Delight in a day trip to the Credit River Valley
A fantastic drive, with plenty of excellent stops to explore along the way
The upper valley of the Credit River is where the Niagara Escarpment meets the Oak Ridges Moraine, and recreational opportunities are most concentrated.
Credit Valley is rife with monuments of the pioneer waterpowered industries that once existed here. But the quarries, mills and kilns that once carved up and despoiled the landscape are — for the most part — long gone, and rowdy labour camps like the aptly named Brimstone are now famous beauty spots.
Drive the Forks of the Credit Road
This is a driving destination, indeed a famous one. Anyone who has ever owned a sports car in Toronto likely knows the Forks of the Credit Road, which departs the grid west of Highway 10, about 15 kilometres north of Brampton, swoops down into the valley, snakes along the river and switchbacks up to the tableland 7 km later. It’s the best stretch of driving road anywhere near Toronto, and as such suffers from its share of city traffic. But it’s always fun to drive. The Forks will be your starting point for exploring the hikes and rest stops that follow.
Ascend Devil’s Pulpit
The steepest trail in this hilly country is also its most rewarding: the 100-metre climb to the limestone outcrop known as Devil’s Pulpit (from which the name for nearby Brimstone no doubt came). It begins at the intersection of Chisholm Street on the south side of the Forks of the Credit Road and climbs almost straight up to a famous view. A cable strung alongside the steepest section is a welcome aid.
Along the way, the relatively new Ring Kiln Side Trail detours along the face of the escarpment to the eerie ruins of what was once a major industrial installation, where rock was burned into lime, now lost to triumphant nature.
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park was one of the first fruits of Len Gertler’s groundbreaking Niagara Escarpment study of 1968 and even today, one look at the surrounding landscape — devastatingly enormous gravel pits — speaks to the urgency of that initiative. But the oasis-like park tucked in behind the pits includes the densest, least-travelled network of walking and cycling trails in the area. This is where the Bruce and Trans Canada Trails meet in a lumpy intersection. The park also includes a long stretch of undisturbed, publicly accessible fishing water along the Credit.
You can hike or cycle into the park along the Bruce Trail, which follows Dominion Street north from the Forks of the Credit Road through the now sleepy hollow at Brimstone. But the greatest variety of trails is accessible from the park’s main entrance on McLaren Road, which crosses the Forks of the Credit Road 3 km west of Highway 10. The entrance is 3 km north on McLaren.
Take a Break in Belfountain
At the top of the Forks of the Credit Road is the hamlet of Belfountain, with two cafés catering to excursionists. Here you can also stretch your legs with a quick descent back into the valley through the Belfountain Conservation Area, which owes much of its scenic topography — a bell-topped fountain, a waterfall, a cave and a bridge — to Edwardian-worthy Charles Mack, “inventor of the cushion-backed rubber stamp.” Originally designed to grace his country estate, Mack’s handiwork is now especially popular with wedding parties. There are two short but steep loop trails through the grounds, although you can continue down the steep Trimble Side Trail toward the Forks and the main Bruce Trail.