Fall Hike at Christie Lake

With the fall colours in full swing and our Thanksgiving weekend underway, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to try a hiking trail that I had wanted to do for some time, the “around the lake” trail at Christie Lake.

Getting there early, I parked on Crooks Hollow Road right by the ruins of the Darnley Mill. Walking up the laneway towards the dam, I followed the trail to the left in the direction of the western shoreline of the lake. This trail is well marked and takes you past stands of towering pines and sumac that were ablaze in red.

As the trail approaches the northern point of the lake it becomes marshy and is heavily populated with ducks and geese foraging among the bulrushes.

 The best shoreline for viewing the fall colours in the eastern shore as it opens up along the beach. It provides clear views of the opposing shoreline and on this day seemed to be at its peak of colour.

Rounding a bend I spotted this blue heron and was fortunate enough to have him allow me to get very close for this photo.

 At the south end of the lake I crossed the dam, another great spot to take photos from and then followed the trail back, stopping to view the Darnley Cascade along the way. Although the water flow was light, it still made for a beautiful view.

This trail is approximately 4 miles long and took me about an hour and a half including time to stop for photos.

Don’t forget, for more photos and hiking information, you can visit my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dundas-Valley-and-beyond/120774278042380

Happy Thanksgiving!!