Friday 13 July 2012


SAINT COLUMBA'S FALLS
St. Columba, Victoria County
N 46° 00.213 W 060° 52.617
20T E 664380 N 5096633



RIVER: Washabuck River
CLASS: plunge
SIZE: 30 feet
RATING: excellent (****)

TRAIL: dirt path
DISTANCE: less than 100m
HIKING TIME: 5 minutes
CONDITIONS: easy

Geocache: GCYAQR

NS Atlas Page: 23/V1
NS topo page: 011K02 (Baddeck)



Directions: from Baddeck, travel southwest along HWY105 (TCH) 22km, turning left onto Little Narrows Road, taking the ferry across the narrows, then following Little Narrows Rd. north along the shore to the Washabuck Rd. intersection. Cross this road and drive up the hill along St. Columbas Rd, an improved dirt road. There is a parking pull-off and easily visible path on your right hand side a few hundred meters up the road.


Trail Description: The falls are only a few short steps away, follow the well worn trail down to the brook, where the falls come almost immediately into view. Walk downstream a hundred meters to see the lower slide falls. Although not as grand as the main attraction, these falls follow a diagonal chute across the rock face (pictured above) and are definitely worth the extra few minutes of hiking to view.


The main falls are absolutely beautiful, plunging thru a notch in the bedrock above, spreading out in a fan to strike the stone below. It is fairly easy, in low water,  to walk right up to the falls, and if you are so inclined, to sit underneath the spray and experience a once-in-a-lifetime shower. The pool at the base is deep and clear and invites you to slide down the stone and into the waiting waters.



This site is also near Iona, where you might also visit the Highland Village Museum, a "living museum" which features 11 buildings illustrating the lifestyles of early Gaelic settlers to Cape Breton.


photo by Rob Romard (2014)




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