Hamilton waterfalls light up the holidays

It’s official. Hamilton really is the Waterfall Capital of the World.

With the help of local landowners and volunteers, the Hamilton Conservation Authority has identified an additional 49 waterfalls and cascades, boosting the official count to 145. Here is some of the natural beauty that can be found in Steeltown.

When he first began tracking them eight years ago, Chris Ecklund identified 36 waterfalls within Hamilton’s borders. Today, that number has grown to 145, giving Hamilton bragging rights to the title of Waterfall Capital of the World.

Chris Ecklund: “We are. I spent a lot of time researching this. When you take a look at the city of Hamilton we have more waterfalls in our city than any city in the world.”

Ecklund began exploring and cataloguing Hamilton’s waterfalls as a way to help alter the city’s gritty steel image.

Today it is an integral part of Hamilton’s marketing strategy.

Sue Monarch, Tourism Hamilton: “The movement recognizing we have over a hundred waterfalls and cascades is certainly something that is really drawaing people to Hamilton and really bringing families and really improving our image.

As for the next step, Ecklund says the falls have to become a more enjoyable experience for everyone. He wants the city and conservation authority to construct more accessible pathways and viewing platforms and to improve the public space: “We can’t keep closing down access to our waterfalls. We need to open them up we need to make them safer we need more viewing platforms. So that’s the next step. I don’t think Hamiltonians know yet truly how big this is.
Now we gotta’ get behind this. Mother nature created something here for free we need to understand that and start opening up to the world basically.”

If you think the waterfalls are beautiful in the spring and summer they are even more spectacular in the winter months.

At Sherman Falls, a team of volunteers who have been working to make the experience even more spectacular. They have just turned on the lights.

And of course if any of our viewers want more information on how to see our incredible beautiful waterfalls, just click on the link above.