Oct 1

October 2014 Ball’s Falls

October 2014 Ball’s Falls

Balls Falls is located on Twenty Mile Creek in Ball’s Falls Conservation Area in the Town of Lincoln in the Regional Municipality of Niagara. Its coordinates are 43° 7′ 57.55″ N,  79° 23′ 0.74″ W.

Ball’s Falls is the lower waterfall on Twenty Mile Creek and is also known as Lower Ball’s Falls. It is considered a Plunge Classic type falls and has a height of approximately 27.5 m. (90 ft). Twenty Mile Creek can almost dry up during long dry spells and surprisenly this waterfall can be reduced to a trickle, however when this occurs, the various rock layers of the Niagara Escarpment behind the waterfall are clearly visible.

This waterfall received its name from Mr. George Ball, who in 1824 began construction of a woollen mill located between Lower and Upper Ball’s Falls. It was leased out and in 1829 an advertisement in the St. Catharines Farmer’s Journal indicated that it had been leased to Jacob Snure. The mill is gone and the entire area is owned by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.

To visit Ball’s Falls, exit the QEW at Vineland, exit 57 (Victoria Rd.). Take Victoria Rd. south, also called Niagara Regional Rd. 24. Follow this road up the Niagara Escarpment until you reach Sixth Ave. (about 5.9 km). Turn left onto Sixth Ave. and follow it to Ball’s Falls Conservation Area (about 0.7 km). There is a fee to park in the Conservation Area. Then follow the pathway beside the creek downstream to Ball’s Falls.

By Joseph Hollick

10-Balls-Falls---October-20