Little Davis Falls

Recently, I happened across a new-to-us waterfall. Love when that happens!

Sure, it wasn’t as dramatic as when we happened across Gariepy Creek Falls. Unlike that time, the “discovery” wasn’t preceded by blowing a tire on a major highway,

In that case, there happened to be a trail off the highway, right where we broke down. I went to investigate, while Porter replaced the tire.

In this case, I was poking around on the Bruce Trail app to grab distances for my post on Felker's Falls... and I noticed two other waterfalls in the immediate area.

I’d never heard of either, but one - Taro Falls - looked to be RIGHT on the trail, near Felker’s Falls (about 2-300 m from Felker’s waterfall!). We went to check that one out, and were unable to find it.

The second one - Little Davis Falls - looked to be more easily accessed via a residential road, so we stopped by on the way home.

I was UNPREPARED for this waterfall.

Don’t get me wrong, it was super easy to access - moreso than I would have assumed! - and it didn’t need any special preparation to visit.

The fact that such a pretty waterfall - with easy, full access to it - was just right there, basically just beyond some people’s backyards? And less than 10 minutes from our house?

I was a bit shook!

I had a BLAST checking out Little Davis Falls. We’ve been itching for camping season to start, and this one totally had the vibe of something we’d see out on a trail in a provincial park.

I love navigating over rocks and debris to get a close up look at a waterfall. So many of the local ones prohibit access to the base, so this was a TREAT!

Anyway, let us tell you all about it!

The Basics:

Location Name: Little Davis Falls
Address: Quigley Rd, Hamilton, ON (Click for Google Maps location)
Website: N/A
Price: Free!
Reservations: Not Applicable.

Logistics

Some basic information to help you plan your visit to Little Davis Falls:

Registration and Check In

This is a VERY informal waterfall to visit. There is no registration, check in, gatehouse, reservations, or anything of the sort. Just show up, find some parking - hopefully - and go explore!

Parking

Access to the waterfall is via a trail off a residential street. There is no formal parking for the waterfall, just street parking.

The access point is where Quigley Rd turns into Hildegard Dr. There is no parking on Quigley, but some spots on Hildegard, just past the trail entrance.

Washrooms

There are no washrooms on site.

Maps and Signage

There are no maps or signage on site, but you don’t REALLY need them, once you get on the little access trail from the road.

Maybe 100 metres in - probably less than that, really - the trail opens up into a wider area. Turn to the right, then walk straight ahead. That’ll take you to the top of the waterfall.

If you turn right and walk a short way once you come to the little gorge, you’ll come to a view of the front of the falls - more on this in a bit, though!

Accessibility

This is not really a wheelchair friendly waterfall, and there’s no designated accessible parking available.

The very short path to the general area of the waterfall is probably wheelchair accessible, though might not necessarily be wheelchair FRIENDLY in certain weather conditions.

It’s wide, flat, well-packed gravel to start, then opens up to flat lawn / trail.

Once you get to the edge of the little gorge, you’ll really want to go off-path to actually get a decent view of the falls - and this is where the accessibility ends.

The top of the falls is relatively easily accessible, down a small embankment with natural “steps” that make it relatively easy.

The lower falls requires a bit more balance and dexterity, but it’s not awful. I was able to get right down in front of the falls with a little effort, on a bad tendon day.

Overall, I’d say I could access the top of the falls with a mobility aid (boot or cane), but probably wouldn’t try it at the lower part of the falls.

Pets

There are no signs for or against dogs being allowed in the area.

I’d assume they’re allowed, but show good judgement - keep them leashed, don’t let them harass people or wildlife, and pickup after them.

As a heads up, there are no garbage cans on site, so be ready to pack it out. Greenhill Park is only a block or so away, I’d assuming they’d have garbage cans there.

Park Store

There is no park store at Little Davis Falls.

Visitor Centre

There is no visitor center at Little Davis Falls.

Picnic Area

There are no picnic tables or benches at Little Davis Falls.

That said, there is a bit of an open area with grass if you wanted to lay out a picnic blanket.

Also, someone set up a very ... rustic... platform with a makeshift table. Personally, I didn’t trust it enough to walk onto it, but it has a really nice view of the falls, so I figured I’d mention it!

Connectivity

I had excellent cell phone reception in the whole area - Rogers Wireless.

