Kerncliffe-Smokey Hollow 070911

Kerncliffe Park- Smokey Hollow #070911

Kerncliffe Park is a unique and beautiful park site located on the Niagara Escarpment with magnificent views of the City and Lake Ontario. This environmentally based park has been developed to emphasize its natural beauty for the people of Burlington to enjoy.

This property was originally the site of the Nelson Quarry which ceased operations approximately 30 years ago. Since that time the site has been used by local residents for informal recreation such as hiking, and exploration.

The park has been undergoing a phased restoration and development plan which has included the stabilization of the quarry walls, creation of boardwalks across the wetland environments, walkways through the Carolinian Forest with a connection to the Bruce Trail, a pavilion, washrooms and parking.

Smokey Hollow

The village of Waterdown was developed upon land that was originally granted to Alexander McDonnell in 1796. In 1805 ownership was transferred to Alexander Brown who built a sawmill at the falls on Grindstone Creek. This creek provided power for the endeavours of the early pioneers and thus the Village of Waterdown was born. The enterprises of Brown, and later of Ebenezer Griffin accounted for substantial industrial growth in the Grindstone Creek Valley. This valley was fuelled by dams and raceways and was the site of saw, grist and flour mills, a woollen mill, brass foundry, tanneries, rake, snaith, cradle, and basket factories. Waterdown was incorporated as a Village in 1878 but a series of fires and a decrease in the waterpower of Grindstone Creek heralded the decline of the settlement's importance.

Today the Grindstone Creek swiftly flows into Smokey Hollow and over the Great Falls. Few clues remain to suggest that this stream was once so large and powerful that it supplied numerous mills with the power needed to operate heavy machinery. As late as 1890 Smokey Hollow was the site of two large mills, fourteen buildings, three houses and nine outbuildings.

The valley was filled with so much industrial activity that it indeed was a Smokey Hollow. In the late 1880's when the water level in the Grindstone Creek began to decrease the use of steam power in the mills became popular since it required much less water. Unfortunately it was also far more hazardous and explosions of the steam boilers often resulted in disastrous fires. By 1912 the mills in this area had ceased production. A large-scale transformation of Smokey Hollow was completed in 1994. An area once the heartland of Waterdown's industry is now a public park where people may enjoy both the beauty and history of the area.

At Smokey Hollow in Waterdown, Grindstone Creek plunges over the Niagara Escarpment and flows through a steep, boulder-strewn valley. An observation platform provides a wonderful view of the falls as well as interpretive information on the falls and local history. The Bruce Trail winds through the forested slopes along the east side of the valley.

Alternative names: Grindstone Falls, Smokey Hollow Falls

Creek: Grindstone Creek

Classification: Ribbon/Plunge

Height: 10 metres/33 feet

Width: 5 metres/17 feet

Access Information:

(i) Time - Falls are located next to the parking lot

(ii) Distance - 10 meters

(iii) Accessibility - Easy

Ownership: Conservation Halton

Property: Smokey Hollow Resource Management Area

Flow of Water: Year round

Facilities: Onsite - 20 parking spaces, bench, trail and park. Nearby - Convenience stores, motels and restaurants

Other Nearby Attractions: Bruce Trail, Grindstone Cascade, Boundary Falls, Snake and Lower Snake Falls.

Cultural History: Alexander Brown, the first settler to own land on Grindstone Creek, is thought to have built the first mill on the lip of the Great Falls before 1805 and was believed to have started the industry that would support the growth of the new village of Waterdown. The mill was the nucleus for a cluster of mills that were eventually built around the falls. People called this little industrial complex Smokey Hollow. The mills at Smokey Hollow thrived for 100 years. As late as 1890, this area supported two mills, nine outbuildings, three houses and 14 other buildings. One of these mills was a sawmill that was built right at the base of Great Falls.

By 1912, due to reduced water levels and inherent dangers of steam engines used to maximize waterpower, the mills had closed. In 1994, the area was rehabilitated and turned into a beautiful park.

Great Falls is the last waterfall in the northern escarpment in Hamilton as it tapers off after Flamborough Head.