Sassafras Woods to Westdale Ravine via Great, Borer's & Sydenham Falls (8/16/2014)

This is a 28.5 km hike featuring varying terrain. You can choose to drop off after 21 km, to be at the Dundas Cactus Festival 2014. If you cannot walk at least 21 km, please don't sign up for the event.

This is not a loop hike, and there is no carpool — the hike will start at a GO train station and end at a GO bus stop. We'll start at the Toronto Union station, and catch the 8:43 AM Lakeshore West train. You can also come directly to the Aldershot GO station, from where we'll start walking at 10 AM. The hike will end at a GO bus stop in Hamilton (from where you can catch buses to Toronto, Mississauga or Hamilton downtown). If you decide to drop-off after 21 km, you can catch Hamilton public transit (HSR) to reach the nearest GO bus terminal.

We will cover following areas as part of this hike. Many of these areas have been designated as the Area of Natural and Scientific Interest by the provincial government, and as Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) by the local administration.

#	Area	Route
1	Sassafras Woods: From Aldershot GO station, we'll walk for 5 minutes to reach an unmarked trail leading to the Sassafras Woods. This upland forest is dominated by Carolinian shrubs and trees, and features the largest colony of Yellow Mandarin the Halton region. It is also home to one of the Ontario's largest stands of the endangered American Columbo. We'll exit the Sassafras Woods at the Old Waterdown Road, and walk to the Great Falls.	Unmarked trail, Old Waterdown Road
2	Grindstone Creek Escarpment Valley: We'll take a short break at the bottom of the Great Falls (aka Waterdown Falls), in the Smokey Hollow Resource Management Area. The Valley area offers lots of ups and downs for a good hiking workout. As the Grindstone Creek gradually descends the Niagara Escarpment, it forms numerous pretty rapids, including the Grindstone Cascade.	Bruce Trail
3	Clappison Escarpment Woods: This area features mixed coniferous-deciduous forests with 25 butterfly species and 39 bird species. Several small, intermittent tributaries to the Grindstone Creek rise in the Clappison Woods. The abandoned quarry in the area has left bedrock exposures on the escarpment surface. The area is also home to a small waterfall called the Upper Quarry Cascade, which was dried up the last time I visited it (July). We'll take a lunch break after exiting the Woods, near the stormwater management pond.	Bruce Trail
4	RBG Berry Tract: After crossing Highway 6, we'll climb the escarpment along the Bruce trail and reach the RBG Berry Tract. The Hickory Brooks and its small tributaries originate here. The area is a favourite of the local bird watchers, and also features an abandoned orchard.	Bruce Trail
5	Borer's Falls Conservation Area: We'll take a short break at the 15 m high waterfall which once powered the Borer family's sawmill in the Rock Chapel village. If anyone is interested, and if the time permits, we'll visit the bottom of the Borer's Falls. (No compulsion - you can choose to stay at the top, if you don't want to! It's difficult - you've to climb down the escarpment through rocks and bushes. I've tried to find a more approachable path along the bottom of the escarpment, from both Ray Lowes Side Trail and Armstrong Trail, but one doesn't seem to exist).	Bruce Trail
6	RBG Rock Chapel Sanctuary : This 72-hectare nature sanctuary offers nice views of the Cootes Paradise. We'll descend 10 m down the escarpment to take a look at the geology exhibit along the Armstrong Trail. We'll take a snack break at the sugar shack near the Armstrong trail entrance. The Sugar Shack Falls is located along the way, but it was nothing more than a trickle when I last visited it. The Romar Cascade, the Moss Falls and the West Moss Cascade were also dried up.	Bruce Trail
7	Sydenham Hill: As we begin to descend down the escarpment, you can get nice panoramic views of Hamilton. We'll also visit the three Sydenham Falls, and take a short break there. (As of July last week, the Lower one is just a trickle, the Middle One is so-so, and the Upper one can be called a real waterfall. The nearby Dyment Falls is dried up.)	Bruce Trail, Unmarked trail, Sydenham Rd
8	Downtown Dundas: The Dundas Cactus Festival 2014 will add to the charm and ambiance of this historic town. If there is anything interesting happening as part of the Festival, we'll take stop here for ten minutes, before walking a km to the Spencer Creek trail. You've the option to abandon the hike here (21 km), and explore the town and the festival on your own (or just catch a bus and go home).	Sydenham St, King St
9	Spencer Creek watershed: This is a zero-difficulty flat path that takes you along the Spencer Creek. It's a good place to see the great blue heron fishing in shallow water. We'll get off this trail at the McMaster University GO Bus Terminal. If you are too tired to walk another 4 km on a flat path, you can drop off here (24 km), and catch a bus to Toronto, Mississauga or Hamilton downtown.	Spencer Creek Trail
10	Cootes Paradise: In the last leg of the journey, we'll visit Westdale Ravine, which is located on the south shore of Cootes Paradise (labeled as "Cootes Paradise B" on some maps). It is a birding hotspot, and it's easy to see redpolls, kinglets and finches among other birds. The trails are super-easy to walk on, so it should not be too difficult for us to complete this part of the hike. We'll catch a breath at The Hamilton Aviary, before we proceed to the nearest GO bus stop (Main at Longwood).	Chegwin Trail, Ravine Road Trail

Map of the journey

• Toronto Union Station (Meet on the Lakeshore West westbound train platform) - 8:30 AM. The train departs at 8:43 AM. If you're unable to find me, just board the train reach Aldershot (it's the last stop).
• Aldershot GO station (Meet just outside the station) - 9:55 AM (hike starts at 10:00 AM)

• The hike will be canceled if heavy rain is forecasted.

FAQ

I've never hiked 28 km. Can I come on this hike?

You're welcome, if you have walked ~20 km at a stretch in the recent past. As noted above, we'll take a break at various points, so you'll get sufficient rest. However, this is not a slow-poke hike, and you're expected to walk at a speed of 4.5 km/hr for long periods, often climbing up and down along the Niagara escarpment (~200 m). There is no public transit available before downtown Dundas (21 km). If you are unable to walk before that, you'll have to drag yourself for a couple of kms to the nearest road and call a cab.

Why aren't we covering the XYZ waterfall along this route?

Although there are 25+ waterfalls along this route, most of them are small, seasonal falls. I've done this hike twice in the recent past (June and July) — only the Great Falls, the Borer's Falls and the Upper Sydenham Fall are the ones with considerable flow. The others are just a trickle or completely dried up.

What is the GO transit fare?

Toronto to Aldershot fare varies from $8.73 (Long Branch) to $9.50 (Union) with a PRESTO card. On way back, it's about half a dollar more. Without the PRESTO card, the fares are around a dollar more expensive. For places other than Toronto, please see G O fare calculator.

Why there is no carpool? Isn't GO transit more expensive by a couple of dollars?

This is not a loop hike. All the past ToC areas have covered these areas as part of 2-3 separate hikes - that'd actually make this one cheaper. We do have the option of having someone drive a car from Aldershot to Cootes Paradise at the beginning, then come back to Aldershot; and then, at the end of the hike, drive a car back to Aldershot to get the rest of the cars to Cootes Paradise. But the gas costs incurred in back-and-forth journey will make this about as costly as the GO fare. And the time and effort required to plan this is just not worth it.

Besides, not many people like driving after walking 28 km.

Are there washrooms along the way?

Only at the beginning - at the Aldershot GO station. The trees and bushes are your best friends for the rest of the journey.

Photo credits: Utkarsh