Little Davis Falls Waterfall

Little Davis Waterfall is an example of Twin Curtain Falls, and it’s about 10 metres tall. The crest width is generally about 5.5 metres across, but can widen during peak flow.

The watercourse it’s located on is the east branch of Red Hill Creek, and it’s just downstream of Felker's Falls.

While Felker’s Falls definitely seems to vary in flow at times, we’ve never seen it dry up... so I’m guessing Little Davis Falls flows most of the year, if not all.

Entertainment and Activity

Some information on what you can see and do while visiting Little Davis Falls:

Hiking

Getting from the residential parking to the falls isn’t much of a hike - MAYBE 100 metres - and it’s wide, flat, well-packed ground. Super easy walk!

Anyway, you’ll take the path from the road, then turn to the right when you hit the open area at the end of that initial path.

Once you turn, continuing straight ahead of you will take you to the top of the falls, where you’ve got a few options.

If you go slightly to the left, there’s a little path down. This takes you to JUST behind the top of the falls, with an easy path along the water, so you can stand on the rock ledge right next to the edge of the falls.

This is where I started out, and I loved it!

From there, I walked back up to the main ground area, and turned left - to see if I could get a good view of the falls from the front.

Just a few metres down, I came across a makeshift stone staircase, with some large tree branches set up to act as a railing. Super cute!

This was where someone had set up a bit of a platform, and there was a nice view of the falls from that area.

From there, I went back up to the trail and turned left again, because it looked like there might be a bit of a path down to water level.

There was! It was a little bit of a scramble, but nothing too difficult - it’s not a super deep gorge. Navigating across some rocks, downed trees, etc, I was easily able to get right to the base of the falls.

All told, from the street parking to the top of the falls, across to the platform, down to water level, walking around down there, and back to the car came out to just over 500 metres.

So, a HUGE payoff for very little effort!

Other Hiking

Had I not gone back to the car, I could have continued further downstream, along the water. It looked like the trail went at least as far as Greenhill Ave, maybe even further.

Going upstream, you can follow the trail to at LEAST* one more waterfall - Felker's Falls.

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 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! For more details and photos, check out our Felker’s Falls post, linked above.

*I’m sure it’s seasonal, according to Google maps, the stream splits. To the right - where the main trail takes you - you’ll find Felker’s Falls.

Supposedly you can split off to the LEFT at some point and find Taro Falls. We have yet to figure this out, but it may just have been completely dried up during the times we’ve looked (including spring 2026).

Biking

This really isn’t a cycling destination.

Swimming

While there doesn’t seem to be anything preventing people from swimming / wading, it doesn’t really have the vibe of a swimming hole.

The water isn’t very deep, some areas are stagnant and a bit gross looking.

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

For only being at the falls a short time, I saw and heard a fair amount of birds!

A Turkey Vulture was flying overhead, and both Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Golden-Crowned Kinglets were carrying on. I also saw a couple Dark-Eyed Juncos, and an American Robin.

Unfortunately, the batteries on Porter’s good camera had died by then, so I have no birding photos - whoops!

On a second visit, he saw a Belted Kingfisher - too quick for a photo - as well as some Turkey Vultures flying overhead.

Despite it not even being April yet, it was 20 degrees out... and we were shocked to see out first butterflies of the season (Mourning Cloak), as well as our first snake of the season (Eastern Garter Snake).

Boating

This stream is definitely not suitable for any kind of boating or paddling.

Fishing

I didn’t see any fish in the stream at the time of my visit, and it definitely doesn’t seem like the kind of place that would be a fishing destination.

Educational & Cultural Opportunities

There are no educational signs on site, nor any kind of programming.

Niantic Games

There are no Niantic game stops (Pokestops, Pokemon Go Gyms, Ingress Portals, etc) on site, but there are several in the area - moreso up by Felker’s Falls, or along Greenhill.

Final Thoughts

I LOVE Little Davis Falls!

I’m a huge fan of being able to explore around waterfalls, getting down on the rocks and all... and this was super easy access.

Not only is it close to home, it’s a waterfall that I can handle exploring, even with my bad knees and tendon issues!

I’m honestly shocked that it exists where it does - it’s super easy to forget that you’re right in the middle of a fairly major city, and basically in the backyard of a residential area.

I can see this being a favourite place to get my nature time in, going forward. Love, love LOVE!

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
Felker's 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!