Giant’s Rib Escarpment Education Network’s (GREEN) “Waterfall of the Month” for June 2017 is Lower Beamer Falls.
Lower Beamer Falls is located on 40 Mile Creek in Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby, in the Regional Municipality of Niagara.
Lower Beamer Falls is approximately 6m (20 ft.) high with a width that can vary from 3m (10 ft.) to 12m (40 ft.), depending on flow. The accompanying photo of Lower Beamer Falls was taken after a heavy rainfall which caused much silt to wash into 40 Mile Creek, giving it a brownish colour. At high flows, as this photo shows, Lower Beamer Falls has both a Ramp type Cascade and a Plunge section. Normally this waterfall has year round flow, although occasionally during extreme drought periods, it can dry up.
Both Upper Beamer Falls and Lower Beamer Falls are named after John Beamer who purchased 300 acres of land in the late 1780’s, then built a dam just above Upper Beamer Falls to provide water power for his sawmill and grist mill.
To visit Lower Beamer Falls, take Exit 71 (Christie St.) off the QEW in Grimsby. As you follow Christie St., the road becomes Mountain St., but continue on it up the Niagara Escarpment. Then turn right onto Ridge Rd. and follow it for about 1 km where you will see a small parking area on the right side just before 40 Mile Creek. Lower Beamer Falls can be viewed by following the trail from the parking lot into the woods, down the escarpment and then walking upstream, however this is difficult. The easier way is to see it from trail at the top of the ravine slope near the parking lot when the leaves have fallen (as this photo was taken). Upper Beamer Falls is located a short distance upstream of Lower Beamer Falls, very close to the north side of Ridge Rd.
By Joseph Hollick
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