Devil's Punch Bowl, Waterfall in Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Canada
Devil's Punch Bowl is a waterfall on the Niagara Escarpment in Stoney Creek, dropping 37 meters (121 feet) over several rock terraces. Different colored rock layers running horizontally through the cliff show deposits from different geological periods.
The bowl began forming 450 million years ago when a shallow sea covered the region and deposited different sediment layers. The current shape of the falls emerged after the last ice age, when melting glaciers eroded the rock and carved the river valley.
A ten-meter illuminated cross stands on the cliff ledge above the falls, erected in 1966 by a local resident. The cross overlooks the harbor and serves as a landmark for the surrounding community during evening hours.
Access is through the conservation area, which provides pathways and viewing platforms along the cliff edge connected to the Bruce Trail. Parking is available near the main entrance and the platforms offer different angles of the falls and surrounding valley.
The curved shape of the cliff face once gave the falls the nickname Horseshoe Falls, as the curve recalls the more famous Niagara cascade. The similarity is most apparent from the side viewing points, where the full width of the cliff becomes visible.
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