Baxter's Harbour - February 4 2020

Photo by Michele Desrosiers-Callan

Baxter’s Harbour, N.S. is a perfect spot to go to see many waterfalls, all within fairly close distance of each other. On this day, we decided to hike to three of the falls as well as Caroline Beach to see the ice in the caves along the shore. The hike was a little over 7 kilometers, which isn’t long but we took our time and took many photos, so it took us a good four to five hours.

The day was sunny and fairly mild with little wind. It was necessary to time this hike with low tide, as a portion of it involved walking along the shore. We started at Porcupine Falls, which was a combination of ice and flowing water.

Porcupine Falls

We then walked along the rocks on the shore as the tide was going out. We made our way to Coby Irving Falls by following up the brook. This waterfall was frozen, but you could hear the water moving under the ice. It flows over a steep cliffside which also had impressive icicles all along the rock face. We hiked back down the brook and then along the shore to Haunted Falls.

Coby Irving Falls

The walk up this brook was easier than other times of year because the ice along the edge made for a smooth path. (with ice Crampons for safety) Haunted Falls was impressive with both ice and free flowing water.

Haunted Brook

From there, we climbed up the steep bank and continued through the woods that lead us to the trail. This goes down to Caroline Beach. The tide was low at this point and we were able to visit several sea caves along the beach. The ice was beautiful! The caves are very slippery inside because of the dripping water so we were glad to have our crampons.

Caroline Beach

After many photos, we hiked back up the trail and crossed the brook and walked out to the road. Waterfalls are so interesting to visit because they look different depending on how much water is flowing and also when they are frozen. It’s like visiting a new place each time! Happy Hiking!

Sea Caves at Caroline Beach