Crook’s Hollow Historical Trail

Saturday, January 7, 2012 certainly did not feel like a winter day. With the sun shining and the temperature hovering around 7 degrees Celsius, it was a perfect day for exploring. Following a short stop at Tom Horton’s to pick up coffee, I headed up to Greensville, parking on the side of Crook’s Hollow Road at the entrance to the Crook’s Hollow Historical Trail.

The ruins of the Darnley Grist Mill capture your attention immediately with their rough stone walls and remains of old window frames. A nearby plaque explains the history of the mill and standing there in its shadow you can’t help but wonder what life must have been like, back in the day when water powered grinding wheels were used to process flour and grains.

The Darnley Grist Mill was constructed between 1811 and 1813. Originally the building was square and was 3 stories high. A nine metre high overshot waterwheel was mounted on the outside wall beside Spencer Creek. Water was drawn over the wheel to power the mill, which housed four sets of grindstones used for feed and flour production.

Leaving the site of the mill and walking along the edge of the creek, you quickly arrive at the Darnley Cascade. This 4 Metre high waterfall is formed as Spencer Creek drains from Christie Lake and heads towards the Valley. An interesting fact is that the Darnley Cascade, at 225 metres above sea level is the highest elevation waterfall in the Hamilton area. Continuing along the trail, the large and impressive Christie Dam Looms. This imposing structure which was constructed beginning in 1970 features a continuous walkway across the top providing an excellent view of Christie Lake.
On this day we spent some time admiring the lake from the dam and then proceeded up the trail as it follows the western shore of the lake. This is a great trail winding through pines and providing great views of the lake.

Christie Lake is one of the most beautiful lake settings on the Niagara Escarpment. Within its 336 hectares (830 acres) are 10 kilometres of trails, a wildlife management area, wide open spaces, tall grass prairie meadows, forests and a 360 metre sand beach. Visitors may enjoy all that the great outdoors has to offer with canoeing, fishing, swimming, picnicking, hiking, and even cross-country skiing when conditions permit.The Crook’s Hollow Historical Trail is certainly not as well known as other parts of the Dundas Valley area but it is well worth a visit and is rich in natural beauty as well as history.