We took advantage of the warm weather on the Thanksgiving weekend and headed West of Toronto to Beamer Memorial Conservation Area, near Grimsby.
It was a beautiful afternoon of waterfalls, exploring and photography.
A little history on this conservation area ... Beamer Memorial was once the site of a sawmill powered by water from the creek, a restaurant and the homestead of John and Anna Beamer, early Grimsby settlers.
Beamer Falls (Upper Falls)
View from the top ...
View from below - we decided to go off the main trail. If you do this, strongly suggest that you have hiking boots and walking sticks. It was quite muddy but worth it! Take the left path - the other path goes to Overlook Parking.
Lower Falls -> follow the trail to the right of the washrooms, which leads down into the gorge where you can get a good view of the lower falls. The stairs are a little narrow for passing but manageable. It was a little muddy near the river; have footwear with good tread. We also needed mosquito spray down here. (trail map below)
Scenic Lookouts - you can do a loop on the trail, or if you prefer to skip the steps to the gorge, take the trail to the left to the 3 scenic lookouts. (trail map below)
More Mushrooms ...
Trail Map (click for link)
Good things to know:
- there is no fee to visit this conservation area
- parking lot at the main entrance is quite small. You can park on the side of the road closest to the parking lot - No Parking on the opposite side.
- If you just want to see Beamer Falls, there is a closer parking lot - see pic below
- washrooms were NOT open right now
- HAWKWATCH SEASON -> spectacular birds of prey can be seen flying during their spring migration. The best viewing times are March 1 through May 15th between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on warm, sunny days, especially with winds ahead of a warm front.
On the way home, we stopped @ Hutch's on the Beach in Hamilton, for dinner -cheeseburgers, fries and our fav ice cream from London Ice Cream Company It has a great view of Lake Ontario. While you are there, enjoy a stroll on the Waterfront Trail @ Confederation Beach.
We hope this inspires you to go out and explore!
Until next time, Diana & Jeffy #adventureswithDianaandJeff