Travel the Niagara Escarpment - Picture Perfect: Dufferin

This 85 kilometre route features fascinating geological and cultural history. With rolling hills, quaint country stores and Escarpment parks, it offers something for everyone.

Commencing in the village of Cataract in the Caledon Hills and winding north to the hamlet of Violet Hill in the Mulmur Hills, this tour shows the very different geological face of the Escarpment through this picturesque region of Ontario.

Village of Cataract:
The Village of Cataract's first hotel is directly on your left (north side). Known today as the Cataract Inn, this 120-year-old structure is now a fine restaurant with four historic rooms and two luxurious suites. It is owned by the Credit River Company. In it's hey day the Inn housed travelers to the once booming village of Cataract. The Village of Cataract was established in 1855 and named after the Cataract waterfall found in the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park. The Cataract waterfall is the result of the Credit River's 21 metre drop over the Escarpment. The Village of Cataract was vibrant and booming in the 19th century, equipped with a woolen mill, saw mill, grist mill, broom factory, stave and barrel plant, a brewery and two hotels as well as three quarries which employed 400 men. With the introduction of the railway Cataract was able to expand further and supply building material for other growing cities including the city of Toronto. The material exported from Cataract was used to build such notable buildings as Casa Loma, old City Hall, Queen's Park, and some University of Toronto buildings. The village is also equated with being the first to harness its local water source for electrical power.

Cataract to Forks of the Credit Provincial Park:
Go north on 3rd Line West and drive slowly past the Village of Cataract. Continue north on the 3rd Line West until you reach Highway #24, approx. 1 km. Turn right and proceed east to 2nd Line West. Approx. 1.4 km. Turn right and go south. The other entrance to the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, with parking, is on the west side of the road.

Forks of the Credit Provincial Park:
The Forks of the Credit Provincial Park posseses some wonderful geological features including deep-carved kame hills, kettle lakes, upland, rolling pasture land most notably the Cataract waterfall, as result of the Credit River's 21 metres drop into a gorge. The park is open all-year round and is perfect for picnicking and fishing in the summer season. Winter activities offered at the park include snowshoeing and cross country skiing. The park also has hiking trails, including the Bruce Trail and the Elora-Cataract Trailway both of which are suitable for walking and biking.

Forks of the Credit Provincial Park to Caledon Hills:
Continue south on the 2nd Line West for approx. 6.8 km. You'll cross over the Forks of the Credit Road (#11) and a view of the escarpment will be on your right. The 2nd Line West turns east onto the McLaren Road. At the stop sign turn left and continue east onto the The Grange Sideroad. At the stop sign turn left and continue east to Highway #10 (Hurontario Street).

Crossing Highway #10, proceed east to Heart Lake Road, approx. 2.8 km. Turn left and proceed north to 10 Sideroad, approx. 3 km. As you climb the Caledon Hills to reach Escarpment Sideroad, you see Devil's Pulpit to the west. At Escarpment Sideroad turn right and travel east to St. Andrew's Road, approx. 3 km.

As you travel along Escarpment Sideroad, take in the spectacular views of Toronto to the south and the surrounding Caledon Hills. You are now approx. 1400 ft. (430 metres) above sea level. Throughout this area, the escarpment lies under several hundred feet of glacial till which creates the rolling and rocky terrain.

Devil's Pulpit:
The upper cliff of the towering escarpment feature overhangs the lower cliff to suggest a pulpit. This Escarpment outcrop rises 100 metres above the Credit River Valley.

The Caledon Hills:
Scottish settlers named Caledon Hills after ancient name of their homeland-Caledonia. The area and its surrounding villages are known for a lively arts community and antique shops. Traveling through this town and its surroundings is most spectacular during the fall season, as the magnificent range of colours adorns the landscape.

Historical Note:
At the 3rd Line East, south of the 10th Sideroad, is the site of the Great Horseshoe Train Wreck (1907). Seven passengers were killed when the "Exhibition Special" bound for Toronto jumped its tracks on a wide curve down the Escarpment.

Caledon Hills to Glen Haffy Conservation Area:
Turn left at the stop sign and go north, approx. 7 km. to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and cemetery, located on the east side of the road.
Turn around - go south on the 4th Line East to the stop sign at the 10th Sideroad. Turn left and proceed east to the 5th Line East, (also known as Mountainview Rd.) approx. 1.4 km. Turn left once again and go north to Charleston Sideroad, approx. 3 km. You are now within the Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority's watershed.

