Misplaced Pages

Spencer Gorge Conservation Area
Webster's Falls in 2006
Location	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates	43°16′59″N 79°58′0″W / 43.28306°N 79.96667°W / 43.28306; -79.96667
Established	1967; 57 years ago (1967)
Governing body	Hamilton Conservation Authority
Website	Official website

Spencer Gorge Conservation Area is a conservation area located on the Niagara Escarpment in the community of Dundas in Hamilton, Ontario. It is owned and operated by the Hamilton Conservation Authority. It has views over Hamilton and a two major waterfalls that are accessible via a system of trails. The natural features found in the area are considered to be provincially significant. A shuttle service runs from Christie Lake Conservation Area to Spencer Gorge/Webster Falls Conservation Area, for visitors to access this conservation area on weekends and holidays.

Geology

The main feature of the area is the Spencer Gorge, a Y-shaped gorge around 1-kilometre (0.6 mi) in length, with the depth reaching 100 metres (330 ft). The walls of the gorge are very steep, contrasting the gently sloping landscape found in the nearby areas. The gorge was incised by the melt streams of the Wisconsin glaciation about 10,000 years ago. The gorge displays a near-complete stratigraphic section from the red shales of the Queenston Formation to the caprock of the Lockport Formation (dolomite and limestone).

Waterfalls

Measuring 41 metres (135 ft) in height, Tew's Falls is the tallest waterfall found in Hamilton, among 96 others. Located at 219 metres (719 ft) above the sea level, it is also the highest waterfall in the city. Webster's Falls is another major waterfall. With its 30 metres (98 ft) crest, it is the largest within the city. The gorge is an excellent example of the process of waterfall recession. At least 10 bowl-shaped basins have been identified within the area, indicating the earlier positions of the waterfall. Some of the largest and the oldest identified basins have the diameter of up to 350 metres (1,150 ft), with depth of up to 60 metres (200 ft), making them comparable to the present state of the Horseshoe Falls.

See also

• List of waterfalls in Hamilton, Ontario

References

1. ^ "Spencer Gorge/Webster's Falls brochure". Hamilton Conservation Authority. 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
2. "Waterfall Shuttle – Webster & Tew Falls and Dundas Peak". Hamilton Conservation Authority. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020.
3. "Natural Areas Report: SPENCER GORGE". Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. 2005. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
4. ^ "Webster's and Tews Falls". Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. 2005. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
5. "Hamilton Waterfalls". Hamilton Travel & Tourism. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
6. ^ "Tews Falls - Virtual Field Trip" (PDF). McMaster University. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 11, 2004. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
7. "Hamilton - The City of Waterfalls". Hamilton Naturalists' Club. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
8. "Webster's Falls". Hamilton Conservation Authority. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2008.

External links

• Hamilton- "The Waterfall Capital of the World" (www.cityofwaterfalls.ca)
• Spencer Gorge/Webster's Falls Conservation Area
• Map: Hamilton Waterfalls (www.hamiltonnature.org)
• Vintage Postcards: Waterfalls in and around Hamilton, Ontario

