Sherman Falls is a beautiful and relatively easily accessible waterfall in Hamilton, Ontario. Here's everything you need to know, to visit!
What can I say? We’re feeling antsy waiting for camping season, and have been revisiting our favourite local waterfalls to scratch the itch!
Anyway, Sherman Falls is basically just around the corner from Tiffany Falls, and is another favourite of ours.
Like Tiffany Falls, it’s a short, relatively easy trail to get to the falls, with easy access to the base of the falls - and fantastic views.
It’s another one of the Hamilton waterfalls, where it’s easy to forget that you’re right inside a city. The little forested area leading to the waterfall is really beautiful, and does a great job of blocking traffic noise.
So, it’s a great place to go to feel like you’re getting away from it all... even while being surrounded by “it all”, you know?
Anyway, lots to talk about, so let’s get to it!
The Basics:
Location Name: Sherman Falls
Address: Lions Club Rd, Hamilton, ON L9G 3J3 (Click for Google Location).
Website: N/A
Price Free to visit, paid parking.
Reservations: N/A
Season: Year-Round
Logistics
As a heads up, if you search “Sherman Falls” on Google Maps, it’ll take you to a random spot on the road - not even the entrance to the trail.
You’ll want to map to “Sherman Falls Parking”, which will take you to a lot on Artaban Road - more on parking areas in a minute!
Anyway, here’s some basic information to help you plan your visit to Sherman Falls:
Registration and Check In
Sherman Falls is on a short section of the Bruce Trail, but on private property. (The land owners allow access - via the Bruce Trail - as long as visitors stick to the trail and behave respectfully.)
As it’s not part of any real park or anything, there’s no registration required - or available.
The closest thing to registration is just the pay and display parking.
Parking
The parking lot is located at 917 Artaban Road, just up the road from Sherman Falls. All told, it’s less than half a km from the parking lot, to the waterfall itself.
Anyway, the parking lot is part of the Hamilton Conservation Authority system. At the time of publication, parking was $11.50/day ... but see 2026 Admission and Fees for more details about the vehicle fee/admission fees.
As a bonus, a paid ticket to one HCA parking lot can be used the same day at other Hamilton Conservation Authority properties.
Some exceptions apply - especially during peak season in fall.
Washrooms
There are no washrooms, outhouses, or portapotties of any kind at Sherman Falls.
There are washrooms at the Dundas Valley Trail Centre - 650 Governors Road Dundas, ON, L9E 5E3 - but that’s a 15 minute drive from Sherman Falls.
If you do make the drive, it’s open from 9 AM to 3 PM, daily.
Accessibility
Sherman Falls is not wheelchair accessible. It may or may not be do-able for those with other mobility challenges, so here are the details:
From the parking lot, it’s a short-ish but steep hill down to the main road. I definitely have difficulties getting back up the hill, when I’m having a lower-mobility day. Sometimes, Porter will drive the car down to meet me at the bottom.
Anyway, the road from the bottom of that hill to the trail entrance is easy enough.
I can do it with a cane, but it’s a bit more difficult in a boot, especially closer to the Sherman Falls waterfall itself. There are a lot of rocks that can be slippery, on account of the water.
Walking the (fairly deep!) snow covered trail in January resulted in a foot injury, so... I wouldn’t recommend a winter visit for those who are mobility impaired.
Maps and Signage
Unfortunately, there isn’t really a map of the waterfall area - but it’s small enough that you don’t really need one.
Directional signage does a good job of getting you from the parking lot to the waterfall trail, and the waterfall is QUITE close to the road. You can see - and sometimes HEAR - the waterfall pretty soon after you get on the actual trail! .
The trail itself is obvious, and really short - just a straight shot to the Sherman Falls waterfall and back.
There are some basic trail blazes along the way, but really - they’re not necessary.
Pets
Dogs are allowed, but are to be kept on a leash at all times, and owners are to pick up after them.
As a note: there are no garbage cans or poop baggie dispensers on site, so plan ahead!
Connectivity
We had really good internet reception all the way from the parking lot to the falls themselves. I was able to upload videos and photos from the falls almost instantly - we’re on Rogers Wireless.
Picnic Area
There really isn’t anything in the way of picnic area at Sherman Falls. No picnic tables, no benches, not even really anywhere to lay out a picnic blanket.
Park Store
There is no Park Store at Sherman Falls.
Visitor Centre
There is no Visitor Centre at Sherman Falls.
Miscellaneous
A few miscellaneous rules to keep in mind:
1. BBQs, Camping, and fires are not allowed at Sherman Falls.
2. Disease-carrying black-legged ticks are known to be in the area. Visitors are advised to stick to the trails, use tick spray if possible, and definitely check for ticks when you leave!
3. Because the falls are on private property, it’s important to stick to the trail, pack out all garbage, and generally be respectful of the neighbouring homes.
Share the Love!If you’ve made one of our recipes, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you post it to Bluesky, be sure to tag us - @2NerdsInATruck, or you can tag us on TikTok, if you’re posting video. We're also on Pinterest, so you can save all your favourite recipes and park reviews to your own boards! Also, be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of our nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway! |
Entertainment and Activity
Some info on the things you can see and do while visiting Sherman Falls:
Sherman Falls Waterfall
Ancaster Creek is the source for Sherman Falls - a 17 metre tall washboard waterfall that’s about 8 metres across.
Over the years, it’s been known by a bunch of different names - Angel Falls, Fairy Falls, Farah Falls, Smith’s Falls, and Whitton Falls.
