General Information

The interpretive tour focuses upon the unique geological and geographical characteristics associated with the Niagara Escarpment. While the area is home to Niagara Falls, one of the most globally recognized natural wonders of the world, there are other interesting geologic features which add to the region’s distinctiveness. Designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1990, the Niagara Escarpment is an internationally recognized landform and is the cornerstone of Ontario's Greenbelt. The Escarpment corridor crosses two major biomes: boreal needle leaf forests in the north and temperate broadleaf forest in the south. It also includes wetland complexes, cliff faces, slopes and aquatic ecosystems among others. This will introduce you to a number of the significant land formations surrounding Niagara Falls and the Niagara Escarpment. There is much more the Niagara Region than our celebrated falls!

Over the past 450 million years there have many historic events responsible for shaping the Niagara Region into the landscape we know today. One of the most notable events that shaped our landscape was the formation of the Wisconsin Glacier 110,000 years ago. The north polar ice cap expanded greatly, covering most of Canada in a vast sheet of ice a kilometer and a half thick. The slow moving glacier slowly carved out many of the significant features of the region we know today, including Niagara Falls themselves as well as the Niagara Escarpment. By examining the geological and physical geographic history of the region, you can gain a better understanding of the sites beyond just Niagara Falls and the Niagara Escarpment. This tour will be centred upon 10 locations, all with strong geologic significance ranging from cascading falls to exposed layers of strata.

Click here for a complete itinerary, directions, and map of the Niagara Greenbelt Geological Tour.

The Destinations this tour will stop at are:

Devil's Punch Bowl

Martindale Marsh

Smeaton's Ravine

Niagara Glen Terraces

St. David's Buried Gorge

Dufferin Islands

Wainfleet Bog

Fonthill Delta-Kame

DeCew Falls

Niagara Escarpment (Biosphere Reserve)

TripClip Audio File - Niagara Greenbelt Geological tour

Photo Gallery

Directions

The first destination along this tour takes us to the outer edge of the Niagara Greenbelt and into Stoney Creek Ontario where we find the famous Devil's Punch Bowl.