Southern Grey County - Niagara Escarpment Commission

Niagara Escarpment
Explorer
Southern Grey
Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment
A World Biosphere Reserve
County
What You’ll Find
Discover
Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment
What You’ll Find
Conservation Areas & Parks
Fairmount
Epping Lookout
Beaverdale Forest Area
Herman McConnell Memorial Forest
Wodehouse Creek Management Area
Beaver Valley Lowlands
Old Baldy
Wodehouse Karst
Hoggs Falls
Eugenia Falls Conservation Area
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Nature Reserve
Kolapore Uplands
Len Gertler Memorial Loree Forest
Craigleith Provincial Park
Petun Conservation Area
Pretty River Valley Provincial Park
Rob Roy Forest
in Southern Grey County
Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment
Spectacular vistas. Dramatic cliff faces. A world renowned
fossil locality. Hidden waterfalls. These are just a few of
the highlights to be explored along the Niagara Escarpment in southern Grey County. The area also offers outstanding recreational opportunities and some of the most
beautiful rural scenery in the province.
Southern Grey County is well known for winter sports such
as cross-country and alpine skiing. Blue Mountain and its
neighbouring resorts along the Escarpment - Osler Bluff,
craigleith, Alpine and Georgian Peaks - attract thousands
of skiers each year. With a vertical drop of 244 metres,
these hills offer the best alpine skiing in Ontario.
Epping Lookout
Epping Lookout is located on the western side of the Beaver Valley. This 5-hectare roadside picnic area, owned
by the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, gives Beaver
Valley explorers a place to stop for a spectacular view.
To the north, the broad plain of the Beaver Valley widens
until it reaches Nottawasaga Bay. To the south, the valley
narrows and eventually disappears. A historical plaque at
Epping Lookout tells the story of American conservationist John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, who lived and
worked in the Meaford area during the 1860s.
To get to Epping Lookout, go south on County Road 7
from Meaford for 15.2 km.
Photo by Willy Waterton
The Escarpment forms a horseshoe shape when it reaches
the Beaver Valley. From several vantage points along the
cliffs that rim the valley, hikers can view the swampy lowlands of the river and the apple orchards and farms laid
out in a patchwork of greens and browns on its broad,
fertile banks.
The Beaver Valley ahs a unique microclimate which makes
it particularly suitable for growing apples. Grey County
grows more apples than any other county in Ontario.
Apple blossoms in spring. Hiking, biking and swimming in
summer. Magnificent fall colours and the apple harvest
in autumn. Great skiing in witner. Any time of the year is
a good time to visit this enchanting section of Ontario’s
Niagara Escarpment.
Photo by Karen Carruthers
Beaverdale Forest Area
Rising up from springs and creeks in the Feversham area,
the Beaver River meanders 40 km to Georgian Bay. It
also meets up with the Boyne River just west of Eugenia.
For much of its course, the Beaver runs through a heavily wooded swamp dominated by silver maple, black ash
and trembling aspen. Ostrich ferns line the banks, and
wildlife is abundant. Wood ducks, hooded mergansers,
green herons, great horned owls and snapping turtles are
regularly seen on the Beaver. The river is a popular canoe and kayak route, especially in spring, when it attracts
whitewater enthusiasts.
The Petun First Nations gave the Beaver River its name.
One historian even speculated that the use of the Beavr as
Canada’s national emblem originated with the Petun from
Grey County. On their fur trading missions, they carried
shields decorated with a beaver ensign.
Cover photos by Ethan Meleg
...a World Biosphere Reserve
The Beaver is a good example of a misfit river - one that is
too small to have created such a large valley. Hundreds
of thousands of years ago, before the glaciers advanced
over southern Ontario, the sprawling valley carried a much
larger river. It eroded down through the soft limestone
bedrock, creating one of the Escarpment’s largest valleys.
Then the glaciers smoothed and widened the valley to
more than ten kilometres across in places.
Old Baldy Conservation Area
Old Baldy, on the eastern rim of the Beaver Valley near
Kimberley, is an arch-shaped dome of Amabel dolostone
- the hard rock that caps much of the Niagara Escarpment
in Grey County. This sheer cliff is one of the most significant natural and scenic areas on the Escarpment.
Old Baldy illustrates the erosional processes that formed
the Niagara Escarpment in the past, and continue to sculpt
it today. Large blocks of rock have separated from the
main cliff. In fact, Old Baley itself is gradually separating
from the main Escarpment.
Along the cliff edge at Old Baldy, hikers pass through a
forst dominated by eastern white cedar and mountain
maple. The forest floor supports a sparse understory of
common polypody, marginal shield fern and bulblet fern.
