Webster Falls
Harvest Road, Hamilton
Ontario L9H 5J8
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Webster Falls is located in Hamilton, Ontario and is one of two falls at the Spencer Gorge / Webster’s Falls Conservation Area. The falls is easily accessible but does require a somewhat steep hike down if you want to see it from the base of the falls.
At 20 metres high and 30 metres wide, the classical waterfalls is one of the largest in the region. The Spencer Creek flows over the Webster Falls and leads to Tew Falls farther down the creek.
The cobblestone footbridge is one of two ways to cross Spencer Creek. The bridge was originally built in 1936 by the Webster family that had owned the land since 1819. Due to failing condition of the bridge, it was going to be demolished by the Greensville Optimists raised the necessary funds to restore it to its former glory.
There are many photographic opportunities at the park, making it a pleasant location for a day trip in almost any season. Spring will usually insure the highest water levels but with the fall colours or the interesting snow and ice formations during the winter, you will be pleased at the sights no matter when you visit Webster’s Falls.
Without walking to the base of the falls you can easily see it from the upper pathways. Peer over the cobblestone fences to take a glimpse of these beautiful waterfalls.
I spent the day at the falls with various members of an online photograph group. Members came from all over Ontario and even a few from New York attended the outing. When we hiked down to the bottom there were some photographers and models shooting with the falls as their backdrop. I’m glad I captured a few shots from above before they came on scene.
This beautifully coloured tree had seen some better days. You might think that this is its fall colours but we visited the falls in the late spring. You can see how distressed the tree trunk is with missing and split sections of bark.
The pathways leading around the park were very picturesque. Between cobblestone fences and these barn board fences, there was a feeling of the original homestead. We didn’t visit it but were told that the Webster manor still stands somewhere nearby with family gravestones just off the Bruce Trail.
One of the few flowers I photographed that day was this non-native Celandine. This attractive European species is found as far east as Newfoundland and is poisonous to chickens.
Once we reached the bottom of the falls you could see the spectacular rock formations and the erosion caused throughout the years. Rock slabs have accumulated at the bottom as they fell off the gorge ridge in sharp, rectangular boulders.
Due to the models and other photographers, I couldn’t get a full shot of the falls without having numerous people in the image.
