The entrance to Cape Breton Highlands National Park near Ingonish in Nova Scotia/Tourism Nova Scotia, Ralli Marketing

Cape Breton Highlands National Park is closing Mary Ann Falls Road to vehicles because of more frequent extreme and damaging weather events and turning it into a sustainable hiking and mountain biking trail.

The newly designed and constructed trail is expected to open during the 2024 visitor season. The stairway to the falls — which had been damaged during multiple storm events — will be rebuilt to allow access to both the top and bottom of the waterfall. The picnic shelter, pit privy and bollards will be removed at the former Mary Ann Falls Day Use Area, and the area will be remediated to its more natural state.

Mary Ann Falls has long been a favorite destination for visitors to the Nova Scotia park.

Parks Canada says this former alignment of the Cabot Trail was designed in the 1920s and decommissioned in the 1950s once the modern coastal alignment was constructed. Since then it has tried to maintain road access to the falls, but has been challenged by numerous extreme weather events, the unique alignment of the existing road, and ongoing safety and sustainability issues. In 2021, a series of washouts rendered the road impassable. Repeated attempts to repair the road have failed.

The Branch Pond Look-off Trail, with trailhead access via the Mary Ann Falls Road, was closed this year due to an unsafe bridge near the beginning of the trail. Parks Canada will remove the unsafe bridge and no longer maintain the trail. People who want to access the backcountry in this portion of the park can contact Parks Canada visitor services for routing options.