It is hidden away in the Irwell Valley just a few miles from Salford city centre and easily accessible from the A666.  The Country Park was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 2005, and in 2006 and 2007 it was awarded a prestigious Green Flag award.

At Clifton Country Park are the industrial remains of Wet Earth Colliery.  Established around 1740, the colliery was one of the first deep mines to be sunk in the Irwell Valley.

The Wet Earth Colliery has a unique place in British coal mining history, apart from being one of the earliest pits in the country; it is the place where the engineer James Brindley made water run uphill.