Just back from the cliff edge, a deciduous forest of sugar
maple with white ash, beech and basswood predominates,
with ferns, wild ginger and wild leek beneath. Nineteen
species of ferns have been recorded at Old Baldy.
Old Baldy provides a panoramic view of the Beaver Valley
and the Talisman and Beaver Valley ski clubs. It is a magnificent hike in the fall. Rock climbing is another popular
activity at this site. Climbers must obtain a permit from the
Grey Sauble Conservation Authority.
Hoggs Falls
At the extreme southern end of the Beaver Valley, near
where the Boyne River joins the Beaver, is lovely littleknown Hoggs Falls.
The drive to the seven metre high falls is one of the most
beautiful in the area. The valley is at its narrowist at this
point. Its steep banks rise up sharply, narrowest at this
point. Its steep banks rise up sharply, leaving just enough
room for the road and the Boyne River which flows along
beside it. Hoggs Falls are named for William Hogg, a son
of the illustrious Hogg family of York, for whom Toronto’s
Hoggs Hollow was named. William Hogg settled in Eugenia in the 1870s.
To get to the Upper Beaver Valley, take County Road 4
east from the main intersection in Flesherton. After a few
kilometres, take the first township road to the left (north).
Take the next right onto the Beaver Valley road and watch
for the yellow metal gate on the left, a few hundred metres
along this road. Park on the road and walk past the gate
a short distance to the falls.
Eugenia Falls Conservation Area
At Eugenia Falls, the Beaver River plunges 30 metres over
the Escarpment into a narrow, tree-lined gorge. The Grey
Sauble Conservation Authority has placed some interpretive signs along a low stone wall that lines the edge of the
gorge.
Eugenia Falls is an interesting place to reflect upon human
folly and greed. The site has witnessed two grand but unsuccessful money-making schemes over the years.
Shortly after it was discovered in 1852, Eugenia Falls was
the site of an ill-fated gold rush. The settler who first came
upon the falls noticed the glint of gold in the rocks underwater. A mining boom ensued, which at its peak, saw
200 men staking claims and extracting rock. They even
cut steps down the east side of the falls to ease the task of
carrying bags of rock up to the top. The gold turned out
to be iron pyrite (fools gold) and the men returned to their
farms, their dreams of fabulous wealth shattered.
Early in the 20th century, Eugenia Falls witness its second
failed enterprise. In 1905 the newly formed Georgian Bay
Power Company built a massive tunnel across the river
upstream frmo the falls to house turbines. The outrageous
scheme drove the company into bankruptcy and the project was abandoned before the turbines were installed.
Later, parts of the tunnel were blown up as a safety measure. All that remains today is the arch at the eastern end
of the tunnel.
Photo by Ethan Meleg
Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment
In 1913, the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario
acquired the property and built a power plant. They also
purchased 1900 acres of surrounding land and flooded
it, creating Eugenia Lake. The reservoir assured that their
plant could produce power year-round. Today, Ontario
Hydro’s penstocks can be seen descending the Escarpment
just south of the Beaver Valley Ski Club. At the base of the
Escarpment is the Eugenia Generating Station, which generated six megawatts of power.
Kolapore Uplands
The Kolapore Uplands is a 12,000 hectare resource management area between Thornbury and Feversham on the
eastern edge of the Beaver Valley. The property, owned by
the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority and Grey County, includes mature deciduous forest, swamp, pine plantations and abandoned
farm fields reverting to forest. The Bruce Trail runs along
the edge of the Kolapore Uplands and nearby Kolapore
swamp.
Kolapore is well known for its challenging cross-country
skiing. Sixty kilometres of marked (but not groomed) ski
trails were developed here in 1973 by Outing Club of the
University of Toronto. Excelent trail maps are sold at the
general store in Ravenna.
The topography of this semi-wilderness area is complex.
Mount Dhaulagiri and Red Death Hill are Escarpment outliers (outcrops of rock separated from the main Escarpment thruogh erosion).
Photo by Willy Waterton
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Nature Reserve
The Duncan Loop of the Bruce Trail takes hikers into a series of crevice caves, formed through the process of mass
wasting at the brow of the Niagara Escarpment. Mass
wasting is a geological term for the downslope movement
of soil and rock material under the influence of gravity.
The Escarpment has several crevice cave systems, but those
at Duncan are particularly well-developed. The crevices
are up to 30 metres deep and 5 metres wide. In some
cases, huge blocks of dolostone have fallen away from the
Escarpment and landed in such a way that they cap the
crevice, thus forming caves. The walls and floors of the
caves and crevices are lined with many species of ferns.
