Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Part 5: Jigging Cove, Black Brook Cove, Green Cove, and Lakies Head

Re-entering Cape Breton National Park I began a series of stops at look offs and coves. My second stop at Black Brook Cove provided me an opportunity for some walking so I decided to postpone my hike until the next day and take my time exploring each of the coves. I was particularly fond of the headlands here, the dense green pine trees encircled by the gray and pink gneiss and granite.

Near Jigging Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Near Jigging Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

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Beach at Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Beach at Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Beach at Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Beach at Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Beach at Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Beach at Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Beach at Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Beach at Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

As I walked along the beach at Black Brook a view of an inlet was revealed in the headland, one that looked to have a waterfall. So I retraced my steps and headed to where the sand terminated in the jumble of massively-sized dead trees strewn over the granite and gneiss. After climbing over the driftwood I had an even better view of the waterfall and so decided to keep climbing over the rock, eventually ending up right below it. To my right I noticed an access point on the opposite bank that would allow me to get to the top of the waterfall so I crossed the brook and made the short ascent to the top – where I found myself on a trail. Lesson of this story is that there are easier ways of seeing this waterfall – such as taking a trail – that don’t involve climbing over trees and rock, though I maintain that my view from the bottom was far superior that what you could see from the top. Since the water flow wasn’t very high I made my way to a spot of dry rock near the center of the top of the waterfall and was treated with a view of the cove from above.

I spy a waterfall, Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

I spy a waterfall, Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Black Brook, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Black Brook, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Looking out at Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Looking out at Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Black Brook Cove from the top of the waterfall, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Black Brook Cove from the top of the waterfall, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Waterfall near Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Waterfall near Black Brook Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

After leaving Black Brook Cove I continued south along the Cabot Trail, soaking up the views from the viewpoints. Green Cove was particularly nice, featuring pink and white granite stripes within the gray gneiss. A less dramatic version was also seen from Lakies Head, my last stop before heading inland for a hike.

Green Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Green Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Green Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Green Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Green Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Green Cove, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Lakies Head, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Lakies Head, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Lakies Head, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Lakies Head, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada