Rock Chapel/Borer's Falls Trail

From bobolinks and butterflies in the upper meadow to hawks migrating along the escarpment edge, Rock Chapel has three distinct habitats: an upper plateau, cliff face, and talus slope. It's also one the few places in southern Ontario where you can stand on the escarpment and look across at another section of it.



This bench lookout takes your view over the west end of Coote's Paradise, downtown Hamilton to the left, Dundas to the right, and the escarpment across from you. To start on this trail, find the blue blazes (from the pump station) along the edge of the meadow and descend into Hopkins Creek Valley.



You'll pass rare sedges, and an isolated stand of hemlock, and then walk up the escarpment talus slope. As you reach the road, you're entering Rock Chapel, named for a frame chapel erected in 1822 (you'll see a historical society plaque along the road). Stop at the falls overlook before walking along the road.



You'll see Borers Falls drop 25 metres (82 feet) into the valley floor. As you round the escarpment, a newly constructed stairway takes you along a geological exhibit. Each exposed formation name and rock type is labeled. In an escarpment minute you walk through 420 million years of history.

With file information from the Bruce Trail, for more information on this and other Bruce trails please purchase the Bruce Trail map and trail guidebook. The Bruce Trail is the oldest and longest marked hiking trail in Canada. It is 840 km long, with over 440 km of side trails. Every year more than 400,000 visits are made to the Trail as people walk, snowshoe, watch wildlife, take photographs and admire the glorious scenery of the Escarpment.



The Bruce Trail was instrumental in the Escarpment being named a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations in 1990 - one of only twelve such reserves in all of Canada. The Bruce Trail is a member of the Ontario Trails Council through affiliation with Hike Ontario.

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