The Hilton Falls are a 30-minute walk away from the parking lot. You can easily get close to the falls (with good shoes) and there may be a cold shower involved! When we first visited, makeshift bridges were made of tree trunks. Last time I was there, in the fall, the water level was low and it was even easier to cross the stream. If your kids are up to it, then they're big enough to romp about in this natural playground: a bit of easy rock climbing and the discovery of a "secret" passage inside the ruins of the sawmill wall. I recommend you go for a short walk on the trail along the cliff downstream from the falls. A huge round pothole awaits, formed 12,000 years ago, and it's quite safe for the kids to explore it. (You'll see the blue marks of the Bruce Trail.) However, you should be vigilant in areas closer to the cliff's edge. Note that the gravel path is stroller-accessible except for the first hundred metres of the trail going up hill. Bring bug repellant if you go in the summer!
When I visited in the fall 2015 on a Thursday, we were greeted near the falls by the great smell of woodfire from a pit. It was tended by a grand-father, feeding it the logs supplied by the conservation area. Simply lovely! We returned during the winter and some people had brought hotdogs to cook on a stick!
