Webwood Falls and Indian Creek

I've been out on Bruce Trail properties quite a bit the past 2-3 weeks, part of my volunteer commitment as the local Land Steward Director, helping keep an eye on all the land the Bruce Trail Conservancy actually owns (much of the trail crosses private land with handshake agreements).

At Webwood Falls we were tree planting some deciduous species like Sugar Maple in the clearings.  But of course when I was there I took the opportunity to get pictures of the falls.  It was a dull day with rain threatening, so the lighting conditions were actually good to get this sort of picture, at a slow speed, but just hand-held, leaning against a tree.

The falls is over the Manitoulin Dolostone formation, but then cuts into the much softer Queenston Shale below, carving a deep, steep-sided ravine down toward the Beaver Valley.

In this closer picture, you can clearly see the upper dolostone layers, and then the soft blue shale layer where the Queenston Shale begins.  This property was donated for the trail just a few years ago, and I think it's going to become a popular stopping point.

Grey County has a waterfall tour that it publicizes, and it would like to add Webwood Falls to the pamphlet, so we have been assessing where to build a viewing platform.  The sides of the ravine are very steep and could be dangerous, so we think a viewpoint with a railing is the best solution.  That one tree may have to come out if we're encouraging photographers to visit!

You can also view the falls from the south side, but there's a short 8-10 foot cliff there, which could be even more dangerous, so we're planning a viewpoint on the north side.  There was an old grist mill here many years ago.

Earlier, nearly 3 weeks ago now, we visited another property to check boundary locations for the farmer who is cropping some of our land.  Getting in to the fields the trail follows along the edge of Indian Creek valley.  That's a tiny waterfalls in the distant centre, plunging down into the ravine.

Geologically, this is the same as at Webwood Falls, the falls is falling over the Manitoulin Dolostone in the picture above, and the ravine is cut through the softer Queenston Shale below.  As you can see, about the only green at the time was leeks emerging on the slope.

And as we left, crossing the little footbridge over the creek, we spotted a few of the Rainbow Trout that migrate up this small stream.  The stream is only 8-10 feet wide, and this fish would be a good 2 feet long.  It's swum up the channel several miles from Georgian Bay, splashing over rocks in the shallows to get here.

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