The Chedoke Creek is an urban creek that runs through the west end of

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

. It crosses the

Bruce Trail The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern Ontario, Canada, from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory, Ontario. The main trail is more than long and there are over of associated side trails. The trail mostly follows the edge of the Nia ...

and the Radial Trail. Much of the creek is diverted below ground in concrete piping. It is a few meters at the widest and is at a depth suitable for wading (not recommended due to pollution).Point Source Pollution of Hamilton Harbour
. McMaster University Biology Dept. (2008) The flow rate and volume of the creek changes with the seasons - The spring thaw yields the greatest flow. The creek contains no fish stock, but has tested for watershed

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

, as part of an educational program organized by Dr. George Sorger of McMaster University for the benefit of students at Westdale Secondary School. Biodiversity is considered an indicator of health. Low biodiversity indicates pollution. Testing performed by McMaster students have detected a high

E. coli ''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escher ...

count, indicating that the waters are unsafe for all humans and pets - though much less so than the East Hamilton's Red Hill Creek. Two separate waterfalls ( Chedoke Falls) flow over the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over ...

, locally referred to as "The Mountain." Both falls are located in a stretch of parkland, The Mountain Brow. The larger falls is secluded, located at the east entrance of the Chedoke Civic Golf Course and requires a dangerous hike along a steeply-inclined valley that shows bright red clay soils and an abundance of mature maple trees.
The Western Falls is visible from the Radial Trail (a gravel road suitable for pedestrian and bicyclists, no motor vehicles), just west of the Upper Paradise Street stairs and the Chedoke clubhouse. From the falls, the creek is routed under the radial trail and travels through a thin stretch of forest that separates the Chedoke Civic Golf Course from the nearby houses. At Glenside Avenue (approximately 500 meters from the Radial Trail), the creek is routed underground. It is channeled through a built concrete trough along the side of

Highway 403 The following highways are numbered 403: Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 403 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 403 * Highway 403 (Ontario) Costa Rica * National Route 403 Croatia * D403 road Hungary * Main road 403 (Hungary) Japan * Jap ...

and empties into

Cootes Paradise Cootes Paradise is a property of the Royal Botanical Gardens at the western end of Lake Ontario, and a remnant of the larger 3700 acre Dundas Marsh Crown Game Preserve established by the Province of Ontario in 1927. It is a 600 hectare environment ...

at Princess Point Park.

References

Rivers of Hamilton, Ontario {{Ontario-river-stub

See also

References