Fairmont Ridge – Antigonish Co.

 Sunday last we took an hour to explore the Fairmont Ridge Hiking Trail.  We had a great get-away-hour in the woods and along the brook – maybe a tributary of Ogden Brook? The trail is set out in loops.  We only had time to do a bit of the trail.  A sign warned of flooding due to beaver dam flooding, so we retraced our steps rather than complete the loop, but an hour would likely have been enough to complete that first loop.  The trail begins by heading up and eventually climbs to 360 meters vertically over approximately 11 km.  We will definitely have to return for what must be a fabulous view.

The name Fairmont suggests – to me – fond memories of blueberry picking by the firetower and on some investigation it seems there is still a provincial firetower at Fairmont (one of 33 in the province).  It is some (long) distance from the end of the trail. Maybe next time we’ll do a bit of cross-crountry!

The trail is located along route 337.  Check my map for the exact location. A trail map is provided by Service Nova Scotia.

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a snowy Antigonish Landing

 We took a moment this past weekend to walk the Antigonish Landing.  This easy trail is great for winter walking.  The town (or someone) even plows it! The trail follows the Right River into the north side of Antigonish Harbour. The long views of this estuary and the surrounding farm land are restful.  The trail is part of the Antigonish Wildlife Management Area. The walk, from the parking lot by the heritage museum to the end of the trail and back takes about one hour or less. There is some good information by the NS province here – the twinning of highway 104 impacts area wetlands – about the wetland compensation plan actions.

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.