The Land

History

Misty Hollow is a 25+ acre private property at 692 Bubb Lane purchased by Asia Ward and Joe Grigar in 2021. The property is located on the Slippery Rock Creek, close to the borders of McConnell’s Mill State Park, Camp Allegheny, and the Monastery of the Transfiguration. No hunting or trespassing is permitted on the property.

The property was part of the Bubb family farm and homestead for 100-200 years and was used to graze cattle until the 1970’s. The property was selective timbered around 15 years ago, and the old hardwood trees are gone. The property still contains 40+ year old hardwoods, as well as stands of eastern hemlock, 200+ year old witch hazel, spice bush, birch, sugar maple, among others.

Across the Creek there used to be the Van Gorder grist and saw mill, with a dam, established in 1844. You can still see some of the hooks and straps from the dam, as well as old graffiti from the time period.

Land features

The property is surrounded by three steep sides, opening to Slippery Rock Creek. On the edge by the Creek is a “bench,” which is a level step that was cut to be a railroad, never completed. The property has a stream starting at the residence, fed by countless springs, it goes by a wildflower meadow, over a cave waterfall, through a glen, over washboard falls, then contributes to Slippery Rock Creek. The property is steep, wild and beautiful. During wet seasons, thaws, and after rains, Misty Hollow is covered in mist at dawn and dusk. There are stands of eastern hemlock on the cliffs overlooking the Slippery Rock Creek valley. By the Creek, there are fossil rocks of ferns over 300 million years old. The property of Misty Hollow is showing impact from climate change, with recent floods, erosion, mud slides, tree fall, drought, and forest killing invasives like oak wilt, hemlock woolly adelgid, among others. There is no trespassing or foraging allowed on the property. Property is monitored.

  • The glen

    Coltsfoot flower by the stream

  • Washboard falls

  • The meadow

    A small orchard of fruit trees and a meadow of wildflowers

  • Bubb Lane

    Single lane private road

  • Slippery Rock Creek fall

  • Jackson Cave Falls

    At its max

  • Jackson Cave Falls

    At its max

  • Beetle Rock

    On the Slippery Rock Creek. Beetle Rock gets its name from the old graffiti

  • Misty Hollow

  • Garden in the fall

  • Bubb Lane in the mist

  • Hemlock Point cliff

  • Old oak

  • Hemlock Point

  • Jackson Cave Falls

  • On top of Bubb Lane

Misty Hollow Creatures

Misty Hollow is private property, and there is no trespassing or hunting permitted of any kind. Property is monitored. This record is presented for invited visitors to be aware of creatures on the property so they can visit and observe safely. Many creatures not shown are also on or very near the property i.e. eagles, turkey, owls, snakes, frogs, salamanders, millipedes, mink, raccoon, wood peckers, flying squirrel, bats, ticks, spiders, ground bees, crawdads, etc. Slippery Rock Creek is used as a migration path for many birds. The Creek is stocked with trout, and the seasonal flood ponds are filled with frogs. Mornings are loud with bird song, and evenings loud with night songs from insects, frogs and owls.

  • Black bear

    Bear mating season is early June to mid-July

  • Bobcat

    Bobcat mating season is late February to early March

  • Coyote

    Coyote mating season is February

  • Deer and fawns

    Fawns are seen May to June

  • Regal Moth

    Regal Moths are seen in summer

  • Box Turtle

    June is peak egg laying time

  • Cryptid

    Banjo playing cryptid. Comes out for events only

Flowers

Many native wildflowers grow in Misty Hollow, and only a few are shown here. Some are rare or endangered. Misty Hollow has many unique ecosystems. Hardwood forest, meadow, spring cliffs, a stream, a small glenn, and entrance to a glacial melt gorge valley. There is little to no wind in the hollow, and the temperature is always a little cooler in the summer and a little warmer in the winter. The property has never been mined and does not contain any pipelines, gas or oil wells. Joe and Asia actively try and recover areas with noxious invasive plants, like knotweed, tree of heaven, stilt grass, multiflora rose, barberry, garlic mustard, among others.

  • Fire pink

  • Yellow trout lily

    Threatened/endangered

  • Bloodroot

    Widespread

  • Dutchman's breeches

  • Wild ginger

  • Jack in the pulpit

    Threatened

  • Cardinal flower

  • Turk's cap lily

  • Virginia blue bells

    Threatened

  • Bishop's cap flower

  • Trillium