ARLINGTON FALLS
Arlilngton, Kings County
N 45° 11.296 W 064° 27.106 
UTM: 20T E 385954 N 5004890

RIVER: Resevoir Brook

CLASS: steep cascade

SIZE: 35',

RATING: average (***)

TRAIL: woods trail, some steep, rocky areasa

DISTANCE: 200m

HIKING TIME: 20 minutes

CONDITIONS: moderate 

Geocache: none

NS Atlas Page: 47/V2

NS topo map: 021H01 (Wolfville)

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: from Kentville, travel east on HWY101 to Exit12, turning north towards New Minas. Follow the New Minas Connector Rd (which eventually turns into Middle Dyke Rd) 8.5km, then turn left onto HWY341, driving less than 100m and turning right, back onto Middle Dyke Rd. Follow this road 2.4km and turn right onto HWY221 (signed for Baxter's Harbour) and drive 1km. Turn left onto Black Hole Rd (also signed as above) and drive 4.9km, climbing the face of North Mountain. Just after the top of the hill, turn right onto Gospel Woods Road. Follow this road 3.4km, watching for a small turn off on your left, at 45N11.349 64W27.051, just before Resevoir Brook crosses under the road. Park in here, off the road.

TRAIL DESCRIPTION: from the parking area, walk down alongside the side of the road to Resevoir Brook. Follow the trail along the left hand side of the brook, downstream, following along the ridge of the ravine as it forms. When you come to the end of the trail, recognizable by a large tree, bent over perpendicular and having three large trunks growing from it, pick your way down the steep and rocky slope to the base of the falls.

(looking down the hill from the base of the falls)

PORCUPINE BROOK FALLS
Baxters Harbour, Kings County
N 45° 12.883 W 064° 32.477 
UTM: 20T E 378978 N 5007959

RIVER: Porcupine Brook

CLASS: plunge, multiple cascades

SIZE: 35', 15', 8', 6', 4'

RATING: average (****)

TRAIL: hiking path

DISTANCE: 250m

HIKING TIME: 20 minutes

CONDITIONS: moderate 

Geocache: none

NS Atlas Page: 46/Z1

NS topo map: 021H02 (Berwick)

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: from Kentville, travel east on HWY101 to Exit12, turning north towards New Minas. Follow the New Minas Connector Rd (which eventually turns into Middle Dyke Rd) 8.5km, then turn left onto HWY341, driving less than 100m and turning right, back onto Middle Dyke Rd. Follow this road 2.4km and turn right onto HWY221 (signed for Baxter's Harbour) and drive 1km. Turn left onto Black Hole Rd (also signed as above) and drive 10.4km to its conclusion. Follow the road to the left onto Old Baxters Mill Rd (this corner is the parking area for Haunted Falls and Black Hole Falls, the trailhead to these leading off to the right.) Continue 200m and watch for a dirt lane on your right, with a small sign for Oceanview Drive. Follow this road past a number of summer cottages to its conclusion. 

*Please respect private property, and use the trail into the woods towards the brook to access these falls*

TRAIL DESCRIPTION: follow the easily discernable trail into the woods directly in front of the parking spot, to Porcupine Brook, about 50m. The main trail to the falls leads upstream alongside the brook. 

photo:Benoit Lalonde (2009)

A short side trail downstream leads to a very interesting fall. As Porcupine Brook meets the Bay of Fundy, it drops over a ten foot ledge into a narrow, mini canyon and then turns sharply to the right, meeting the salt water. I've marked these on the map as Lower Porcupine Brook Falls.

The main falls trail leads upstream and is quite easy to follow, with little bushwhacking, if any, required. Porcupine Brook first greets you with a white water face through the saplings along the stream edges. The trail leads in towards them from the right, giving you a delightful side view as the brook drops over a thirty foot ledge ont the rocks below, then turning to the right with a massive bedrock obstruction a few meters in front of the fall. 

