Nova Scotia Hiking Trails | Borden Brook Falls | Blomidon Provincial Park

We’ve hiked this trail dozens of times, even in the winter but were not expecting it to look like this!

Today we are hiking at Blomidon Provincial Park, near Canning Nova Scotia. As of the time of filming this video in February 2025, the park is currently closed. The road to the top of the cape is gated and has no winter maintenance. There is a parking lot at the bottom of the road, near the beach that is open and had been plowed. Because the park is closed expect washroom facilities to be closed as well. Dogs must be on leash in Nova Scotia Provincial Parks and please remember to practice leave no trace principles and pack out any waste.

The park has a 13.5 km system of interconnected trails that provide access to a variety of habitats and scenic look-offs within the park. Today we are hiking a section of Borden Brook Falls trail. The Borden Brook Falls trail is a 3.5km one way trail that is rated as moderate. There is an average 6% slope, with the maximum slope at 40%. The trail takes you to a view point of Borden Brook Falls. From the falls you can turn back and cross the river to continue up the side of the mountain to the end of the trail at the top of the cape. From there you can connect with the other trails that make up the trail system. Alternatively, you can go up the stairs by the falls and walk out on to the main road to the park, which is the route we chose. Because the road is closed for winter there is no concern for traffic and walking down the road gives some great views over the Bay of Fundy.

We have hiked this trail in all seasons, and in the winter it does tend to be icy. You will definitely want ice spikes for your boots for added traction. Even though the trail was more snow packed than icy this time, the spikes certainly helped on the slopes. There was so much snow it was hard to tell where the brook was, as it was almost completed covered with only a whisper of running water. This is much different from past winters where the brook has been running and the falls have been a tower of ice.

If you choose to take the road back to the parking lot vs following the entire trail or back tracking, be prepared with no winter maintenance, a walk down the road might not be as easy as it sounds. With more snow this winter than the past several years, followed by ice and then mild temperatures, walking down the road was challenging! In some places we could walk on top of the snow and it others we were falling through.

A unique thing about hiking in winter is getting to see all the wild animal tracks. While they are out and about all year, the layer of snow provides visual evidence of their activity. On the way up the trail we noticed fresh canine tracks. With no fresh human tracks to accompany them, it is likely a coyote passed through sometime before we did today. A new layer of fresh snow over night, with no snow accumulation in the tracks themselves indicates they were fresh. On the way back down the road we saw tracks again, assuming it was the coyote. On closer inspection these were feline tracks and much to large to be a domestic cat.

You can distinguish canine and feline tracks in a few ways. The most obvious way is the presence of nail marks. Canine track will have nail marks present, but as felines have retractable claws there are no nail marks present in the tracks. Sometimes this can be hard to tell based on the quality of the track you find, but there are other distinctive characteristics. Canine tracks tend to be more elongated and pointed, and the tracks made by the hind feet are smaller than the front feet. The canine foot tends to be longer than it is wide. Felines tend to have a wider, more roundish print with the width and length being close to equal.

Back at the parking lot you can then opt to head to the beach if you want to explore more. This is a beach on the Bay of Fundy, so it is important to know the tide times to avoid getting trapped by the tide. The Bay of Fundy is home to the highest tides in the world, and has a significant change between high and low tide. It is also important to note that during the off season the stairs to the beach are partly removed. It isn’t hard to get off the platform to the beach, but it is not as easy as just walking down stairs. It is also worth noting that the stairs are metal and some dogs do not enjoy them.

#Blomidon #BordenBrookFalls #HikeNovaScotia #HikingWithDogs #NovaScotiaParks #LeaveNoTrace #NovaScotia #Canada