WATERFALLS OF NOVA SCOTIA

ETTINGER FALLS
Three Mile Plains, Hants County

44 N 57.025  064 W 06.442
20T E 0412648 N 4978040


River: Falls Brook
Class: MULTIPLE
          plunge (steep)
          stepped
          cascade
Size: 35' (12m)
        20' (8m)
        7' (2m)
Rating: excellent

Trail: packed dirt trail
Distance: <100m
Hiking Time: 15minutes
Conditions: moderate

NS Atlas Page: 57/Y2
NS Topo Map: 021A16 (Windsor)

Directions: from Windsor, take Exit 5 off of HWY101, west towards Windsor, onto HWY14. Follow this road approximately 1km to where it meets HWY1. (Across from the Irving gas station) Turn left onto HWY1 and drive southward 1km to Three Mile Plains Cross Rd, turn right onto this road. Drive another 1km to the crossroads with Windsor Back Rd. and turn right. Watch for an unsigned dirt road on your left at 44N57.067  064W57.664. Follow this road another 1km to a pul off alongside the road. During the winter and late evenings, this road is gated off approximately 300m along, and there is little parking near the gate. The walk to the falls, even from here, is absolutely worth it!

photo by Jerry Johnson (2014)

Trail Description: follow the trail down to the brook. This will lead you to a spot above the main falls. Follow the trail on the near side of the stream to the base of the falls. If you continue downstream along the trail, you will reach Staircase Falls at 44N57.067 64W06.459, which follow a serpentine course along a 20-30 foot run along the stream, dropping over several ledges along its way. At the end of the longest run of this course, stencilled on the small cliff face facing the stream is the inscription "BELL 1913" which relates to geologist Walter A. Bell (1889-1969) who worked for the Geological Survey of Canada from 1911 to the mid 1960s. Another inscription, reading "Leslie 1913" is right at the lip of the falls. These are marked with flagging tape.

Lower Ettinger Falls is located another hundred metres downstream atr 44N57.101 64W06.438. It is approximately 7feet in height, dropping across a steep cascade. If you look closely in the bedrock at the top of the falls, in the stream, you will see filament thin veins of gold.

 from the base of Staircase Falls

Lower Ettinger Falls

(Fall Brook postcard from the NS Museum, History Collection)

(Photo No. 91.91.58 Date:Jan 01 1910)

photo by Andrew Paul (2014)

photo by Tammy Elliot (2014)

Ettinger Falls, early spring 2013

Staircase Falls, early spring 2013

Lower Ettinger Falls, early spring 2013

Ettinger Falls, 2013 spring freshet