After one failed attempt to locate the West Bass River waterfalls this past summer, I decided to try my luck again, this time with geology maps, circa 1900 (indicating waterfalls and heights).

From Dartmouth I headed towards Bass River and turned right just past the bridge over Bass River. I followed this road for a short distance until it curved right. Before the road veered right I turned left onto a dirt road, passing a farm on the right.

First Waterfall

Following the dirt road until the first bridge, I turned right onto an old logging road which follows along beside a branch of the West Bass River. After a short distance this road veers right up a hill, away from the water. Instead of following the road up the hill and away from the water, I turned left onto an old track and parked the truck near the remnants of an old camp. From here I changed into my hip waders and followed the brook upstream for roughly 2-3 kilometers until I stumbled upon a nice waterfall. The water cascades over a rock face at a height of about 20 feet. Quite nice.

Second Waterfall

After crossing the first bridge I drove for a short distance before crossing a second bridge over West Bass river. Just beyond this second bridge I turned right onto an old cart track and parked where the road ended abruptly (washout). From here I again used my hip waders to walk upstream, which turned out to be a challenging walk up into the Cobequid Mountains. After about 2 kms I came upon a small double waterfall, dropping no more than 10 feet. The old geology map showed a 100' falls, so I pressed on. After another 1-2 kms I rounded a bend in the river and looked up in awe. Ahead of me the river cascaded through two pools and tumbled down an almost vertical rock face, a drop of roughly 100 feet. This is one of the nicest waterfalls I've seen in this area, and made the brutal climb upriver well worth it.

Some Observations

The journey into both of these waterfalls may require a 4x4 vehicle, depending on road conditions. As well, both are rough backcountry hikes... there are no trails. Hip waders are highly recommended!