Friday 7 September 2012

GREAT FALLS OF INDIAN BROOK
Indian Brook, Victoria County
46N23.099 60W32.069
20T E689579 N5139777

photo Dr. Paul of Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort

RIVER: Indian Brook
CLASS: plunges
SIZE: 25'
RATING: amazing (*****)

TRAIL: improved trail/upstream
DISTANCE:
HIKING TIME: 3 hours
CONDITIONS: moderate to difficult

Geocache: GC1RKK1

NS Atlas Page: 9/Z3
NS topo map: 011K07 (St. Anns Harbour)


DRIVING DIRECTIONS: from Baddeck, follow the Trans Canada Highway (#105) north 17.9km and turn left onto the Cabot Trail (towards the Lobster Gallery Restaraunt and the Gaelic College). Drive 27.1km and turn left again to remain on the Cabot Trail. Drive 2.9km and park in the paved area on the north side of the highway just beyond the Indian Brook bridge.

photo Robert Pierrynowski

TRAIL DESCRIPTION: the easiest way to reach these falls is to follow the marked trail (the Cabot Shores Adventure Trail) along the high side of the ravine on the left side of the river until you reach near to the falls. Make your way down into the ravine, but be cautious as the sides are very steep. A good egress into the canyon is found about 100m downstream of the falls.

Hiking upstream to reach these falls will be a challenge as the river has many deep areas along it requiring a few swims to continue upstream.

photo Dr. Paul of Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort

In an article reprinted in Cape Breton Magazine in 1974, a trip up to see Great Falls on Indian Brook as well as Eel Brook Falls is recounted. Pages 22-26, at the following link, detail the vibrancy of this place a hundred and twenty odd years ago, and how protecting areas like this for a hundred and twenty odd MORE years is so important. http://capebretonsmagazine.com/modules/publisher/item.php?itemid=227

PHOTO Dr. Paul of Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort




2 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness - deja vu... I first saw that waterfall on the Indian Brook River in 1964. My family, was vacationing in the community where I was born. My father, The Rev. William Reid, had served on the North Shore as his first posting with the Presbyterian Church. My mother came there as a bride in 1947 and I was born in the manse in 1949. In 1964 my father led me, my brother and three of our friends up through the woods to the falls. I remember one area where huge trees had fallen and we jumped up from one to the other as if they were steps. So much comes rushing back with these photos. Thank you for this project.

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  2. I am going to be staying in Indian Brook the third week of this coming August, I am very excited by the prospect of taking my old body up to these waterfalls!

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