Walls of the Cave - Hiking Hamilton at Eramosa Karst Conservation Area

When people hike Hamilton and the Niagara Escarpment they usually have one thing in mind - waterfalls. While I like waterfalls as much as the next hiker, I know they draw big crowds and have less flow when we've had particularly dry weather.

Parking was $5 and this well kept secret of a trail meant that we only ran into a handful of other hikers during our hour and fifteen minute adventure filled with sinkholes, caverns, passages, and caves oh my!

From the roadway the Eramosa Karst Conservation Area looks like almost nothing, but don't be fooled by this hidden treasure. The paths are dirt, gravel and cement. You'll want to stay on them and wear long pants as there are several warnings about poison ivy and ticks.

We chose the most popular 2.5km Karst Features Trail loop to explore because it offers several side paths of interest and caves to cool off in. Grab a map from the Visitor Centre display because many of the markers on the trail are faded and can be a little confusing. With the side paths you're probably hiking closer to 3KM.  The kids climbed along the Old Quarry early on our hike.

Looking down on a balancing rock into Pottruff Cave.

The old trees bent here to make passages and "caves" of their own.

The kids sitting above the flowing water in one of the many sinks to cool off. I think this one is atop Pheonix Creek Sink (yes it's spelled that way).

Climbing into Nexus Cave Entrance to see what's down below.

Looking down at the Cave Explorers.

Like something out of a story the Nexus Cave Window is at the base of a tree.

Naturally they had to climb into that too.

The area is known for the wildlife. We spotted many chipmunks, squirrels, birds and butterflies (and Ted had a blast chasing them). We also saw a dragon fly and a small snake hanging out in the rocks near the entrance to the hiking paths. We overheard another family say they had spotted a weasel on their journey. The area is known for owls and while it was too early to see an owl, we saw evidence of owls along the paths in terms of 'owl pellets' of the remnants of bones and fur from their former meals. Much of this hike is accessible, save for the side trails to some of the caverns and sinks. Molly said this trail ties the Limehouse Side Trail with the honour of "best trail" we've hiked so far this spring/summer. I must admit, at just 45 minutes away from Toronto I would come back here again in an instant!