Monday, 06 October 2008 05:02 pm

ECONOMY FALLS TRAIL

Uses: Hiking, Mountain Biking, X-Country Skiing, Horseback

Time: 10-15 minutes.

Length: About 0.5 km

Difficulty: 3  (must walk down, and back up, a steep hill but trail is well marked and steps are provided).

Location: Take highway 2 at Glenholme and head towards Parrsboro.  Proceed west 12 km past the sharp turn at Bass River until you reach the River Philip Road.  Turn right and follow this road for nearly 8 km.  After 4.8 km branch right and branch right again at 7.1 km.  After the last branch, go about 0.5 km and park in the clearing.  The walk to the falls is easy to find (just follow the road as it eventually turns into a well-maintained path).

Description:  The actual trail to the Economy Falls is only about a 10-15 minute walk.  About 3/4 the way there you can branch off and follow steps to the base of the waterfall.  The view from here is spectacular.  There is a 25 m waterfall shooting out from a cliff that is much higher still.  There is a pool at the base of the falls where you could take a dip when the water is warm.

You can also follow a branch of the trail to a cliff, which overlooks the waterfall.  Extreme caution should be exercised in this area though as the cliffs are steep and unforgiving.  On the way back to the starting point, grab a drink of water at an underground spring which surfaces near the start of the trail - you'll need it after the steep climb from the gorge below.

There are steps and a couple benches to ease the hike down and back from the base of the falls.  It is nice to visit this area in the spring when water levels are high to get the full specter of this beautiful but little known treasure.

Notes:  A nice alternative would be to take mountain bikes from the start of the River Philip Rd and bike the 6.4 km to the trail start.  There are also several other woods road that branch off and provide good exploring.  For example if you branch left at the camp near the 6 km mark there is a road that goes by old homesteads and abandoned farmlands with spring-fed water and abundant wildlife.

Rating:  4 (falls have since collapsed so may affect rating)

Disclaimer: Sea Scotia Vacation Rentals in no way endorses the use of this trail.  Please do so at you own risk.  Be aware that in some places you may be crossing private property and you are required to obtain permission from the registered owner before doing so.  To determine the registered owner of the land contact the Nova Scotia Registry of Deeds office.