Ball’s Falls

Situé dans la magnifique vallée Twenty Valley, Ball’s Falls offre des paysages spectaculaires et des beautés naturelles. Les visiteurs peuvent assister aux présentations et expositions interactives sur la nature, la conservation, et la culture. Le Centre de Conservation est ouvert du lundi au vendredi de 9 h à 16 h, et offre une variété de programmes et d’évènements durant toute l’année.

Le site compte plusieurs bâtiments historiques et a été entretenu avec soin afin de lui donner l’allure industrielle du début, milieu du 19e siècle. Les photographes et les amoureux de la nature aimeront la vue incroyable du majestueux ruisseau Twenty Mile qui plonge au-dessus des extrémités inférieures et supérieures des chutes. 

The NaturePlus Pass provides unlimited access to Conservation Areas across the Niagara Peninsula watershed.

It offers fantastic value to outdoor and nature enthusiasts who step into nature regularly at NPCA conservation areas with entry for one vehicle and its occupants to parks where fees apply. Those who visit on a regular basis and purchase this pass have found that after a few visits, the pass will have paid for itself.

When you purchase a pass, you help ensure the conservation areas receive the necessary resources for proper management, guaranteeing that these natural gems are enjoyed responsibly and protected for the benefit of current and future generations.

BUY NOW.

It is the policy of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to ensure that event and special occasion photography on Conservation Area property is managed responsibly and to ensure that this activity does not conflict with scheduled events on site. Further, the NPCA requires that photography is conducted in a manner that does not interfere with conservation efforts and the enjoyment of our Conservation Areas by our visitors.

The NPCA offers scenic views and a beautiful historical village for photography opportunities. For those wishing to have photos taken on our property, a Photography Permit is required.  This applies to all wedding, engagement, and family photo shoots. Those couples that have booked their wedding ceremony or reception facilities with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority will be exempt from this permit. 

To obtain a permit, contact our Conservation Area Services Representative at weddings@npca.ca or 905-788-3135 ext 321.

As per the Conservation Authorities Act R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 123, s. 4, the NPCA regulates the operation of businesses within conservation areas.

An NPCA Tour Guide Business Permit is required for operators planning to conduct tours within NPCA Conservation Areas. Operators must apply in advance for a permit and must hold an NPCA NaturePlus Membership Pass.

If you are a tour guide business operator please contact NPCA Manager, Conservation Area Services at apowell@npca.ca or ext. 326 to receive a NPCA Tour Guide Business Permit Application.

NPCA Tour Guide Permits are $60 (inc. HST) and are valid through December 31 of the calendar year in which they are approved.

Located at Ball's Falls Conservation Area: From the parking lot at the Centre for Conservation, take the Switch Back Trail to the Cataract Trail along Twenty Mile Creek and head south for approx. 5 minutes towards the Upper Falls.

A Wind Phone is for anyone who has lost someone special in their life. 

While the actual phone is not connected to anything, it offers an opportunity for people who are grieving to talk with their special person — to say what they need to say, and release it to the wind.

Grief is a natural response to loss. It is unique to everyone. We hope you find comfort in expressing feelings, sharing memories and saying the goodbyes you never had the opportunity to say.

The Wind Phone is located at Ball’s Falls Conservation Area and is provided in partnership with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.

As you talk with your loved one, let the wind carry your words over the trees and into the beyond.

https://www.hospiceniagara.ca/wind-phone

About Niagara Geopark:

The Niagara Peninsula is home to a multitude of natural wonders to be explored and discovered. Geographically situated between two Great Lakes, the Niagara Peninsula Aspiring Global Geopark is the result of 500 million years of natural processes. The evidence of these natural phenomenon can be seen and explored throughout the peninsula at many of Niagara's Geosites. Dominated by the stunning Niagara Escarpment, itself already a designated UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, prepare to be amazed by Niagara's powerful waterfalls, deep gorges and layers of geological Earth history beneath your feet and all around you.

Ball's Falls Geosite

With 20 Geosites across the Niagara Region, locals and visitors alike can enjoy educational geoheritage experiences including trails, activities, and tours, while indulging in many of Niagara's unique offerings.

While visiting, guests can enjoy the GeoHike of Ball’s Falls, developed by the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (PGO). This innovative trail features QR codes along the path, leading visitors to GeoHike interpretations that enrich their understanding of the area's geological significance. Visitors can also purchase their very own Niagara Geopark t-shirt from the gift shop!

Ball’s Falls Conservation Area has been lovingly maintained to its early-to-mid 19th century industrial hamlet atmosphere featuring the original Ball family home, an operating flour mill, a lime kiln, a church, black smith shop, carriage shed, and more.

Ball’s Falls began in 1809 when the Ball brothers built a wooden gristmill on Twenty Mile Creek in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula. Known as Glen Elgin, it had by the 1840s grown into one of the area’s busiest industrial towns. The flourishing village boasted a barrel maker, a blacksmith and two lime kilns, as well as a store and several houses. Of the old buildings, only the gristmill, a lime kiln and the Ball homestead have survived. Other historic buildings from the surrounding region, including a pioneer log cabin and a picturesque wooden church, have been relocated to Ball’s Falls park.

A trail from the parking lot follows the former village road along the west side of the river to the ruins of the woollen mill. Here, the upper falls plunges over the rugged limestone lip of the Niagara Escarpment. On the hill behind the ruin, another path leads to the site of the boarding house, where only a rusting water pump survives to mark the location.

In July 2024 the Town of Lincoln officially recognized Ball's Falls as a heritage property. The designation recognizes the architectural, historical, and contextual importance of Ball's Falls, which has been a key landmark in Lincoln and the broader Niagara region for generations.

From its earliest days of supplying flour to the British troops during the War of 1812, to an Industrial settlement, to its present-day use of a tourism hub for the community, Ball’s Falls is an important and fundamental part of how Lincoln was shaped.

Visitors can read more about the history of Ball's Falls on the heritage plaque outside the Ball family home.

Join us and travel back in time during Thanksgiving weekend at our Historical Village, which features:

• Black Smith Shop Tours and Demonstration
• Grist Mill Tours
• Niagara Handweavers and Spinners Demonstrations
• Ball Family Home & Cabin Tours
• Ball’s Falls Historical Church Tours

Find Out More Here

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is an invasive bug that has been detected at Ball's Falls. While not harmful to humans or pets, it is destructive to eastern hemlock trees. 

HWA feeding removes plant fluids and causes needle drop, twig dieback, and eventually tree mortality, sometimes in as little as four years. Signs and symptoms of the bug include: 

• Cottony, white egg sacs at the base of tree needles resembling small cotton balls or clumps of snow (These are tiny! Only about 3-6 millimeters in size!); 
• Swelling at the twig tips; 
• Twig dieback; and 
• Grey foliage. 

It can be spread by wind, animals, and human movement of nursery stick, logs, firewood, and other wood products.  

To help prevent the spread of this pesky bug, all conservation area visitors are encouraged to follow these recommendations to prevent the spread of this invasive: 

• Use a lint roller to remove any potential crawlers from clothing; 
• Beat and/or lint roll hats and coats worn near the affected area; 
• Brush off footwear after being outdoors; 
• Wipe down all equipment with an ethanol-based cleaner; 
• Wash all clothing before entering another conservation area or woodlot; and 
• Stay on the trails and keep dogs on a leash. 

Visitors as asked to not remove any natural material such as branches, leaves, and twigs from the conservation area. Instead, leave nature where it is for everyone to enjoy. 

For more information, please visit the Forest Health and Management page.

For a downloadable list of FAQ's please click here