Most of these named were based on whoever owned the property at the time.
As it’s currently known, Sherman Falls is named after the Sherman brothers - Clifton and Frank - who founded what is now known as Dofasco - one of Canada's largest steel producing companies.
It’s best right after the spring thaw - or after heavy rain in the spring and summer. It tends to be more dried up in the late summer and fall.
In winter, the flow is generally still fairly light... but the buildup of ice makes it look impressive!
Hiking
The trail to the falls is technically part of the Bruce Trail, but I’m going to address it as a bit separate.
First, you’ll walk from the parking lot, down a hill, and over a hydro corridor, before coming to the cross street. Turn left there, and the two falls trail entrances will be on your right.
The first one you come to - when walking down from the parking - is the main trail entrance, and this is the one that will take you right to the Sherman Waterfall itself. It’s also the “Sherman Falls West Side Trail”, for the Bruce Trail system.
The trail ends at the right side of the falls.
Access to the base of the falls is really easy and straightforward - step up over a log or two, and over some rocks.
(As a note, before you get to the second trail, you’ll pass a little inlet with some educational signage about a historical mill - that one doesn’t go anywhere. Keep going!)
Anyway, this second trail is shorter than the main trail, and follows along the opposite side of the water from the main trail. It ends a bit further away from the falls, with more of a front-on view of the waterfall.
As with the main trail, this shorter one is relatively easy - even in a boot, it took me almost exactly 1.5 minutes to walk from the road to the waterfall overlook.
Bruce Trail
Once you’re finished your walk to the falls and back - maybe along both sides of the stream - you do have the chance to do more hiking if you’d like.
The Bruce Trail continues along in both directions from the trail entrances, giving you access to hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails along the Niagara escarpment.
Crossing the road from that second trail will take you south on the Bruce Trail.
About 2 km later, you can exit the trail, cross Wilson st, and visit Tiffany Falls if you’d like. Otherwise, you can continue in that direction all the way to Niagara Falls.
Continuing in that direction will take you to places like Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area, Cheltenham Badlands, Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, Inglis Falls Conservation Area, Jones Falls, Spirit Rock Conservation Area, and the Devil's Monument before reaching Bruce Peninsula National Park ... eventually ending at Tobermory.
Dundas Valley Conservation Area Trails
The Artaban Road parking lot is an access point to the Dundas Valley trail system. This is another 40+ km of trails - plus the Bruce Trail loops through it all, as well.
If you make your way up to the Dundas Valley Trail Centre (650 Governors Road Dundas, ON, L9E 5E3), you’ll have access to not only the trails, but aforementioned washrooms!
Birding, Wildlife, and Nature
Much like with Tiffany Falls... we’ve never really had much luck in terms of birding at Sherman Falls - despite it being such a lush forest area!
The best birding we’ve had has usually been along the road between the parking lot and the trail entrance.
You can look down over kind of a valley, when coming down the hill. There are usually a lot of birds to HEAR down there, but we don’t tend to SEE them!
Anyway, so far we’ve seen and American Crow, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Downy Woodpecker, Turkey Vulture, and a Wild Turkey.
Biking
This really isn’t a suitable spot for cycling or mountain biking.
Swimming
There’s some water, but you’re not supposed to swim there - stick to the trails!
Boating
There are no boating opportunities of any kind at Sherman Falls.
Fishing
There are no fishing opportunities at Sherman Falls.
Educational & Cultural Opportunities
There are a few educational plaques along the road and second / shorter trail to the waterfall.
One is about Richard Hatt building a sawmill and gristmill in the area, in the late 1700s. This one is the one located almost right on the side of the road, in between the two trail entrances.
Then, along the second trail - right when you get to the view spot for the waterfall - there’s a second sign, all about the waterfall itself.
Winter Activities
This year, we actually visited Sherman Falls in winter, for the first time.
It’s not as popular as Tiffany Falls, which is nice on some levels... but it also means that the trails at Sherman aren’t necessarily going to be as well-packed down as the Tiffany Falls Trail.
Anyway, I recommend having cleats if you’re visiting, because the hill between the parking lot and the falls is a beast even when it’s not icy!
For the trail itself, be sure to have some boots that are relatively tall, with good ankle support. While we don’t tend to get a ton of snow in the winters here in Hamilton, when we do... it can be a bit difficult to trudge through!
Niantic Games
There are a few Niantic game stops (Pokestops / Gyms / Ingress Portals) in the area.
One is at the parking lot, there are two at the main trail entrance, another at the second trail entrance, and one at the end of that second trail (the waterfall sign).
Final Thoughts
Sherman Falls is one of the first of Hamilton’s Waterfalls we visited where you could actually - legally - get right up to the base of the falls.
Sure, a lookout with a great view of a waterfall can be great - we’re big fans of Kakabeka Falls, after all - but we LOVE the experience of getting right up close and looking UP at the water crashing down!
As one of the falls I visited early on in attempting to recover from having my tendons destroyed, it gets bonus points for the short, relatively easy trail.
Honestly - for me at least - the hilly road between the parking lot and the trail entrance is the most difficult part of visiting Sherman Falls. The trail itselt is easy enough, and nice and short.
It’s one of those falls that’s a great “return on investment”, in terms of the amount of effort to get there!
Highly recommend adding Sherman Falls to the itinerary for any tour of Hamilton’s waterfalls!
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
Little Davis 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 roadtrip inspiration!
Thanks for Reading!If you loved this post - or have any questions about it - please leave a comment below! We'd also love it if you would consider sharing the link on social media! |
Leave a Reply