Hendrie Valley Trails

This 100-hectare sanctuary is centered on the Grindstone Creek Valley. The area features forested slopes with towering trees, a 60-hectare river-mouth marsh complex and four creeks. Transferred to RBG in 1941 for ecological protection, it stretches to Carroll’s Point in Hamilton Harbour, and contains an extensive collection of floodplain wetlands, all of which are part of a Great Lakes restoration program.

Trail Conditions

27 kilometres of trail include packed earth, crushed stone, asphalt and boardwalks; some sections are steep and hilly. Trails are not plowed or sandy during the winter. During spring thaws and after rains, earthen trails become muddy. Please take appropriate caution.

Current interruptions and Closures:

Trail Destinations

Hendrie Valley is home to lots of interesting trails and lookouts! Here are 5 key destinations marked by number on the pdf map.

1. South Pasture Swamp

An oasis for endangered species, this spring-fed oxbow pond is home to beaver, muskrat, Virginia rail and wood duck. Work to restore this site began in 1994 as part of Project Paradise.

2. Grindstone Creek

With three pedestrian bridge crossings and a creek-side trail, the valley provides an intimate connection with the creek. Seasonal fish spawning runs include herring and spottail shiner in the spring and salmon in the fall.

3. Snowberry Island

Halfway along the Grindstone Marshes Boardwalk, Snowberry Island sits five metres high in the floodplain. Named after a species of plant that grows there, the island is a block of uneroded creek valley soil called a knoll.

4. Grindstone Creek Delta

Located at Valley Inn trailhead, it’s both the site of an ambitious restoration project and stop-over point for migratory waterfowl. More than 100,000 Christmas trees form the foundation for the restored river banks of Grindstone Creek — these protect the marsh areas by preventing carp from entering.

5. Valley Inn Hotel

Built in 1820s on the eastern shore of Burlington Heights and standing until 1959, the hotel was a rest spot at the crossroads of the former Desjardins Canal and Hwy 2. The routes are now severed by the rail line and Hwy 403, but a section of road remains on the Grindstone Marshes Trail.

Canada’s Biodiversity Hotspot

Royal Botanical Gardens’ 1,100 hectares is dominated by nature sanctuaries enveloping the western end of Lake Ontario. These form a Nodal Park within the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Region and the heart of the Cootes to Escarpment Ecopark System. With more than 750 native plant species, 277 types of migratory birds, 37 mammal species, 14 reptile species, 9 amphibian species and 68 species of Lake Ontario fish, the area is an important contributor to ecosystems that span international borders.

About Hendrie Valley

What’s in a Name?

William Hendrie, a Scottish immigrant, purchased land here in the 1870s for his racehorse farm. In 1931 his son George donated the property to Hamilton Parks Board as a memorial to William and his brothers. Ten years later the property became part of RBG.

Early Residents

A number of Indigenous footpaths and water routes converged in Hendrie Valley and served as links between Burlington Bay and the Haudenosaunee villages on the Escarpment. The United Empire Loyalists arrived in the 1790s and expanded these transportation routes into Old Guelph Road and Snake Road. The Desjardins Canal also passed through Valley Inn, as did the original route for Highway 2.

Vegetation and Microclimate

Nestled between the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario, the area’s flora is characteristic of the more southern deciduous forest region. Soils differ on each side of the valley, resulting in differences in their plant communities, but oaks, hickories and Black Cherry are abundant.

Habitat Restoration

At the inception of Project Paradise in the 1990s practically the entire marshland complex had been destroyed by carp, leaving it a series of shallow muddy ponds. Various small carp barriers and artificially constructed river banks now restrict these invaders, allowing nature to successfully restore the area to a marshland.