Black Hole Brook Falls

As promised, a short note about the water fall we visited on Sunday – after hiking around Bomidon.

It was mid to late afternoon and the discussion revolved around how much day light remained and would we have time to reach the falls (and for me – to come back out!). About half the crew was keen, and so it was agreed to go. A short drive away set us at the start of the walk.  The walk in was indeed short, but in some ways just as challenging as the earlier 10 k walk.  There is no established trail, just a path worn by people on their way to the falls; and there was the brook to cross too. The water was too deep for handy stepping stones.  One lucky soul had worn rubber boots.  The rest of us balanced on a downed tree trunk and leapt to shoreline boulders.  After a short walk we scrambled down the ravine to see the falls at their best.

These falls are well worth the visit.  They are located on one of the many brooks emptying into the Bay of Fundy; in this case, not too far from Baxters Harbour.  I’ve marked them on my map and hope to go back to take a gps settings.

Cape Blomidon

Last weekend I finally got organized and joined a hike with Scotian Hiker.  This keen hiker plans hikes and shares these plans with folks.  After watching planned hikes come and go for months, I was thrilled to have made the time to complete a hike with other enthusiastic hikers/walkers.

We walked several trails, linking them to make the trip out to the look-off at Blomidon Provincial Park which overlooks part of the Minas Basin.  The company (a small group of dedicated hikers) was great and the walk was excellent.  The various trails included a mix of easy paths and root covered paths in the woods.  The woods were wet and large puddles (and mud) were not uncommon.   We began (check map) at the parking lot on the edge of the park (the park gate is closed at this time of year) and walked towards the look off by heading inland on Bordan Brook Trail, up to the Woodland Trail then over to the the Look-off and back along the Jodrey Trail.   This hike covered about 10 kms and a trail brochure , published by Nova Scotia, details the lengths of the various trails.

Borden Brook has a small falls which was fun to see.

At the end of the day we added a bonus trip to see a waterfall at Black Hole…more on this later.

Uisge Ban Falls – Cape Breton

Last week we had the pleasure of discovering another Nova Scotian waterfall – Uisge Ban Falls, near Baddeck.  The day was lovely, the company great (nieces and their dad), and the vegetation absolutely lush!

A few mosquitoes, but not too bad since we kept moving.  The falls are located in a deep gorge (150 m), pretty neat all on its own.  As a prelude to Uisge Ban Falls this tributary to the river spills down the walls of the gorge.

The falls are really pretty spectacular (16 m) compared to those around Halifax, alas given the time of day (sun and angles), my photos don’t do the falls justice.  Try here for other photos.

These lovely falls are very accessible by following a short trail in the provincial park there.  Hiking at a leisurely pace with kids of various abilities took us about 2 hours in and out.  Great information is found on moosebait.com.

Saint Margaret’s Bay Rails to Trials – 3

We set out in a light drizzle on Sunday to do the next leg of the Saint Margaret’s Bay Trail.  The trail is easy, and the views should be great on the section we walked…on a clear day!  Not too far along the trail crosses a small stream, I think it is Smelt Brook (should have taken the gps – next time).  This section of the trail is edged on one side by a drop to the bay and on the other by a steep climb to higher land.  The brook practically falls down the hill creating a series of mini waterfalls.

These woods were delightful – pine, fir, spruce and maple.  The path following the brook was well traveled, but not so much that soil had been worn away.  And the farther we walked up the hill the more the moss and forest floor plants edged to the very banks of the brook.  One of the neatest things about these woods are the leafy like  lichens that grow on the tree trunks.

I’ve labeled this post – 3, because we had a walk several weeks ago continuing from where we ended on -1.  Yesterday we walked our third section – from the parking lot on the Station Road in Head of Saint Margarets Bay.  This is a linear trail which means unless you have arranged for rides you walk one way and then retrace your  footsteps – as we did.

Spring Waterfalls – Dawson Brook

On Saturday we returned to Dawson Brook Falls hoping to see the falls with spring water flows before the view was obscured by the leaves of summer.  It was a great short walk.  Follow these pictures along the brook to the falls.  This waterfall in a narrow gorge is actually a series of shorter falls as the pictures perhaps show partially.

The walls of the gorge are lined with moss on the exposed roots of the hemlock and pine trees along the sides/top of this mini-gorge.

Dawson Brook Falls

Easy to find – no, but worth it – a delightful surprise in the woods.  Especially since we had already walked into and out of the woods once, before finding the path.  On our second attempt we opted to follow the stream.  Pine and spruce woods give way to pine and hemlock sprinkled with fir here and there.  These are lovely old, tall trees some of which have trunks that are 2-3 ft in diameter; too wide for my arms to surround.