To get to Duncan Escarpment Provincial Nature Reserve,
take the 9-10 sideroad west from County Road 1 about
1.5 kilometres north of Kolapore, and follow it for roughly
1.5 kilometres.
Kolapore’s trails are also good for hiking, and this large,
intact natural area has a great deal to offer hikers and
naturalists. Kolapore has one of the highest levels of biodiversity anywhere along the Escarpment. There are more
than 500 species of vascular plants, some of them typical
of more northerly habitats. Unusual or rare species include Hart’s-tongue fern, American ginseng, drooping
sedge, northern starwort, divaricate rock cress and striped
maple. There are more than ten species of orchids. A
census of breeding birds identified 98 species. Kolapore
is particularly rich in warblers, especially in the lowland
areas and along the talus slopes. the inventory also identified nineteen mammal species and twelve reptile and amphibian species.
To get to Kolapore, take County Road 2 from Hwy. 26
to the hamlet of Kolapore and watch for the parking lot
on the east side of the roads. The head of the ski trails,
across the road from the parking lot, is marked by a large
wooden sign.
...a World Biosphere Reserve
Len Gertler Memorial Loree Forest
Grey Sauble Conservation Authority
The Bruce Trail Association opened a 4.4 km loop at the
oree in 1991. The walk, passing open fields and winding through mature maple woods, provides dramatic views
over both Nottawasaga Bay and the Beaver Valley. In winter the Loree lop is used by cross-country skiers and snowshoers.
Phone: (519) 376-3076
Web: www.greysauble.on.ca
Craigleith Provincial Park
Fossil lovers will want to visit Craigleith Provincial Park to
view the 445-million year-old fossil trilobites along the
shore of Nottawasaga Bay. the flat shales of the Lindsay
Formation exposed along the shoreline are full of these
ancient arthropods that inhabited the sea floor during the
Paleozoic Era. Craigleith Provincial Park is also close to
the site of Ontario’s only shale oil works.
In 1859, Collingwood entrepreneur William Pollard built a
distillation plant at Craigleith to extract oil from the area’s
bituminous shales. It was a cumbersome process, and his
plant operated for only four years. A provincial plaque at
Craigleith Provincial Park now marks the site of Pollard’s
enterprise.
Petun Conservation Area
The Petun Conservation Area is located on Osler Bluff, not
far from the highest point on the Bruce Trail. It is named
for the Petun people who once lived here along the slopes
of the NIagara Escarpment from Creemore to Craigleith. Black Ash Creek arises from springs on the conservation area, and the Georgian Triangle Anglers Association
maintains a fish hatchery here. Petun Conservation Area
encloses a very scenic section of the Bruce Trail, with views
out to the white sands of Wasaga Beach, the grain elevators at Collingwood, and Christian, Hope and Beckwith
Islands in the distance. This conservation area has been
overused, leading to erosion and deterioration of habitat.
If you visit, please keep to the Bruce Trail.
The Bruce Trail
The Bruce Trail, Canada’s oldest and longest continuous
footpath, extends more than 800 km along the length of
the Escarpment from Queenston to Tobermory. The Bruce
Trail Conservancy works to preserve public access to the
Niagara Escarpment while restoring its natural habitat.
Phone 1-800-665-HIKE
Web: www.brucetrail.org
The Niagara Escarpment Commission
Since 1973, the Niagara Escarpment Commission has
worked with government, business, non-profit organizations, land managers, land owners and others to conserve
Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment as a continuous natural
environment and scenic, working countryside.
The Commission administers the Niagara Escarpment
Plan, Canada’s first large-scale environmental plan. In
recognition of the Escarpment’s special environment and
people’s efforts to protect it through the Niagara Escarpment Plan and other means, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
named Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment a World Biosphere
Reserve in 1990.
Biosphere Reserves demonstrate that ecology, economy
and a good life can exist together, each a part of the other.
Phone: (905) 877-5191
Web: www.escarpment.org
Photo by Grey County Tourism
Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment
Parks and Conservation Areas of Southern Grey County
1.
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9.
Fairmount
Epping Lookout
Beaverdale Forest Area
Herman McConnell Memorial Forest
Wodehouse Creek Management Area
Beaver Valley Lowlands
Old Baldy
Wodehouse Karst
Hoggs Falls
10. Eugenia Falls Conservation Area
11. Duncan Escarpment Provincial Nature Reserve
12. Kolapore Uplands
1. Len Gertler Memorial Loree Forest
14. Craigleith Provincial Park
15. Petun Conservation Area
16. Pretty River Valley Provincial Park
17. Rob Roy Forest
Photo by Grey County Tourism
...a World Biosphere Reserve