Glories of West Hamilton
If it weren’t for the ‘fame’ of heavy industry, Hamilton would be known as one of the most geographically gifted cities in the province. This would be courtesy of the escarpment, marsh and harbour.
This is a photo story of the extreme western tip of Lake Ontario. It includes Hamilton Harbour of which the northeast end accommodates the lake freighters that service the industries, while the southwest is progressively oriented to public recreation. The harbour is separated from the extreme end of the lake which is a large marsh almost exclusively used for recreation and science.
The harbour and the marsh are separated by a land formation best described as a 15 m. high earth bank bifurcated by a channel joining the western marsh (Cootes Paradise) from the harbour. The earth bank, known as the high level, provides scenic views in both directions and is the site of several of these photographs.
The marsh is the catchment area for a watershed which then flows into the harbour.
The depth of water in the marsh is determined by the level of Lake Ontario. Most of it doesn’t exceed a metre deep at any time and in the late fall much less.
The land around the marsh is owned and managed by the adjacent Royal Botanical Gardens. The area, open to hiking, might best be described as an old growth forest hosting some of the largest specimens of native trees.If the RBG cuts any trees it is done for safety of people using the trails. It never removes any wood.
This forest is described by the RBG as the most plant biodiverse region in Canada.
The varied recreation in and around both the harbour and marsh are illustrated in the photos. These photos are taken over a period of about 40 years.
The photo component can be found at. The link appears at the bottom of this box.
There are captions at the bottom of each photo and the photo size can be increased.
