WATERFALLS OF NOVA SCOTIA

MacRAES POINT FALLS
Cape George, Richmond County
N 45° 43.495 W 061° 01 .448
20T E 653751 N 5065383

RIVER: MacRaes Brook
CLASS: plunge/cascade
SIZE: 15'
RATING: average (**)

TRAIL: upstream
DISTANCE: >200km
HIKING TIME: 20min
CONDITIONS: moderate

NS Atlas Page: 33/Z1
NS topo map: 01 1 F11 (Port Hawkesbury)

DIRECTIONS: from St. Peter's, drive northward out of town, turning at Pepperell Street in the center of the village. Follow this road thru Sampsonville where it becomes the West Bay Highway. Continue on this road a total of 29km before coming to the bridge across MacRae's Brook. Park upstream of the falls well of the side of the road.

Trail Description: walk upstream, across the rocks thru this narrow canyon with mid-range sheer cliffs above you, approximately 120m to the base of these small falls.

Sometimes, a waterfalling expedition is more than just about the cascades you find at the high end of a stream, its about the journey there as well. One of the least appreciated drives in Nova Scotia, the West Bay Road is one of the most picturesque with many lakeside expanses of the Bras D'Or stretching off
across the horizon, the tree hugged heights of the South Mountain of Richmond County pressing down on the water.

From the small village of St. Peters at its starting place, home of the St. Peter's Canal and a top-tier Provincial Park just steps away from town, to the hidden ruins of colonial Nouvelle France and the half wild ruins of Port Toulouse and Fort Dorcester, the trip will be a memorable one.


At the 9.4km mark, a good unsigned dirt road on your right leads to a pebble beach and unofficial day-use picnicking at Cape George. A walk down the beach and across a wide sand bar washout leads to a quiet lighthouse not often visited, but from where, you can see across the Bras D'Or to all four counties of
Cape Breton stretching across the horizon of this fantastic inland sea. (waypoint for the Cape
George Lighthouse is 45°N44.087 60°W48.626)

Further down the road, which winds along the coast with the Bras D'Or always at hand is the
world class Dundee Golf Resort, which features a pub and restraunt, hotel, golf course, and
lakeside center with canoe and kayak rentals. On a sunny afternoon, this will be a memorable
drive with a couple charming waterfalls to lift your spirits along the way.