When you think of hiking, I bet you don’t think you would come across karsts did you? Well, at Eramosa Karst Conservation Area, the park is filled with treasures including forests, meadows and underground caves and steams. But before we explain more about that, you may be wondering: what is a karst? Karsts are geological formations that include underground drainage, caves and passages caused by dissolving rock.
As a great spot for a hike, Eramosa Karst’s interesting geology makes it a one-of-a-kind place to visit in Hamilton. There are over four kilometres of trails, boardwalks and bridges that take you through forests, meadows, geological formations and a natural amphitheatre. Here, you’ll find three trails here that range from easy to moderate difficulty: Karst Features Trail, Meadows Trail and Bobolink Trail.
What we did:
We mostly stayed on the Karst Features Trail so we could visit Pottruff Cave, Nexus Cave and see some karst features. You should hit both if you stay on the trail, but we had trouble finding them. You'll have to keep an eye out so you don't miss it. We ended up having to backtrack so we could find it.
Pottruff Cave is quite large and a pretty neat geological feature if you haven't seen too many caves in your life. If you climb down into the entrance, you'll feel pretty small.
For Nexus Cave, you'll be able to see the entrance as well as a window for it at two different spots. These features aren't as striking as Pottruff Cave, but worth checking out if you're already on the trail.
NOTES:
- Location: Upper Mount Albion Road, Stoney Creek, ON
- Parking fee: There's no entrance fee - yay! But there's a parking fee of $2/hour.
- Time: We budgeted about 2 hours here and we were able to fully complete the Karst Features Trail and part of the Meadows Trail.
- Dogs: Dogs are allowed but you must keep them leashed.