The trail continues upstream, climbing over the escarpment on the left hand side of the falls, about twenty five meters away. Above these main falls are several more falls. They reduce in size the further you go upstream, but all of them are quite nice.

Upper Porcupine Brook Falls lies just above the main falls, approximately 50m upstream. They are about 15 feet in height with a healthy plunge into a frothy pool below.

Above these three falls, Porcupine Brook has several long and steep cascades that are worth the visit. Porcupine Brook IV, below, features a twin 8 foot cascade topped just upstream by twisting cascade of about 6 feet.

Further upstream, the cascades get much smaller, topping out at about 4 feet in height just before you reach the road level along Old Baxters Mill Road again. Make your way back downstream to the parking coordinates, an easy woodland hike.

photo:Benoit Lalonde (2009)

HUGHES COVE FALLS
Baxters Harbour, Kings County
N 45° 13.198 W 064° 32.891 
UTM: 20T E 378447 N 5008552

RIVER: Long Beach Brook

CLASS: cascade

SIZE: 10'

RATING: average (****)

TRAIL: cobble beach 

DISTANCE: 100m

HIKING TIME: 10 minutes

CONDITIONS: easy

Geocache: none

NS Atlas Page: 46/Z1

NS topo map: 021H02 (Berwick)

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Take EXIT12 north off HWY101 towards the town of New Minas. Follow the New Minas Connector Rd 1.6km to the intersection, continuing straight on Cornwallis River Crossing. Continue straight 2km and continue straight as this road becomes Middle Dyke Rd as it crosses Belcher St. Drive 4.9km along this highway, turning left onto HWY341, then right again immediately (90m) onto the continuation of Middle Dyke Road. Continue 2.4km, turning right onto HWY221, which is signed for Baxters Harbour.Follow this road 1.1km, turning left onto Black Hole Road, again signed for Baxters Harbour. Follow Black Hole Rd about 5km and turn left onto Gospel Woods Road. Drive 2.2km, and turn right onto Long Beach Road. Follow this road 4.6km t its conclusion, at its intersectin with Old Baxters Mill Road.

Park off the side of the road at the beach access and head left up the beach towards the outcropping of bedrock towards where Long Beach Brook enters the Bay of Fundy. It crosses over an unremarkable 5 foot cascade before spreading thinly over wave smoothed bedrock another five feet, crossing over the cobbles into the ocean. 

Enjoy the beach while you are here, the many many multi coloured cobbles and views of Cape Split in the distance.

LONG BEACH BROOK FALLS
Baxters Harbour, Kings County
N 45° 12.883 W 064° 32.477 
UTM: 20T E 378978 N 5007959

RIVER: Long Beach Brook

CLASS: plunge

SIZE: 30'

RATING: excellent (****)

TRAIL: woods road, some bush whacking

DISTANCE: 200m

HIKING TIME: 15 minutes

CONDITIONS: moderate

Geocache: none

NS Atlas Page: 46/Z1

NS topo map: 021H02 (Berwick)

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Take EXIT12 north off HWY101 towards the town of New Minas. Follow the New Minas Connector Rd 1.6km to the intersection, continuing straight on Cornwallis River Crossing. Continue straight 2km and continue straight as this road becomes Middle Dyke Rd as it crosses Belcher St. Drive 4.9km along this highway, turning left onto HWY341, then right again immediately (90m) onto the continuation of Middle Dyke Road. Continue 2.4km, turning right onto HWY221, which is signed for Baxters Harbour.Follow this road 1.1km, turning left onto Black Hole Road, again signed for Baxters Harbour. Follow Black Hole Rd about 5km and turn left onto Gospel Woods Road. Drive 2.2km, and turn right onto Long Beach Road. Follow this road 4.1km, watching for an overgrown ATV trail on your left, just past where Long Beach Brook passes underneath the road. Park off the side of the road.

