Belfountain-Trimble Trail

What we found so stunning about the Conservation Area was the sense of condensed beauty. Within a few paces, you’ll find a peaceful pond and picnic area, a beautiful, cascading waterfall (created by the dam), a suspension bridge that takes you right over the falls to the other side of the river, Yellowstone cave (a man-made cave with stalagmites and stone carvings), as well as a fountain of inverted bells. All of these incredible structures were apparently built by a man by the name of Charles W. Mack, inventor of the rubber-back stamp and park owner in the 1900s.

The trails found in this area vary from an easy stroll through the park to a difficult yet invigorating forest hike. The Belfountain Trail is a 0.3 km trail takes you around the pond and along the scenic right side of the river. We chose the challenging Trimble Trail, a 3 km rugged, non-loop, slim and hilly trail that follows the left side of the river, through the Willoughby Property that is found adjacent to the conservation area.

As we made our way up and down the steep-sloped terrain leading down to the Credit River, through fairly dense wood and then along high escarpment cliffs, we would see glimpses of history amidst the trees. Stone walls and foundations peeked out and made us wonder what they once were. We found out that they are the remains of the tramway that used to carry the brownstone from the valley to the Forks of the Credit Railway when Belfountain was a mining town back in the 1800s. Since the trail ends at a switch-back road and railway bridge, we retraced our steps back to Belfountain (the only way back according to the two or three well-placed signs) rather than venturing off along the busy yet rural, escarpment road. About halfway along the trail, you can branch off along the Crows Nest Side Trail Loop if you’re up for more than ninety minutes or so of heart-pumping hiking offered by the Trimble.