v t e Protected areas of Ontario
CRHP Central County of Brant Eastern Essex County Greater Sudbury Golden Horseshoe Kingston Middlesex County Niagara RM Northern Ottawa Perth County Peel RM Southwestern Toronto Waterloo RM Wellington County York RM
National parks and affiliated areas National Parks Bruce Peninsula Fathom Five Georgian Bay Islands Lake Superior Point Pelee Pukaskwa Rouge Thousand Islands National Marine Conservation Areas Fathom Five Lake Superior National Historic Sites Battle Hill Battle of Cook's Mills Battlefield of Fort George Bead Hill Beausoleil Island Bellevue House Bethune Memorial House Bois Blanc Island Lighthouse and Blockhouse Butler's Barracks Carrying Place of the Bay of Quinte Fort George Fort Malden Fort Mississauga Fort St. Joseph Fort Wellington Glengarry Cairn HMCS Haida Inverarden House Kingston Fortifications Laurier House Merrickville Blockhouse Mississauga Point Lighthouse Mnjikaning Fish Weirs Navy Island Peterborough Lift Lock Point Clark Lighthouse Queenston Heights Rideau Canal Ridgeway Battlefield Saint-Louis Mission Sault Ste. Marie Canal Sir John Johnson House Southwold Earthworks Trent–Severn Waterway Woodside more... in Hamilton in Kingston in Niagara Region in Ottawa in Toronto
National Wildlife Areas National Wildlife Areas Big Creek Eleanor Island Long Point Mississippi Lake Mohawk Island Prince Edward Point Scotch Bonnet Island St. Clair Wellers Bay Wye Marsh Migratory Bird Sanctuaries Beckett Creek Chantry Island Eleanor Island Moose River Rideau Valley Hannah Bay St. Joseph's Island Upper Canada
Provincial parks and affiliated areas Northern Ontario Agassiz Peatlands Blue Jay Creek Caliper Lake Daisy Lake Uplands Fairbank Goose Island Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Mnidoo Mnissing Quetico Sandpoint Island Spruce Islands Algoma District Algoma Headwaters Aubinadong River Aubinadong-Nushatogaini Rivers Aubrey Falls Batchawana Bay Batchawana River Blind River Goulais River Lake Superior Little White River Matinenda Michipicoten Mississagi Montreal River Nagagamisis Nimoosh North Channel inshore Obatanga Pancake Bay Pichogen River Mixed Forest Pokei Lake/White River Wetlands Potholes River Aux Sabels Sandy Islands Cochrane District Abitibi-De-Troyes Dana-Jousey Lakes Esker Lakes Fushimi Lake Greenwater Groundhog River Waterway Kesagami Kettle Lakes Lake Abitibi Islands Little Abitibi Little Current River Mattagami River Beach and Aeolian Deposit René Brunelle Tidewater Wildgoose Outwash Deposit Kenora District Aaron Albany River Beekahncheekahmeeng Deebahncheekayweehn Eenahohnahnuhn Blue Lake Bonheur River Kame Nature Reserve Eagle-Dogtooth East English River Fawn River Kahnahmaykoosayseekahk Lake of the Woods Lola Lake Minnitaki Kames Ojibway Opasquia Otoskwin–Attawapiskat River Pahngwahshahshk Ohweemushkeeg Pakwash Pipestone River Polar Bear Rushing River Sahkeesuhkuh Weesuhkaheegahn Sandbar Lake Severn River Sioux Narrows Turtle River–White Otter Lake Weeskayjahk Ohtahzhoganeeng West English River Winisk River Winnange Lake Woodland Caribou Nipissing District Alexander Lake Forest Algonquin Amable du Fond River Finlayson Point Jocko Rivers Kenny Forest Manitou Islands Marten River Mattawa River Opeongo River Samuel de Champlain Temagami River Upper Madawaska River West Sandy Island Widdifield Forest Parry Sound District French River Grundy Lake Killbear Magnetawan River Mikisew Noganosh Lake Oastler Lake Restoule South Bay Sturgeon Bay The Massasauga Sudbury District Biscotasi Lake Chapleau-Nemegosenda River Chiniguchi Waterway Chutes Five Mile Lake Grassy River-Mond Lake Lowlands and Ferris Lake Uplands Halfway Lake Ivanhoe Lake Killarney Killarney Lakelands and Headwaters La Cloche La Motte Lake MacMurchy Township End Moraine Mashkinonje Missinaibi Mississagi River Obabika River Rushbrook Solace Spanish River Sturgeon River The Shoals Wakami Lake Wanapitei Wenebegon River Windy Lake Woman River Forest Thunder Bay District Arrow Lake Black Sturgeon River Brightsand River Gravel River Gull River Kakabeka Falls Kashabowie Kopka River La Verendrye Lake Nipigon MacLeod Michipicoten Island Nakina Moraine Neys Obonga-Ottertooth Ogoki River Ouimet Canyon Pan Lake Fen Pigeon River Porphyry Island Pukaskwa River Rainbow Falls Ruby Lake Sedgman Lake Silver Falls Slate Islands Sleeping Giant St. Raphael Steel River Wabakimi White Lake Whitesand Timiskaming District Englehart River Fine Sand Plain and Waterway Gem Lake Maple Bedrock Kap-Kig-Iwan Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Larder River Waterway Makobe-Grays River W.J.B. Greenwood West Montreal River Eastern Ontario Alexander Stewart Barron River Bell Bay Bissett Creek Bon Echo Bonnechere Bonnechere River Burnt Lands Carson Lake Centennial Lake Charleston Lake Driftwood Fitzroy Foy Frontenac Grant's Creek Lower Madawaska River Matawatchan Murphys Point Ottawa River Petawawa Terrace Puzzle Lake Rideau River Sharbot Lake Silver Lake Voyageur Westmeath Central Ontario Arrowhead Awenda Balsam Lake Bass Lake Beattie Pinery Big East River Bigwind Lake Boyne Valley Devil's Glen Dividing Lake Earl Rowe Egan Chutes Emily Gibson River Hardy Lake Hockley Valley Indian Point J. Albert Bauer Kawartha Highlands Lake on the Mountain Lake St. Peter Mara Mark S. Burnham McRae Point Mono Cliffs North Beach Oxtongue River-Ragged Falls Petroglyphs Quackenbush Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Sandbanks Silent Lake Six Mile Lake Springwater Wasaga Beach Waubaushene Beaches Wolf Island Golden Horseshoe Bronte Creek Darlington Forks of the Credit Sibbald Point Short Hills Uxbridge Southwestern Ontario Black Creek Clear Creek Forest Craigleith Inverhuron James N. Allan John E. Pearce Komoka Lion's Head Long Point MacGregor Point Pinery Point Farms Port Bruce Port Burwell Pretty River Valley Rock Point Rondeau Sauble Falls Selkirk Trillium Woods Turkey Point Wheatley Conservation reserves Bennet Lake Esker Kame Complex Torrance Barrens White Bear Forest more... Former parks Ipperwash Serpent Mounds
Conservation Authorities and Areas Ausable Bayfield Hay Swamp Cataraqui Region Little Cataraqui Creek Lemoine Point Gould Lake Mac Johnson Catfish Creek Central Lake Ontario Heber Down Lynde Shores Credit Valley Cheltenham Badlands Elora Cataract Trailway Limehouse Crowe Valley Essex Region Cypher Systems Group Greenway Chrysler Canada Greenway Ganaraska Region Grand River Conestogo Lake Elora Gorge Guelph Lake Starkey Hill Grey Sauble Halton Crawford Lake Kelso Hilton Falls Mount Nemo Mountsberg Rattlesnake Point Hamilton Dundas Valley Eramosa Karst Spencer Gorge Kawartha Kettle Creek Lake Simcoe Region Lakehead Region Long Point Region Lower Thames Valley Lower Trent Maitland Valley Mattagami Region Mississippi Valley Mill of Kintail Morris Island Purdon Niagara Peninsula Ball's Falls Beamer Memorial Comfort Maple Nickel District Lake Laurentian North Bay-Mattawa Nottawasaga Valley Otonabee Region Quinte Raisin Region Rideau Valley Foley Mountain Rideau Ferry Yacht Club Saugeen Sault Ste. Marie Region South Nation St. Clair Region Toronto and Region Albion Hills Boyd Bruce's Mill Black Creek Pioneer Village Claireville Cold Creek Heart Lake Kortright Centre Lake St. George Petticoat Creek Tommy Thompson Upper Thames River Ellice Swamp Sifton Bog
UNESCO Biosphere Reserves Georgian Bay Littoral Long Point Niagara Escarpment (including Cheltenham Badlands) Thousand Islands – Frontenac Arch Wasaga Beach
Greenbelts Golden Horseshoe Ottawa Mer Bleue Bog
Related Departments and Agencies Conservation Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Niagara Parks Commission Ontario Parks St. Lawrence Parks Commission
Ontario portal Category Ottawa Toronto Commons

