Ancaster Sulphur Spring, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada

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Category: Canada, Ontario, View All
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Description

Maintained by Ancaster Parks and Recreation. Historical Sulphur Fountain in Ancaster. This is NOT for drinking ( although some people do ), better for healing / therapeutic purposes. This spring fed the Sulphur Springs Hotel’s mineral spa in the 1800’s. The waters were considered to have curative properties and hence the Hotel was a popular summer destination. The Hotel closed in 1910 due to two fires. Drinking water is up the road @ 1109 Sulphur Springs Road.

This about the history of the area surrounding the spring: http://www.hauntedhamilton.com/local_hermitage.html

Nearest Address

820 Sulphur Springs Road

Directions from Nearest Address

Ancaster is up on “the mountain” – the escarpment, from Hamilton ON. To take the highway, you would exit the QEW at the 403 Hamilton. Go up the mountain, passed the LINK exit. Take the “Fiddler’s Green” exit, and go towards Ancaster (there is a sign). Within approx. 2 blocks, fiddler’s green ends in a T intersection. Take a right, and immediate left onto “Lover’s Lane”. Keep going straight on this road, as it changes names to Sulphur Springs rd and Mineral Springs Rd.

You are now driving through the conservation area, and there is good hiking on the Bruce Trail. On the right, you will see a small heritage museum and trail parking (there is an outhouse here). Turn RIGHT immediately after this, onto Sulphur Springs Rd.

There will be some dirt road and some hill. At the bottom of the hill, you will see the “sulphur” spring, smells and tastes better than egg salad! Saw a yellow bird drinking from it. Lots of jewel weed grows at the stream here.

Keep going up the hill and down another to reach the “Ancaster Wells” as the small square building is labeled. There is a driveway and parking for about 5 cars. There is also the only street light for miles.

You will see 2 continuous flowing wells from spouts. I have heard that they have two different sources. I prefer the one that has the information posted on the side… Use your own judgment.

Also – glass bottles recommended (of course!) as the sulphur will erode anything else.

This water revived my houseplants from near death and lessened mung bean sprouting time by one whole day!

Vital Information

  • Fee: None
  • Access: Public
  • Flow: Continuous
  • TDS: High in sulphur
  • Temp: 6.5 C
  • pH: N/A

Hours Spring is Open:

Always

GPS:

N/A

Map Link: Ancaster Wells Map

Submitted by: tbuschlen, Mo Rosati

Responses

  1. Hi Milijana, I would not recommend drinking this water but I would use it topically, this bypasses your taste buds & stomach but still gets into your body. Use this water by soaking, bathing or massaging it into your skin / body for healing & therapeutic purposes.

    This old book mentions this extraordinary water source…
    1800's Mineral Spring Book by John Bell
    http://bit.ly/eoABc ( direct download )
    http://bit.ly/wEylX ( online version )

    Thanks,
    Mo

  2. I live in the area. So, I brought large plastic containers to bring it home to therapeutically bath
    with it. First, I fill up the tub with just hot water, letting it sit 20 minutes to burn off the chlorine. Then, I light a candle and pour in 10 liters of the sulpher springs water from Ancaster ontario. I have been doing this every day for one week, then every other day for a week and have noticed some improvement of my inflammation to heels, back and my elbows. But, is it safe to continue this ratio?
    Venessa, Dundas ON

    1. Hi Venessa ( I just sent this reply to your e-mail but I thought I would post it here for others to see as well )

      Yes, it’s perfectly safe to use the water at 820 Sulphur Springs Road for bathing purposes, it’s the best way to get that highly mineralized water into your body & bypass your taste buds & your intestinal system. I do not actually use ANY ratio of tap water at all, I gather enough of this water to bath in all by its self ( about 60 to 80 liters of it ) then let it sit at room temperature to warm up or if it’s hot out, I’ll let it sit in the sun for about 4 hours & it will heat up to 98 degrees Fahrenheit. When the Sulphur Springs Spa hotel was in business, they would just heat the sulphur water & use it all on it’s own ( without diluting it ) & provide sulphur baths to the hotel visitors.

      The method you’re describing below should still be beneficial to some degree but I imagine the effects would be very subtle because of the ratio of heated tap water to sulphur water. I do realize that it’s a lot of work to gather enough of this sulphur water to fill a bath & getting it warm enough to bath in is even more difficult but I’m always thinking of ways to make it easier. Now if you had a specific part of your body that needed to be treated ( for example a hand, foot, elbow, knee etc . ) than it would be easy to heat up 4 – 10 liters of sulphur water & than just soak that part of your body in the water for as long as you needed. A friend of mine came up with a great idea, she was planning on bringing a kiddie pool directly to the sulphur spring, filling it up with water & just jump in, it would be freezing though!

      Anyway, I hope this info helped – please feel free to contact me anytime.

      Thanks,
      Mo Rosati – mrosati72@gmail.com

  3. Does anyone experience stomach distress (e.g. diarrhea) after drinking this highly sulphuric spring water? Perhaps my diet is already too high in sulphur (e.g. greens, kale) and/or my liver can't handle it, etc.