TRAIL DESCRIPTION: follow the trail to the brook (about 150m) and head downstream. When you reach the falls, the easiest way to the base is to move along the top of the cliff to your right, picking your way down into the deep ravine where you can. Stay to the left side, along the cliff wall, to avoid the rotting steps from the old trailer above, they are not safe by any means.

These falls drop over a twenty - twenty-five foot cliff, spilling onto a shelf just above the plunge pool. You can approach and get behind these falls by picking your way close in along the base of the cliff. 

HARTVILLE RAVINE FALLS
Hartville, Hants County
44N56.945  64W01.805
20T E0418742 N4977810

RIVER: St. Croix River
CLASS: cascades, rocky canyon
SIZE 12', 10'
RATING: average (***)

TRAIL: old rail line, downstream rockhopping
DISTANCE: 800m
HIKING TIME: 1 hour
CONDITIONS: difficult

NS Atlas Page: 57/Z1
NS topo map: 021A16 (Windsor)

DRVING DIRECTIONS: take Exit off HWY101, westbound towards Windsor,1.4km and turn left onto Hartville Road. Follow this ro.

ad 1.7km to a level train crossing immediately before a sharp left-hand turn in the road. Park past the tracks well off the road. 

TRAIL DESCRIPTION: follow the tracks towards the trestle, and make your way down to the forest floor on the right hand side where convenient. Bushwhack your way through open woods to the edge of the river. The top falls are just downstream of the train bridge above you.

CAUTION! even though this is a disused portion of the rail lines in canada, there are no rails alongside the bridge above and a fall here, into the canyon, would be catastrophic. Use common sense when visiting this site.

The top cascade at the head of the ravine is a pleasant twin fall, about 12 feet high all told, which drops into a long stillwater pool that runs the length of the canyon leading downstream. Make your way along the right hand side of the stillwater, climbing up and over a protrusion of bedrock halfway along, or make your way to the ravine edge above and hike along the animal trails there to the lower falls, another small seet of cascades as the river turns around the dominating upthrust of bedrock that forms the far side of the ravine here.

Wonderfully pictureseque, these falls, although small in stature, are large on location. A perfect landscape to take your breath away

BELCHER BROOK FALLS
Martock, Hants County
45N57.097  64W07.803
20T E0410860 N4978197

RIVER: Belcher Brook
CLASS: slide (steep)
SIZE 12', 15'
RATING: average (***)

TRAIL: woods trail
DISTANCE: 800m
HIKING TIME: 1 hour
CONDITIONS: moderate

NS Atlas Page: 57/Y2
NS topo map: 021A16 (Windsor)

DRVING DIRECTIONS: take Exit5 off HWY101, westbound, towards Windsor and Three Mile Plains. Follow this road, HWY14, to its conclusion about 1km along. (Across from the gas station) Turn left onto HWY1 and drive 650m to Three Mile Plains Cross Road. Turn right onto this and drive 850m to its intersection with Windsor Back Road. Turn right again, and drive down Windsor Back Road 2.8km to a dirt road on your left. Pull down this and drive down to the big old trees by the pond. Park here.

TRAIL DESCRIPTION: Follow the road around the small quarry to a fork in the trail about 75m along. Turn left along this trail that runs along the powerlines, and follow it to where it crosses Lebreau Brook, an easy fording. Continue along this old dirt road, trending to the right (up the hill) when you come to the first fork in the trail. (The left fork drops down to the power lines and peters out quickly) 

When you come to the power lines again, as you arrive at the bottom of the hill you just climbed over, continue on a path along the edge of the powerlines to your right. Follow this trail to an inactive slate quarry. Cross in the woods along the high side above the quarry to Belcher Brook, which abuts the workings. 

The first falls have a small 2 foot plunge into a charming slide of about ten feet in height. Approximately 100m upstream the main falls drop over a twisting slide into a number of small cascades. I feel that these falls should be considered "At Risk" due to human intervention in the nearby area. The quarry is excavated below the brook level and a break in the levee between brook and quarry would harm this ecosystem irreparably.