WATERFALLS OF NOVA SCOTIA

CRYSTAL FALLS
Rockville Notch, Kings County
N 44° 56.235 W 064° 52.655
20T E 351856 N 4977694

RIVER: Mumford Brook
CLASS: plunge
SIZE: 35'
RATING: excellent (***1 /2)

TRAIL: woods road
DISTANCE: 1 .5km
HIKING TIME: 45 min
CONDITIONS: moderate

Geocache: GC6C27

NS Atlas Page: 56/W2
NS topo map: 021 A1 5 (Gaspereau Lake)

(view over the plunge)

DIRECTIONS: from Kingston, take Exit 17E, southward onto Bishop Mountain Rd, follow this road to its conclusion at HWY1 and turn right. Continue on this highway about 1 .2km, turning left onto Kingston Village Rd. This connects to HWY #201 in approximately 2km, where you will turn left, travelling nearly 750m to Tremont Mountain Rd. Turn left again onto this road, following it 3km to Harmony Rd. Turn left onto Harmony Rd and follow this 3.5km, past the bridge at Rockville Notch and up the hill. There is an unmarked dirt road on your right at 44N57.072 064W53.237. There is some clearance on this road and you can choose to drive up as far as you feel safe doing or park off to the side of this road early on and walk in.

photo by Cheryll Kelley (2014)

Trail Description: Folloow this dirt road for 700m until you come to a fork in the road, tend to the right and cross over the steel bridge that crosses the brook. Continue along the dirt road another 700m until you come to the clear cut for the power lines above you. Turn left and follow the trails down to the falls site.

A very popular hiking and swimming spot, on the day that I visited these falls there were several people jumping off the high cliffs on the left side of the falls (looking from downstream) into the deep plunge pool beneath. A good trail leads up the right hand side of the falls to the precipice. Watch for the big helicopters overhead heading to CFB Greenwood.

(cascades 150m below falls)

photo by Melanie Haverstock (2014)

While in the area, check out the Kingston Military Aviation Musuem, which is open 7 days a week from June to August, from 9am til 5 pm, and from September thru May between the hours of 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

photo by Melanie Haverstock (2014)