Directions:

Travel from Parrsboro along Highway 209 for about 8km to Wharton. A sign on your right, just as you see the sign for Diligent River, (when you cross the Diligent River bridge slow down) directs you to the dirt access road follow, this road for about a kilometer to the trailhead.

Description:

C. Ernest Harrison & Sons Ltd. of Parrsboro owns Wards Falls, and most of the land surrounding it. In memory of their founder they have preserved the falls and have been maintaining the trail for over 25 years.

The trail starts on an old road that enters the woods and crosses a bridge over the North Branch Diligent River. The whole trail is ATV serviced, so it is quite wide. The water level in the river/stream varies greatly depending on rain. The trail follows the river criss-crossing it many times as you head into the gorge. When you get to the outhouses you are almost at the end of the trail. The outhouses need work, there is a hole through the floor of one. You will hear the sound of the falls roaring in the distance as you cross the last bridge as you cross the bridge you can catch a glimpse of the falls then head up the only steep climb on the trail. The ladder that was here has been cut. The ladder allowed you to scale the rocks to the right of the falls and enter the canyon behind the falls. There is some work being done on the trail currently and I hope it will be replaced. Hopefully they will also remove all of the old bridges, which are currently laying beside the stream.

Water levels have a huge impact on the falls, go after it has rained, either way the views in the gorge are worth the trip.

See also Devils Bend, Five Islands , Thomas Cove