Belfountain Conservation Area

A destination for the decades

The Belfountain Conservation Area, set within the Niagara Escarpment, is a well-known park owned and managed by the Credit Valley Conservation. A defining feature of the Belfountain Village for over a century, the park is rich with cultural heritage. Originally built as a private estate, the park attracts thousands of visitors each year with its charm as a historic landscape designed in an English Picturesque style nestled adjacent a natural riparian setting.

After many years as a popular public destination, the CVC required a design strategy to carefully assess the programmatic needs of the site while remaining sensitive to its heritage designation. Brook McIlroy prepared a master plan that included the restoration and revitilization of the area, as well as the design of a new visitor centre.

The Brook McIlroy team of landscape architects and architects are now implementing the first phase of the master planning vision. This includes the design and development of a river-side trail system complete with vistas and elevated boardwalks, a dry-laid sandstone feature wall, and riverbank naturalization planting.

Additionally, the Brook McIlroy team has worked closely with Wood Plc., bridge and water resource engineers, to design and administer the construction of a pedestrian bridge meant to also serve as temporary egress for vehicles during the park’s construction. The design of the bridge includes a weathering steel frame cladded in cedar shake to form a slight curvature across the bridge elevation.