Much like Gould Lake Conservation Area, Lyn Valley is a wonder of nature’s power for self-restoration and self healing after being the home of an expansive 19th century gravel pit. For several years, heavy machinery scraped and hollowed out the ground for the raw gravel, which was used to help construct the rail beds for the now defunct Westport-Brockville spur of the Canadian National Railway.
Decades later, the Lyn Pit as it became known, also provided raw material used for the construction of the eastern Ontario portion of Highway 401. Since the 1960s, its transformation into a natural playground and community outdoor recreation destination has been remarkable, particularly since the purchase of the sand and gravel pit and surrounding lands from Elizabethtown Township by Cataraqui Conservation in 1973 and many years of subsequent conservation efforts.