A Guide to the Credit Valley – Limehouse, Belfountain, Cheltenham Badlands, Alton and the Forks of the Credit

Welcome to the Credit Valley, a large inland watershed following the Credit River down 90 kilometers until it spills out into Lake Ontario at Port Credit. The region is currently managed by the Credit Valley Conservation Authority and in this post we will be examining four of its conservation area: Limehouse, Belfountain, Cheltenham Badlands and Short Hills as well as the Alton Mill Arts Centre.

Table of Contents

• Limehouse Conservation Area
• Belfountain Village
• Belfountain Conservation Area
• Forks of the Credit Provincial Park
• Cheltenham Badlands Conservation Area
• Alton Mill Arts Centre

Limehouse Conservation Area

The first of our areas to be explored in the credit valley, Limehouse is renowned for its deep limestone crevices and ruined heritage industrial structures. For those the term first time visiting applies, this park has the simplest parking situation, a free parking lot along Fifth Line road. Alternatively the site can be accessed via an entrance along 22 Side Road but the parking situation is less then ideal. I recommend parking in the parking lot, finishing your loop around the limestone kilns and looping back either via doubling back into the trails or exiting along 22 Side Road and taking a walk along Fifth Line back to the parking lot. Since there is a large blind spot bend in Fifth Line, I recommend you return through the forest unless in a hurry.

You will at first walk through the forest to a section of a rock ledge that is part of the Niagara Escarpment.

Your walk will take you across the rocky crevices land to a rock ledge.

Here are a few more pictures of the previously mentioned crevices. Part of the fun of this conservation area is that you can come up and down the deep holes via a series of ladders called the “The Hole in the Wall”.

My favorite section involves a small gap in the rock with a steep climb down the escapement.

After you are done climbing the crevices proceed to the Limhouse Rapids, a small creek, bounded by a walking bridge. This was once the site of a stone mill, the remains of which can still be observed. Part of this mill was an old stone bridge over the watercourse, a very serene sight.

Finally nearing the end of the rail, you will find the Limehouse Kilns, 19th century lime kilns opened in 1840. A heritage site of regional importance, the semicircular building was used for nearly eight years finally ceasing operations in 1917.

Nearby you will find stocked stones, that almost look like they were meant to be used in another construction at some point. Furthermore, if you look closely around the kilns you will find a variety of mushrooms.

As you get through the trail towards the exit on Side Road 22, you will find the old railway tracks, the corridor still intact.

At this exit you will find an old stone building, a local landmark called the Limehouse Memorial Hall.

In the surrounding rural neighborhood you will find a few old stone homes but nothing particularly significant.

Belfountain Village

Before visiting the conservation area of the same name, I had never head of Belfountain. Yet coming into town via Roadway 11, Forks of the Credit Road, I could see why people would find this area quaint. The road takes you out of the forgettable run of farmer fields that make up Southern Ontario into a series of Rolling Hills punctured by hairpin turns. One particularly interesting part of the drive is where a railway bridge crosses the roadway far above it.

Once in town, you will be able to either find parking at a local business or pay for parking at the conservation area. A sign near the church indicates that the tiny hamlet was founded in 1835, giving it a cutesy look.

The hamlet has a few interesting points of interest including the stone built local church, an old masonry ice cream shop and a very popular local cafe and bar with a lot of outdoor seating. These are great places to stop into after visiting either the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park or Belfountain Conservation Area.

Belfountain Conservation Area

The conservation area was closed at the time of my visit so of course I parked in town and hoped some fences along a secondary access entrance along a ridgeline.

The 32 acre piece of land along the credit river features a beautiful fountain with small cannons along with a perennial garden.

You will also have access to a waterfall along with a wooden bridge crossing the river.

Forks of the Credit Provincial Park

This large park near the Belfountain conservation area is home to a series of waterfalls on the Credit River, including the ruins of a former hydro structure. The park is host to a large number of trails that ford the river and gives you a view of these falls.

Cheltenham Badlands Conservation Area

Let me honest with you, I don’t recommend that you visit the badlands… Not because they aren’t worthwhile but because the parking costs are ridiculous. Due to the bylaws of the area, you can only access the Badlands via a small lot off Roadway 12. Parking along the road is illegal and you are forced to go though a toll gate. It was 25$ (2021 price) and the boardwalk does not take more then 15 minutes to walk. The badlands themselves are pretty cool as we do not typically have this time of geological feature in Ontario, although they are common out west.

Alton Mill Arts Centre

This old stone mill on Shaw’s Creek was once a pitiful husk of a building. Yet it has been transformed into a home for arts and culture in the Credit Valley. Once an important industrial structure, the stone building now contains a small museum and artist galleries.