Joseph Howe Falls, Nova Scotia

I visited Nova Scotia and New Brunswick three years ago, and they were both beautiful to visit. I, of course, was looking for waterfalls. In Nova Scotia, they are somewhat spread apart. I visited Wentworth Falls, which was probably my favorite of the three waterfalls I visited. Joseph Howe Falls and Waddell Falls are both in the same park, Victoria Park in Truro, and are both along the same creek, so they would classify as pretty close!

You can read my post on Waddell Falls to get more information, so I’ll just give you the rundown. Victoria Park was actually a pretty happening place. I wasn’t sure whether to expect a quiet oasis or a bustling hub, and I was surprised with a bustling hub of activity. The hike to the falls is simple and rather enjoyable, but when I visited, there wasn’t much water flowing over the falls, which is a bit surprising since I visited in May. These falls would best be viewed after rainfall, obviously, where they would probably appear rather impressive. If you happen to be in Truro, famous for its tides, this is a quick stop that doesn’t take much effort.

Directions:

  1. This is a case where I set my GPS and followed it. Many different roads will lead you to the falls. You will want to turn onto Brunswick Street, as the park is off of Brunswick Street.
  2. From there, instead of turning right on Park Street, go to Palmer Street. A gravel parking area (with much easier parking) will be at the end of Palmer Street.
  3. Head south along the trails toward the falls. It works well if you stay on the east side of Lepper Brook. There is great signage to the falls.

Accessibility: 7/10 (easy/moderate)
Height: 15′
Length of Hike: 0.8 miles round-trip

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Joseph Howe Falls in May 2016

Where in the World is Joseph Howe Falls?

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Waddell Falls, Nova Scotia

Last year around this time, I traveled to Nova Scotia. After arriving in Halifax, I headed northeast toward Truro. Truro is a nice, quiet town that’s most likely known for its tidal bore (how the tides come and go). In the town are two waterfalls along the same river, and that’s what I was there to find.

As I mentioned in a post about another waterfall in Nova Scotia, Wentworth Falls, there are many waterfalls in Nova Scotia, but they’re scattered throughout the province. They’re also often out far enough that you’ll spend some time driving from one to the next. I wanted a few quick waterfalls, and Waddell Falls fit the mold. It’s in Victoria Park in Truro. I was able to take a nap after arriving in Truro, and yet still had enough time to drive to the park and hike to the falls.

The hike is mostly level, with only the last portion being a bit uphill. The park was very busy, as the weather was extremely nice on the day I visited. There were a number of different events going on. The trail to the falls was very clearly marked, and I had no difficulty arriving at the falls. There were many others visiting the falls also. You’ll come upon Joseph Howe Falls first, and then a bit upstream (and uphill) is Waddell Falls. The only negative…there wasn’t a lot of water flowing. I’m not sure when would be a better time (obviously after a lot of rain), so I took what I saw. (There was enough water that the mosquitoes were crazy!)

Directions:

  1. This is a case where I set my GPS and followed it. Many different roads will lead you to the falls. You will want to turn onto Brunswick Street, as the park is off of Brunswick Street.
  2. From there, instead of turning right on Park Street, go to Palmer Street. A gravel parking area (with much easier parking) will be at the end of Palmer Street.
  3. Head south along the trails toward the falls. It works well if you stay on the east side of Lepper Brook. There is great signage to the falls.

Accessibility: 7/10 (easy/moderate)
Height: 10′
Length of Hike: 0.9 miles round-trip

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Waddell Falls in May 2016

Where in the World is Waddell Falls?

Wentworth Falls, Nova Scotia

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Wentworth Falls in May 2016

I’ve had the chance to explore Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for a few days. I found a few waterfalls in Truro, Nova Scotia on the day I arrived, but I’m going to post about Wentworth Falls because the directions I had were a bit fuzzy.

It ends up there are a lot of waterfalls in Nova Scotia. Check out The Nova Scotia Waterfalls Blog for far more waterfalls than I was able to visit in the short time I was in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is approximately 350 miles in length, and driving across it is longer still. So that means you’re unlikely to be able to stop at the many falls unless you have a while to explore. I ended up visiting three waterfalls in two locations, and could possibly have visited more. It seems, though, that waterfalls in Nova Scotia are a bit less developed than you might expect (and in some ways that’s ok). I read of many falls that required ropes to climb down to the base, and I didn’t want to risk that being by myself. Other falls didn’t have very clear directions so this made locating them more of a struggle.

Wentworth Falls is a good example of this. It’s actually a very easy waterfall to get to once you find where to go! Directions had mentioned hostels, which were a few miles north, throwing me off. The hotel near the falls may have been renamed a few times, and was definitely closed. Luckily, I followed my instinct when I saw a truck and trailer parked across the road from the beginning of the trail, and parked in front of the trailhead (though I wasn’t sure I was at the trailhead at the time). Check my directions below to see where to park.

Once you park, the hike is wildly short and easy to manage. Even little kids should have no problem, since we’re talking about 0.1 miles one-way at most. And if there weren’t swarms of mosquitoes there when I visited, I would say it would be a fun place to frolic in the water (unless that’s frowned upon 🙂 ).

Directions:

  1. Head south along NS-4 through the town of Wentworth. Along the way, you will pass Ski Wentworth on your left. Keep going a bit.  You will come to an old (and at this time abandoned) hotel/motel on your right.
  2. Some directions say to stop at the hotel, but I just kept driving for a few hundred yards/meters. I pulled off on the side of the road in front of a trail that had five or six large rocks blocking the trail in between pine trees. (These rocks are just meant to prevent you from driving up.)
  3. I walked past the rocks and up the clear trail to the falls. (If you had parked at the closed hotel, you can walk a few hundred yards/meters south of the hotel along NS-4 and you’ll find other trails that also lead to the falls.)

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: ~55′
Hike: ~0.2 miles round-trip

Where in the World is Wentworth Falls?