  4. Hi Milijana, I would not recommend drinking this water but I would use it topically, this bypasses your taste buds & stomach but still gets into your body. Use this water by soaking, bathing or massaging it into your skin / body for healing & therapeutic purposes.

    This old book mentions this extraordinary water source…
    1800's Mineral Spring Book by John Bell
    http://bit.ly/eoABc ( direct download )
    http://bit.ly/wEylX ( online version )

    Thanks,
    Mo

How to Collect Spring Water

Drinking pure spring water is one of the most important things we can do for our health. Our bodies are over 99% water at the molecular level, so water affects every aspect of our biology. Yet, not all water is created equal. Almost all the bottled spring water available is pasteurized for shelf stability, which neutralizes many of the powerful health benefits such as increased hydrogen, healthy probiotics, and crystalline structure. For more about why unprocessed spring water is the best water to drink, read this.

The best way to guarantee you are getting real unprocessed spring water is to collect it yourself. This is a short and simple guide filled with information about how to gather spring water. We will cover how to find a spring, how to collect the water, how to honor the spring, how to store the water properly and other tips.

FindASpring.org is the best resource for locating a spring near you. However, not all springs are on the map. First, check the map to see if there is a spring in your local area. If there is, look at the reviews and comments. Has anyone shared helpful information about flow rate or posted a water test result? Is the spring in a pristine area? Do a bit of research and make sure the spring is safe to drink from. If you have any doubt about the purity, don’t risk it and get a water test, HERE. If you don’t see a spring on the map in your area, there still might be some that aren’t listed yet. First, ask the older generation who have lived in your area a long time if they know. You can also ask people in your community who might already get spring water such as people at a health food store or at a farmers market. Another great option is to view A US forest service map, where many springs have been marked. You can view these maps through the Gaia GPS or All Trails hiking apps on your phone. The map overlay you want is USGS Topo. Not all are easily accessible or ideal for drinking, but some are and it can be a fun adventure to find them. We have found over half a dozen great springs this way.

Once you’ve found your spring, figure out how you are going to gather the water. Is it right on the side of the road and easy to access or do you have to hike to it? We recommend storing spring water in glass instead of plastic to preserve the purity of the water. It is better for the environment, your body, and the water. Even BPA free plastic has toxic chemicals that can leach into water and cause health issues. If you do want to use plastic for safety reasons when filling at the spring, we recommend transferring the water to glass as soon as possible. FindASpring is sponsored by Alive Waters, which offers beautiful reusable glass. They have a 2.5 gallon option, which is a convenient size for carrying that isn’t too heavy. They also sell handles that you can use to transport the jugs even more easily. If you have to hike to access the spring, we recommend putting the water jugs into an extra large backpack to hike the water out with ease. We use Osprey packs that hold 2 jugs each. You can also use a wheelbarrow or even a stroller depending on how easy a walk it is.

Filling 2.5 Gallon Alive Waters Jug

When you get to the spring, remember to first give back before you take. Springs are considered sacred in indigenous cultures around the world for their life giving water and also as a connection to the inner earth. A powerful and simple way to give back is to clean up. Is there any trash that needs to be collected? Could you move any dead leaves or sticks to improve the flow rate? Show up in service. Some other wonderful ways to give is with a moment of expressing verbal gratitude, singing songs to the water, offering the water an ethically sourced crystal, a feather, or some other physical gift. Flowers are a popular and beautiful thing to offer, but please be careful to source organic ones as most flowers from the store are sprayed with pesticides and can be toxic to put near a spring. Also, flowers can attract bugs as they decay, so it can be best to offer them to the flowing water directly or a little downstream from the spring head.

When gathering the water, fill the jug as close to the spring head as possible, never gather downstream. Be very careful as wet glass is extremely slippery. Make sure the lid is securely fastened. When transporting the spring water home, the jugs can sometimes slide around the car. Secure them in place or wrap them with towels or something so they don’t crash into each other.

How you store your spring water is essential. It is not pasteurized like spring water from the store, so it will start growing algae if left in direct sunlight. This is good because it means it’s alive! If the water you drink can’t even support the most basic life forms, how do you think it will support your body? Store your water in a cool, dark place such as a dark corner, pantry or closet. The fridge is ideal if you have room. Some people prefer to filter their water through a Berkey filter before drinking, but if the spring is pure, it’s not necessary. We drink our spring water completely unfiltered.

How long the water stays good for depends on how cold a temperature it’s stored at. Spring water is best fresh. We personally do not prefer to drink spring water past 2 weeks old. However, we know other people that will drink it at a month old. It’s great to get in a rhythm where you know how long the water lasts you and put your collection day on the calendar in advance.

I believe that water is calling us to reconnect with her in the deepest way, to gather our own water. Just like our ancestors did. Our ancestors didn’t have fancy water machines. They also didn’t create villages or settle where there was no water. Water was revered as the center of the community and the nodal point around which life could spiral out and take root.

Here’s to restoring the sacred connection with the waters of life.

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