Waterfalls of Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Whether you’re looking for a short stroll or a challenging hike, a visit to one of Cape Breton Highlands National Park’s many waterfalls offers a peaceful escape into nature’s beauty.
The Cape Breton Highlands offer a wide array of options for those interested in chasing waterfalls. There is nothing quite like seeing a waterfall, feeling the mist of the cascading water on your skin, or hearing the roar of rushing water as it echoes all around you. It's time to get out and explore these natural wonders!
These waterfalls are easily viewable from roadside look-offs and picnic areas, or await your arrival at the end of a designated hiking trail. Which one will you visit next?
Waterfalls of Cape Breton Highlands National Park
| Name | Description | Image | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corney Brook Falls |  | Waterfall | |
| MacIntosh Brook Falls |  | Waterfall | |
| Beulach Ban Falls |  | Waterfall | |
| Still Brook Falls |  | Waterfall | |
| Mary Ann Falls |  | Waterfall |
Corney Brook Falls
Follow a meandering brook through a hardwood forest to a small waterfall at the end of the trail. You are actually in a box river canyon—there is only one way out! Keep a watch out for wildlife—a variety of birds, snowshoe hare, or maybe even a moose. Local Acadians know this brook as "Rivière à Lazare".
Coordinates of waterfall: 46.720726, -60.893258
Height of waterfall: 9 metres / 30 feet
Distance from trailhead to falls: 3.2 km / 2 miles
Difficulty rating: easy
Hiking time (return): 2 hours
MacIntosh Brook Falls
Imagine a nice, easy, fairly level stroll along a babbling brook and through a mature hardwood forest with a scenic waterfall at the end. Add to that the songs of forest birds and you have this relaxing trail.
Coordinates of waterfall: 46.807210, -60.759936
Height of waterfall: 10 metres / 35 feet
Distance from trailhead to falls: 1.7 km / 1.1 miles
Difficulty rating: easy
Hiking time (return): 45 minutes
Beulach Ban Falls
Located just beyond the parking area for the Aspy trail at the end of the Beulach Ban Falls Road, this cascade is one of the park’s most popular, and is especially stunning in the autumn, when the fall colours turn the scene innumerable shades of yellow and gold.
Beulach Ban is also visible from a look-off on the Cabot Trail. The look-off features an interpretive panel describing the waterfall, and is located at 46.814490, -60.639690.
Coordinates of waterfall: 46.814111, -60.625250
Height of waterfall: 21 metres / 69 feet
Distance from trailhead to falls: 50 metres / 165 feet
Difficulty rating: easy
Hiking time (return): 2 minutes
Still Brook Falls
The falls on Still Brook are visible from the Cabot Trail as you drive north toward the Black Brook Beach Day Use Area. They are one of only a few falls where it is possible to access both the top and bottom. The top can be reached by taking a short spur from the Jack Pine trail, while the bottom can usually be accessed at low tide by scrambling over some rocks via Black Brook Beach. Parking is available at either the Jack Pine trailhead or the Black Brook Beach Day Use Area.
Coordinates of waterfall: 46.777260, -60.331968
Height of waterfall: 6 metres / 20 feet
Distance from Jack Pine trailhead to top of falls: 150 metres / 490 feet
Distance from stairs at Black Brook Beach to bottom of falls: 160 metres / 525 feet
Difficulty rating: moderate
Hiking time (return): 10 minutes
Mary Ann Falls
Cape Breton Highlands National Park’s newest hiking trail is one of its older roads—the original Cabot Trail followed roughly the same path as this trail until its realignment in the 1950s. Now, a hiking trail leads to Mary Ann Falls, a picturesque cascade known as a prime spot for a swim. A staircase descends the steep riverbank and allows for easier access to the swimming hole at the bottom of the falls, while the remnants of an old iron bridge provides foot passage to the north side of Mary Ann Brook.
Coordinates of waterfall: 46.761780, -60.363130
Height of waterfall: 6 metres / 20 feet
Distance from trailhead to viewpoint at the base of the falls: 6.5 km / 4 miles
Difficulty rating: difficult
Hiking time (return): 4-6 hours
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