v t e Hamilton, Ontario
Features	Flag Notable Hamiltonians
History	1930 British Empire Games Auchmar Bank of Hamilton Battlefield House Battle of Stoney Creek Dundurn Castle George Hamilton Grand Lodge of Canada Hamilton Tigers (NHL) HMCS Haida List of National Historic Sites List of royal visits Studebaker Canada Tim Hortons Thomas McQuesten Timeline of events Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway USS Hamilton USS Scourge War of 1812 Whitehern
Geography	List of waterfalls Bruce Trail Cootes Paradise Desjardins Canal Golden Horseshoe Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Hamilton Harbour Lake Ontario Niagara Escarpment Royal Botanical Gardens Spencer Gorge/Webster's Falls Conservation Area Twenty Mile Creek
Communities	Ainslie Wood Ancaster Beasley Binbrook Dundas Flamborough Glanbrook Lynden North End Stoney Creek Westdale
Economy	Arcelor Mittal / Dofasco Economic history Film industry in Hamilton Hamilton Health Sciences Head offices in Hamilton List of tallest buildings in Hamilton U.S. Steel / Stelco
Politics	Hamilton City Hall Hamilton, Ontario City Council List of Hamilton Mayors
Public services	City of Hamilton EMS Hamilton Police Service
Hospitals	Hamilton Health Sciences Chedoke Hospital (closed 2014) Hamilton General Hospital Juravinski Cancer Centre Juravinski Hospital McMaster Children's Hospital McMaster University Medical Centre St. Peter's Hospital St. Joseph's Health System St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
Education	Hamilton Public Library Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Hillfield Strathallan College Columbia International College McMaster Divinity College McMaster University Mohawk College Redeemer University College
Culture	African Lion Safari Around the Bay Road Race Art Gallery of Hamilton Canadian Football Hall of Fame Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Dundas Cactus Festival Hamilton Bulldogs Hamilton Tiger-Cats Labour Day Classic List of Attractions in Hamilton Media in Hamilton Pride Hamilton Power Play (TV series) Sports in Hamilton Supercrawl Sports venues in Hamilton Westfield Heritage Village
Transportation	GO Transit Hamilton GO West Harbour GO Confederation GO Hamilton Street Railway BLAST network Hamilton LRT A-Line Hamilton Bike Share John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport List of streets in Hamilton
Parks	Bayfront Park Beasley Park Confederation Beach Park Gore Park Hamilton–Brantford–Cambridge Trails Mohawk Sports Park Pier 4 Park

• Conservation areas in Ontario
• Waterfalls of Hamilton, Ontario
• Niagara Escarpment
• Protected areas of Hamilton, Ontario
• Protected areas established in 1967
• 1967 establishments in Ontario