WATERFALLS OF NOVA SCOTIA

WOOD BROOK FALLS

South Rawdon,Hants County

45N01.089  63W51.587

20T E 0432258 N 498326

 )First Wood Brook Falls(

RIVER: Wood Brook

CLASS: multiple falls

SIZE: 20', 10', 10', 15', 20', 50'

RATING: excellent

photo by Jerry Johnson (2014)

TRAIL: wood road & bushwhacking

DISTANCE:  about 1 km

HIKING TIME: 2 hours

CONDITIONS: mixed

(Lower Wood Brook Falls)

NS Atlas Page: 48/W5

NS topo page: 011E04 (Kennetcook)

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: from WINDSOR: take Exit5 from HWY101, turning west on HWY14. Travel down this road 8.6km thru the village of Brooklyn, turning left at the war memorial in the middle of the road to remain on HWY14. Continue another 4.8km and turn right onto Ashdale Road, and remain to the left at the intersection at the bottom of the hill, to remain on Ashdale Road. Follow Ashdale Rd 8.7km, watching for a dirt road to your left. If you reach the intersection with HWY202, you have gone about 700m too far. Pull in and off to the side.

photo by Andrew Paul (2014)

TRAIL DESCRIPTION: Wood Brook runs parallel to this old woods road, and you can head into the woods nearly anywhere along this road and reach the brook within 100m. The woods are the gentlest to the brook within the first few hundred meters along this old road. Hike down to the brook and hike downstream. The first set of falls is approximately 400m from Ashdale Rd, and the furthest are approximately 1km from the parking area. 

photo by Andrew Paul (2014)

There are some steep descents and ascents heading downstream, but it is quite the exhilarating hike, coming across one waterfall after another. The first set of falls at 45N01.089 63W51.587 is a steep vertical plunge of 20 feet with a large pool at its base. The second set of falls are a double set of falls of 25 feet and 15 feet in two separate drops. The upper drop is located at 45N01.247 63W51.595. The second drop is located less than 30m downstream and features a beautiful view of both upper and lower cascades.

The third set of falls on this brook is at 45N01.335 63W51.616. The stream throws itself into a cataract as it carves thru the rocky streambed, and heading downstream, the canyon begins to close in on you...

(Third Wood Brook Falls)

The fourth set of falls you encounter along Wood Brook are ore steep cascades within the confines of the canyon, an opposite of some of the beautiful plunges seen upstream. Making ones way down to the Lower Wood Brook Falls hike down the brook itself, rockhopping as necessary... the walls are sheer rock and the sun disappears most of the time, the birdsong disappears, and this merry little brook carves its way thru it in dozens of three and four foot cascades packed one after another.The prettiest vantage, Ive thot, the couple times ive done this hike is at  45N01.407 63W51.693. Theres an otherworldliness about this canyon.

photo by Jerry Johnson (2014)

The fifth and lower set of falls, by far the most impressive of the falls on this brook, measuring about 50' feet in height, is at 45N01.407 63W51.693. To get a good view of these falls from the base, you will need to continue past the falls along the ridge on the left hand side of the falls, continueing on a few hundred meters until you can find a safe descent into the tight corner canyon that these falls drop into. When you approach the bottom, you are forced to sit up on the deadfall scant meters away from the falls, they are pretty awesome to comprehend.

photo by Andrew Paul (2014)

I would rate Wood Brook Falls as one of the nicest hikes in Hants County for a waterfall enthusiast. The lasd which the brook runs thru is up for sale, so maybe all of THIS blog thingy could lead to a book afterall and the possibility of buying the land that encompasses these wonderful falls.

photo by Jerry Johnson (2014)