back towards the parking lot.

This loop - from the parking lot, around the loop, and back - is less than 1 km long. As previously mentioned, it’s wide, flat, well-packed, and wheelchair accessible.

Bruce Trail

The outer part of the loop I was just talking about is shared trail - both the East Mountain Trail Loop, and the Bruce Trail.

The Bruce Trail is over 900 km long, with an additional 450 km of Side Trails branching off from it. It stretches along the Niagara Escarpment, all the way from Niagara Falls to Tobermory.

There are a TON of cool parks and sights to see along the way, and we’ve covered quite a few on this blog.

Working our way out from Hamilton, we’ve been to Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area, Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, Cheltenham Badlands, Spirit Rock Conservation Area, Lion's Head Lookout Trail, Devil's Monument, and Bruce Peninsula National Park.

It also takes you to a bunch of waterfalls.

Up near the base of Bruce Peninsula, there’s Eugenia Falls Conservation Area, Hoggs Falls, Inglis Falls Conservation Area, Jones Falls, Walters Falls, Webwood Falls Nature Reserve.

Closer to home, the trail - or its side trails - take you to Albion Falls, Dundas Peak & Tew Falls, Sherman Falls, Smokey Hollow Falls, and Tiffany Falls.

Anyway...

This shared trail continues along the back of the Felker’s Falls park area (Left if you’re coming off the Peter Street Trail, or to the right if you’re looking at the trail from the parking lot.)

That path continues a short way before a cute little bridge takes you over East Red Hill Creek (Or Davis Creek / Felker’s Creek, depending on what you’re looking at!) - the watercourse for the falls.

Soon after the bridge, the trail splits. Keeping to the leftmost trail - basically U-turning to follow the water - will take you to the second waterfall viewing area.

This is a MUCH better view of the falls, and was only 400 metres from the parking lot.

That said, once the trail splits and you go left, you’re on Bruce Trail proper - and it’s not as wheelchair friendly and such.

This portion is one of the easiest parts of the Bruce trail that I’ve seen, though - relatively flat, the odd small root or whatever, no real obstacles.

It’s not necessarily wheelchair accessible (at least not when it’s muddy or icy)... but it’s definitely close.

Anyway, you can turn around after viewing the waterfalls, or continue along the Bruce Trail from there. This direction heads towards Niagara Falls... but you’ll come to a few other waterfalls - including Devil's Punchbowl - long before you get there!

Base of Felker’s Falls

So, this is hiking in the area, but it’s not really accessible via the Felker’s Falls Conservation Area.

If you want to visit the base of Felker’s Falls, you can park at Little Davis Falls and hike up a trail that follows the creek, all the way to Felker’s.

The trail ends up being about 600 metres (one way) from the car to the base of Felker’s Falls.
It’s a moderate trail with some inclines and declines along the way.

It gets more difficult at the end, and you’ll need to cross over the stream before getting to the base of Felker’s Falls. Sturdy, waterproof hiking boots with good grip are definitely recommended!

Anyway, you can get right up under the falls, if you want - relatively easy access!

Biking

The aforementioned East Mountain Trail Loop is bike friendly - at least in the area of Felker’s Falls.

Not sure if the trail is similar the whole way, but you can at least do some degree of cycling on it!

Swimming

There is no access for swimming. There is a GREAT public pool nearby though - at the Valley Park Community Centre.

Note: It’s closed until early summer of 2026, for repairs and such.

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

The Felker’s Falls Conservation Area mentions that several ecologically significant plant species grow in the Felker’s Falls Escarpment Valley natural area: Goldie’s Wood Fern, Leather-leaved Grape Fern, Squawroot, and Dwarf Scouring-rush. Some day, I’ll google to see what they look like, and see if we can spot them - we haven’t yet, though.

In addition to the plants, the site mentions the possibility of seeing Carolina Wren, Eastern Milk Snake, Jefferson Salamander, Monarch Butterflies, and Northern Cloudy-Wing Butterflies - we’ve never seen any of these, though.

We usually don’t have the birding camera with us when visiting Felker’s Falls. We did bring it on a recent trip, and immediately saw a cute Northern Cardinal in a tree of orang buds, singing away, perfectly lit.

That’s when we discovered that the battery was dead, and Porter didn’t bring a backup. WHOOPS.

Overall, we’ve seen and/or heard American Crow, American Robin, Belted Kingfisher, Black-Capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Brown Creeper, Dark-Eyed Junco, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Killdeer, Northern Cardinal, Pine Siskin, and Turkey Vultures at Felker’s Falls Conservation Area.

Oh, we did see a Garter Snake and Mourning Cloak Butterfly near the base of the falls recently.

It was 20 degrees out - and wasn’t even April yet! - and it was both our first snake and first butterfly of the year!

Boating

There are no boating opportunities at Felker’s Falls Conservation Area, and the creek below really doesn’t seem suitable for paddling.

Fishing

Felker’s Falls does not seem like a fishing destination.

Educational & Cultural Opportunities

There is a single educational sign panel at Felker’s Falls Conservation area, next to the first viewing area.

It briefly discusses some highlights of the ecology, geology, and history of Felker’s Falls.

Niantic Games

Our first visit to Felker’s Falls was actually part of a big Pokemon Go Raid Day event, with dozens of people co-ordinating groups to drive around and play the game!

There are several Niantic Game stops in the park - Pokestops, Pokemon Gyms, Ingress Portals, etc - on site. Many are reachable right from the parking lot, with a few more along the trails.

Final Thoughts

I’ll be honest - for the first few years I knew about Felker’s Falls, I thought it was a bit of a snoozefest.

This was after I first got crippled, and just getting that 100 metres or so to the first waterfall lookout seemed ... not a great return on physical investment. It’s just not a great view, very obstructed.

Now that I know about the second viewing area - about twice as far, on the other side of the little bridge - I appreciate these falls a LOT more.

Also, being able to walk further means I can take in more of the beauty of the area, including the walk high above the gorge, further along the Bruce Trail.

As Porter says, it’s an “unassuming attraction”. You don’t expect to see waterfalls LIKE THAT, and trail views LIKE THAT... right in a subdivision!

If you are in the area and haven’t visited, definitely make a point to - just don’t judge it by that first viewing platform!

More Hamilton Waterfalls

Interested in exploring more of the City of Waterfalls? Here are more posts about waterfalls in the City of Hamilton (and surrounding area!):

Albion Falls
Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall & Conservation Area
Dundas Peak & Tew Falls
Little Davis Falls
Sherman Falls
Smokey Hollow Falls
Tiffany Falls
Webster Falls & Spencer Gorge Conservation Area

Looking to go even further for your waterfalling adventure? Check out our larger Ontario Waterfalls for some waterfall viewing road trip inspiration!