Home / Guides / Jordan and Ball's Falls
Niagara, Ontario
A wine-country village on Twenty Mile Creek, with two waterfalls in a conservation area, an old mill hamlet, and a harbour wetland on Lake Ontario.
Photo: The upper falls at Ball's Falls Conservation Area on Twenty Mile Creek, Gogerr, CC BY-SA 4.0
Jordan sits in the Twenty Valley, in the Town of Lincoln, about thirty-five minutes west of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Twenty Mile Creek cuts the Niagara Escarpment at Ball's Falls Conservation Area, just south of the village, with an upper and a lower falls, a Cataract Trail, and a small historic hamlet around an operating flour mill.
North of the village, the creek widens into Jordan Harbour, a provincially significant wetland on Lake Ontario, with a public launch for non-motorized boats when it is in season. The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail loops the harbour. Cave Springs and Louth conservation areas offer more escarpment trails and, at Louth, two more waterfalls.
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
A 36-hectare escarpment property on Sixteen Mile Creek at 3193 Staff Avenue, Jordan Station, with two waterfalls and access to the Bruce Trail. Official pages say it is open year-round, sunrise to sunset, for hiking and birdwatching, with no washrooms on site. Free.
Season Official pages said it is open year-round, sunrise to sunset, with no washrooms on site (check before you go).
An escarpment property at 3949 Cave Spring Road, with views toward Lake Ontario, the Bruce Trail and the Margaret Reed Side Trail, a 200-metre accessible trail and an interpretive courtyard. Official pages say it is open year-round, sunrise to sunset. Free.
Season Official pages said it is open year-round, sunrise to sunset (check before you go).
A provincially significant wetland where Twenty Mile Creek meets Lake Ontario, with a public launch for non-motorized watercraft. Official pages listed the season as May–October, sunrise to sunset, and said parking is limited, with no pavilion or washrooms.
Season Official pages listed the season as May–October, sunrise to sunset. Parking is limited, and there is no pavilion or washroom (check before you go).
A trail that loops around Jordan Harbour and links the lake-shore communities through Lincoln, with shops and the harbour as handy stops. Free.
A town walking trail in the Twenty Valley, listed on Lincoln's official trails page. Free.
The Bruce Trail crosses Lincoln east to west along the Niagara Escarpment. Official town pages say you can enter through Ball's Falls Conservation Area, off Sixth Avenue. A conservation day-use fee applies if you enter through Ball's Falls.
Two waterfalls on Twenty Mile Creek, in Ball's Falls Conservation Area at 3292 Sixth Avenue. The Cataract Trail follows the creek and links to the Bruce Trail. Official pages say the creek is rain-fed, so the falls can change from a torrent in spring to a thin veil in late summer and fall. A conservation day-use fee applies. Swimming is not permitted. Stay on the marked trails.
Season The official hours box listed the conservation area as 8 a.m.–8 p.m. daily. A day-use fee applies. Swimming, boating and paddling are not permitted (check before you go).
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
A compact wine-country village of shops and old buildings along the Twenty Valley, a short drive north of the falls. Free to wander.
A small 19th-century industrial hamlet in the conservation area, with the original Ball family home, an operating flour mill, a lime kiln, a church, a blacksmith shop and a carriage shed. A conservation day-use fee applies.
A LEED Gold visitor centre with galleries on nature, conservation and the watershed. Official hours were posted as 9 a.m.–4 p.m. daily. A conservation day-use fee applies.
Season Official hours were posted as 9 a.m.–4 p.m. daily for the centre and the accessible washrooms; a longer about section on the same page still said the centre was open Monday to Friday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Check before you go.
Main streets, markets and the dates worth planning around.
Independent shops, cafés and places to eat in Jordan, handy to the Waterfront Trail and the valley roads.
A few more shops and stops in the neighbouring Twenty Valley hamlets, along the lake-shore and the service road.
Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.
A conservation day-use fee, or an annual membership, for Ball's Falls Conservation Area. Hours change with the season.
An annual pass for Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority day-use areas.
Canoe, kayak or paddleboard rentals at Jordan Harbour, listed on the official conservation-area page, in season.
Part of our Niagara guides.
Heritage streets, Fort George, theatre and wine, about thirty-five minutes east.
Niagara Fallsabout 40 min · Guide ↗The Horseshoe Falls, the Niagara Glen and the boat into the mist, about forty minutes southeast.
Photo: The upper falls at Ball's Falls Conservation Area on Twenty Mile Creek, Gogerr, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ball's Falls in winter, with ice on Twenty Mile Creek, Kaleb Dortono kalebdortono, CC0
Photo: A historic barn at Cave Springs Conservation Area, on the Niagara Escarpment, Gogerr, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Jordan Harbour on Twenty Mile Creek at Lake Ontario, Gogerr, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: The wetland at Jordan Harbour, Eric Marshall, CC BY 3.0
Photo: The flour mill at Ball's Falls Conservation Area, Frankmcphee, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: The old stone schoolhouse on the grounds of the Jordan Historical Museum, in Jordan Village, Canadamerica, CC BY-SA 3.0