These falls occur on Dawson Brook, which is just a small stream, but the falls are about 20-30 ft – quite a drop.  We set out today (early spring) hoping to see the falls with enough water to see waterfalls.  There was water – liquid and frozen.  The ground was frozen too, in fact the path was quite icy, limiting where we could go on the steep sides of the brook/gorge.

Dawson Brook Falls are actually close to the road, but there is no well marked trail and directions from different sources seem conflicting.  The best directions we found were in Waterfalls, Nova Scotia’s Masterpieces; but you may also find directions on various trail web pages.

BLT – a walking trail in Halifax

A waterfall lured me to the BLT trail.  The Blue Jay Way section of the BLT trail is removed from traffic and houses. It follows the shore of Governor Lake and then Governor Brook to Six Mile Falls.   Six Mile Falls is a small waterfall, but quite delightful along this plain, well traveled pathway.

OK – BLT might sometimes describe a sandwich, but in this case actually stands for Beechville, Lakeside, Timberlea, the communities that this urban pathway crosses.  In fact, Halifax boasts an extensive trail system and contains several  long connected portions of “rails to trails”.     BLT only has designated parking at either end of its 13 km and a good part of this trail section is very close to houses and the #3 highway. Check out this map for exact directions.  The section I walked was an easy walk (4 km one way) and besides the waterfall included a tiny bog area complete with pitcher plant and a cool hemlock grove by the brook – where a young family enlisted my aid in a family photo session.

Further information can be found at these locations: map, info, Halifax trails where you  will see that some of these trails are ideally suited to  weekend cycling; maybe that’s how I should cover them all, hmm…but I really do like walking.

fiddleheads and water falls

Mayflowers, fiddleheads and waterfalls – all signs of spring.  And spring is a great time to see waterfalls in Nova Scotia so last weekend we planned a waterfall excursion to Nictaux Falls.  We had last seen these falls over a decade ago.  This time we were disappointed, not because of low water or less than spectacular falls (truthfully as earlier posts here show, any falls at all are a  thrill) – but because we couldn’t actually see most of the falls.  The Nictaux River waterfalls are ‘harnessed’ by Nova Scotia Power.  The area is completely fenced and posted – so no viewing of the falls on the north side of the road for us.  {Of course memory is a funny thing and we may have remembered more falls than were ever actually there…}

Nearby (along highway 10) there is an entry into the old rail system.  After the waterfall visit we had a grand hike along the trail and through the woods up the Nictaux ravine; at least I would describe this narrow little valley as a ravine.  The first Mayflowers of the season were just coming into bloom – lovely to see.  Also just coming up on the very wet slope below the trail were fern fronds, furled and covered in white down.  I’m tempted to call these little furled ferns fiddleheads, but am unsure whether all ferns or only the edible ferns are usually called fiddleheads.

The waterfalls are located off highway 10 just north of Middleton along the Nictaux Falls Rd.  The entrance to the old rail bed is located directly off highway 10. Both locations are found on my map.  The trail is well developed as a multi-use trail and may not appeal to a serious hiker.  However, we encountered no other users and had great side trips to the river and exploring along the way.   As an added bonus, black flies had not yet made their seasonal appearance.

from waterfalls to mudfalls

Easter weekend we were fortunate to have time to hike near Pomquet, Nova Scotia.  There is a wonderful trail on the bluffs (Monks Head), overlooking Saint George’s Bay.  The trail runs along the shore and has loops that are both on the shore and up above in the woods.  The bluffs/cliffs are “actively eroding” and from the shore we saw the most amazing mudfalls – like waterfalls but not.

The sound as the mud falls is a gentle plop, plop, plopping.

The beginning of the trails at Pomquet can be reached by traveling to Pomquet from Highway 104 and choosing the Monks Head Road.  You will pass the Kingsley Brown road on your way to the beach.  Drive up the hill for a parking spot, or park along the road at the bottom if you plan to stay on the beach.  The Sunrise Trail, Antigonish Area has a grand tourist map in Google Maps.  It is well labeled with lots of trails in the area.

After the rain – Waterfalls…

Tantalizing views of  a series of small falls are visible from a back road in Clare, Nova Scotia.  A couple weeks ago there were heavy rains for several days.  So that weekend we set off to see these mysterious waterfalls.  Indian falls are located on the Meteghan River in Southwest Nova Scotia.  You can only see these small falls from the bridge crossing the river.  There are no trails or close vantage points.  Your camera’s zoom or binoculars will give a bit better view.  Directions to the road are available on the map.

Part of the fun of hunting out waterfalls is sharing the find, so I was peeved to discover on this trip that I had forgotten my camera – the images above were taken with my phone!

And for those who enjoy truly beautiful images – some really wonderful images of Nova Scotia waterfalls at Steve Meredith’s gallery.