Corney Brook

Corney Brook Trail leads from the Cabot Trail at the Corney Brook Camp Ground in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park to a cascade on the side of French Mountain. A description of the hike I took to the falls, on the way back from which this photograph was taken, can be found here.

This photograph was taken about thirty-five minutes from the Cabot Trail (at a very brisk walking pace). It shows the waters of Corney Brook flowing vigorously over and and around boulders in the brook, with trees bearing early fall colours arching over the brook. There are still significant amounts of green in this photo; other photos I took during this hike indicate that the trees on the mountain sides had a fair amount of colour but also significant amounts of green, not all from conifers.

I only discovered Corney Brook Trail this year; it is a lovely trail in excellent condition with very little climbing and the reward of a waterfall at its end. At a leisurely pace, it can be done in an hour’s time, one way. I highly recommend it to you. The gorge which Corney Brook has carved through the mountains is close to the sides of those mountains; the slope of one can be seen behind the leaves at the top of the photo rising at at 45° angle and there are several places along the trail where one can look up and see the mountains towering above one. There is next to no direct sunlight along the trail—only filtered sunlight makes it through the trees, through which the trail runs along much of its length, at least while they still have their leaves. That would make it an ideal place to be on a hot summer day, but also suggests that one should take some warm clothing on a cooler day.