North River Falls can be found at the base of a narrow valley in the Cape Breton Highlands. It consists of several drops, with it’s largest at approximately 32 meters high, has given it the name as the highest waterfall in Nova Scotia. For years, the main way to access the falls was a challenging 16-18 km hike (out and back), roughly following North River from St. Annes Bay. After the trail washed out in 2021, the new primary way to access the falls is from the maze of logging roads high up on the plateau.  

Making your way to the bottom of the valley, you can stand beneath the falls as the water plunges into the pool below. The isolated nature of the falls and its setting amongst the backcountry of Cape Breton, makes this one of the province’s greatest hard-to-reach hidden gems.