31st Hike - Forks of the Credit Road, Devil's Pulpit to Grange Sideroad and Creditview Road

September 25, 2016
This was our first hike after we had to put our beloved dog, Meeko, down. This was quite difficult as she was the one who always got so excited about hiking. Thankfully Scruffy still loves it.

We were very grateful to have our guest from Germany, Maike, along with us for this hike as well. It is always interesting to see if other people see the beauty on this trail as much as we do.

We started our route by parking on Forks of the Credit Road. We've done the Devil's Pulpit before with other friends, but forgot what a steep piece it was.

After climbing a set of stairs (a LOT of them), we came across the railway. As far as I know, this railway is still in use by the Orangeville Brampton Railway (it is run under a different name). From there you will ascend a steep trail with lots of boulders to climb over and even a small stream that goes underground once in a while. Once you have ascended the cliff face (there are rocks and a handy railing there) you are treated to one of the amazing views that the Bruce Trail is known for.

I never cease to be amazed at how trees adapt to their surroundings and grow. This one here, on the edge of the cliff, has managed to grow its roots around the rocks.

It's hard to imagine how much work the original architects of the Bruce Trail would have had to do to get this project off the ground. It is also hard to imagine how much work people still do to keep it going! We are so very thankful to all the people who donate time, land and money for this!!!

Once you have reached the top of the cliff and walked a piece down the trail, you meet up with Caledon Mountain Drive and its beautiful homes.

After this, the trail meanders in a rather straight line until it meets up with the Grange Sideroad. Along the way we wee treated to grapevines, a beautiful pond that isn't on any map and finally a gorgeous maple tree putting on its colours for us. 

Of course, the way back was a wee bit easier, but it still required quite a bit of maneuvering and being very careful while walking down the steep slope with all those rocks.

After descending part way down, we decided to take the Ring Kiln Side Trail. This trail takes you to a former ring kiln with many interpretive signs about how they worked and how they quarried the limestone.

We thoroughly enjoyed a look at this part of Ontario's rich history. It was quite remarkable to walk through the broken down parts of these stone walls and see where they used to burn the limestone in the various chambers.

After getting back to the trail and back down to the car, we could not resist a walk down another small slope to get another glimpse of the beautiful clear waters of the Credit River.