Monday, 2 February 2015

SALTWATER BROOK FALLS
Whycococmagh, Inverness County
N 45° 58.631 W 061° 05.679 
UTM: 20T E 647595 N 5093277




RIVER: Saltwater Brook
CLASS: multiple cascades
SIZE: main falls 12ft.
PITCH: 70deg

RATING: excellent (****)

PK: 45N58.008 /  61W06.274
TRAIL: improved trails, bushwhacking
DISTANCE: 1.2km
HIKING TIME: 45min

CONDITIONS: moderate (steep sections along trail)

Geocache: 
GC4CXYN
NS Atlas Page: 22/Z1

NS topo map: 011F14 (Whycocomagh)


DRIVING DIRECTIONS, from PORT HASTINGS, at the Canso Causeway, follow the signs at the roundabout for HWY105 (signed for the Trans Canada HIghway/Cheticamp/Baddeck/Sydney) and travel along this highway for 49.1km to the village of Whycocomagh. Watch for the signs for Provincial Park Rd on the far side of the horseshoe shaped harbour, and turn left. Follow this for 450m to the Whycocomagh Provincial Park. There is plenty of parking in the near lot during the winter, during open season you can continue further into the park, parking somewhat closer to the trailhead. 


TRAIL DESCRIPTION: follow the paved road uphill to its conclusion, past the first "Trail" sign. A second trail leads beyond the pavement. Follow this until it begins to climb up onto Salt Mountain, continuing straight ahead along indistinct trails along a fairly level bench above the brook below, thru a fairly easy and open woodland. There is a bit of a scramble down a steep slope to the base of the falls. There are several smaller cascades, ranging from 5 to 8 feet along the brok before you reach the falls that are picturesque. 


The Provincial Park itself features a 40-site campground, with yurt-camping rentals available at three of the sites. There is Wi-Fi available at the administration building. Another feature that should not be missed is the Tsimshian totem pole, which used to stand at the Port Hastings Visitor Center, but after weathering Cape Breton weather for many many years, became unstable. In keeping with tradition, the totem pole was "returned to the earth" and now rests here, not far from the Park entrance. 




1 comment:

  1. I have this page book marked and I visit it often. I found and started following your blog about 3 years ago. My husband and I started hunting waterfalls together back in 2010, it was our first date. He proposed to me at one of these beauties and I just can't get enough of them. You could say it's a big part of our life together! We have over 50 under our belt (My husband calls it a sickness, but I think it's just passion!) and I'm not stopping anytime soon!
    I just wanted to leave a comment saying thank you for organizing them because it's much easier to plan which ones to find next. And of course thank you for all the work you put into this blog. I know it's time consuming and your dedication to your work doesn't go unnoticed.

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