At Charleston Sideroad turn right and proceed east to Airport Road. Turn left to head north on Airport Road to the entrance of Glen Haffy Conservation Area located on the east side of the road. Distance travelled: approx. 18.6 km. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church & Cemetery: Constructed in 1853, the church is made of cut stone.

Glen Haffy Conservation Area:
The Glen Haffy Conservation Area is significant parkland as it encompasses the intersection of the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority manages this area. The area offers hiking on the Bruce Trail, picnicking, cross-country ski, bird-watching and fishing. There is also a fish-rearing facility on the premises which rears rainbow trout which is used to stock up the ponds of Albion Hills and Heart Lake Conservation Areas.

Glen Haffy Conservation Area to Mono township:
Continue north on Airport Road (crossing Highway #9) to the 5th Sideroad, approx. 5.5 km. At the 5th Sideroad, turn left and proceed west to the 4th Line (EHS) Mono, approx. 2.7 km.

Historical note:
IThe name for this beautiful and rugged Ontario township (Mono) may have been derived from the Irish Gaelic word "monadh" (hill).

On to Hockley Valley:
Travel north on Mono's 4th Line (EHS) until you reach the Hockley Road, approx. 3.5 km. Constructed in the late 1880's, this road is Dufferin County's best known scenic drive.

It runs the full length of the Nottawasaga Valley. Further to the east, 3 km past the 7th Line is Hockley Village, worth visiting for its general store and artisans' shops.

Turn left and proceed west to the 3rd Line (EHS), approx. 1.5 km. The Hockey Valley Resort is just up the road. Turn right at the 3rd Line (EHS) and proceed north to County Road #8 (Mono Centre Road), approx. 3.8 km, taking in the view of the Hockley Valley.

Hockey Valley to Mono Centre & Mono Cliffs Provincial Park:
Turn left onto County Road #8 (Mono Centre Road) and head west to Mono Centre.

On the north side of the road is Mono Cliffs Provincial Park entrance, approx. 1 km. Distance travelled: approx. 20 km.

Mono Centre:
Literally the centre of Mono township, this hamlet boasts the quaint Mono Cliffs Inn and several interesting shops.

Mono Cliffs Provincial Park:
Mono Cliffs Provincial Park is owned and operated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and encompasses 1,300 acres of parkland. It is a very special area for hiking and cross-country skiing on the Bruce Trail.

A significant portion of the Niagara Escarpment runs through this park - and spectacular geological features can be seen, including crevice caves, upland limestone plains and talus slopes. The view from the escarpment cliffs from the Mono Cliffs outlier is stunning. Some activity in the park is restricted due to its collection of rare plant species, in particular fern types.

Proceed west and north approx. 2.5 km. to an additional entrance and parking area of the Mono Cliffs Provincial Park.

Mono Cliffs Provincial Park towards Violet Hill:
From Mono Centre travel east on County Road #8. Follow County Road #8 as it leads north. Proceed north on County Road #8 to 3rd Line (EHS), approx. 2km. Take the 3rd Line (EHS) north to 25th Sideroad, approx. 3.4 km. Turn left and go west to 2nd Line (EHS), approx. 1.4 km. Turn right and proceed north to 30th Sideroad, approx. 3.3 km. Turn right and head east to the 3rd Line (EHS), approx. 1.3 km. Turn left on 3rd Line (EHS) and proceed north, 1 km to Violet Hill (Highway #89). Distance travelled: approx. 12.4 km.

Violet Hill:
In the very early morning sunlight, the hills around this village appear to be washed in a violet haze. Could that be why settlers so named the village? The village of Violet Hill boasts a quaint country store, "Granny Taught Us How," (in the former Loyal Orange Lodge building) and "Mrs. Mitchell's" restaurant (in the former schoolhouse named for its popular long-serving teacher).

Note:
Upon leaving Mono Cliffs Provincial Park - did you know that you have been travelling along the Violet Hill discharge channel? The discharge channel carried meltwaters from receding glaciers southward some 13, 000 years ago. Many features of the channel are visible looking south from Violet Hill.