This short hike is perfect, especially during the splendor of fall. The Falls Pond and West Canada Wilderness Area trailhead has a large parking area leading to some 4,000 acres of pristine forest.
How to get there
The parking area is a 13-mile drive in from the Moose River Plains Wild Forest's Limekiln entrance in Inlet. It's 9.1 miles to the big T intersection, then bear right and continue on the Otter Brook Road as it crosses the Moose River and Otter Brook bridges before reaching the Falls Pond parking area on left. The access road has a gravel and dirt surface.
By the numbers
- Distance: 2.1 miles, one way
Hiking
Start your hike along an old forest road that quickly becomes an attractive walk through a lush hardwood forest. After 1.5 miles. the trail to Falls Pond will come in on the right. An old metal sign on a post and a new wooden sign on a tree mark the trail intersection. From here it's a slight but steady 0.45-mile descent to the shore of Falls Pond. This hike is not recommended in winter. The Moose River Plains is a snowmobile corridor and not open to cars or trucks during the snowy months.
Swimming
Falls Pond is a fantastic lake to swim in.
Fishing
At a maximum depth of only 10 feet, this small pond offers brook trout for the taking. The trout here aren't very big, but they are fun to catch. There is decent shoreline access and it would require a long carry with a canoe or kayak.
