Monday 25 March 2013

GIVANS BROOK FALLS
N 45° 07.002 W 064° 47.062 
UTM: 20T E 359650 N 4997463 




RIVER: Givans Brook
CLASS: steep cascade
SIZE: 85`
RATING: excellent (****)

TRAIL: woods path
DISTANCE: 100m
HIKING TIME: 5 minutes
CONDITIONS: moderate

Geocache: GC1A9TT (archived)

NS Atlas Page: 46/X3
NS topo map: 021H02 (Berwick)

photo by Cheryll Kelley (2014)

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: from Kentville, take HWY12 (Chester Ave.) south 3.6km, and turn right onto HWY101. Follow the freeway 17.7km to Exit 15, turning north onto HWY360, towards Harbourville. Drive 8.5km along this road, and turn left onto Barley St. Drive 600m down this road, parking at the obvious pull off where Givans Brook crosses under the road.

TRAIL DESCRIPTION: follow the path on the left side of the brook into a small ravine next to the falls, and make your way to the base of these impressive cascades. The Faribault/Fletcher maps for the Geological Survey of Canada list these falls at 100 feet, but my measurements pegged it at closer to 85 feet. No matter the size, when the water is running through the brook, you will be awed. 

The viewpoint for these falls is directly below the falls, making them one of the more accessible falls in the area. Further falls listed at 20' and 15' are listed further downstream but I have not had opportunity to get to them yet. 
HOLLOW BROOK FALLS
Five Mile Plains, Hants County
44N57.151 64W04.196
20T E415603  N4978232



RIVER: Hollow Brook
CLASS: stepped cascade
SIZE: 12'
RATING: average (***1 /2)

TRAIL: bushwhacking, upstream
DISTANCE: 300m
HIKING TIME: 30 minutes
CONDITIONS: moderate

Geocache: none

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




DRIVING DIRECTIONS: from Windsor, take Exit5, west, off HWY101 towards Three Mile Plains. Drive about 1 km to the intersection with HWY1 , turn left. Drive 4km and turn left onto Green Street. Follow this road approximately 1 km to where Hollow Brook crosses under the road. Park off the road.

Trail description. Follow the brook upstream, crossing over this small watercourse as neccesary, approximately 300m to the falls.These are very attractive falls, the hike in is thru a mature forest.
Along the way, a larger seasonal tributary also falls into the stream.



Friday 8 March 2013


OLD SANDFORDS BROOK FALLS
West Gore, Hants County
45 N 04.994 63 W 47.893
20T N437180 E4992507




RIVER: Old Sandfords Brook
CLASS: steep cascades
SIZE: 15', 30'
RATING: nice (***)

TRAIL: ATV trail, upstream
DISTANCE: 2.2km
HIKING TIME: 1 hour
CONDITIONS: moderate to difficult

Geocache: none

NS Atlas Page: 48/X4
NS topo map: 011E04 (Kennetcook)



DRIVING DIRECTIONS: take Exit 5 off HWY101, east, onto HWY14. Follow this road 8.6km to the village of Brooklyn, and turn left (up the hill) at the war memorial in the middle of the road to remain on HWY14, for 750m. Continue straight at the next intersection (next to the Petro Canada service station, onto HWY215 for 1km and turn right onto HWY236 (towards Kennetcook) and follow this road 19.8km to the community of Clarksville. Turn right towards HWY202/Gore, and fo202llow this road 1.7km. Turn right again onto McInnis Rd/Hwy202. Park off the shoulder of the road in the available space next to the first bridge, about 100m along.


TRAIL DESCRIPTION: Pass thru the gate in the fence onto the old road crossing the field headed upstream. Follow this road 330m to a fork in the tral below an old hunters cabin. Follow the left hand fork, along McInnis Brook. Follow this ATV trail to the confluence with Old Sandford Brook, a tributary coming in from the right. Follow this stream along a more rugged ATV track, making several stream crossings, to the mouth of the ravine and continue hiking upstream, hopping back and forth when the shale walls of the canyon abut the brook.

The larger falls along this brook flow in from a tributary over the steep ravine slope on the right at 45N05.029 63W47.983 and the main falls along this brook are upstream along the ravine at the posted coordinates.

The main falls are about 15' high with a small pool and elbow about halfway down on its left hand side. Ascent of these falls is difficult. There are a set of nice cascades about 150m upstream of the main falls, and are most easily reached by climbing in switchbacks up the ravine on the left side and following the mature woods with a fairly clear understorey upstream to where the upper cascades can be seen. An easier scramble down to the stream here is possible to get closeer to the base of these to take photos.