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Dominica Middleham Falls Trails Part 1 |
The hard part is deciding which trail to take. | |||
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Length: Varying in length from 1.8 miles to 2.3 miles. Time: The Middleham Trails, roughly corresponding to the shape of a Y, consist of two trails that have three entrances, at the villages of Sylvania, Providence and Cochrane. The most popular trail begins at the village of Providence and ends at the abandoned coffee plantation of Sylvania; it takes about 3 hours. From Providence to Cochrane, about 2.5 hours. The Middleham Falls are reached after about 75 minutes of walking from Providence. Difficulty: 2 to 3 for both routes. Difficulty depends on the slipperiness. Trailhead: To reach Providence from Roseau, take the Valley Road to Laudat. When you see the second sign for Symes Zee's Villa, proceed for about 0.75-miles where a track on the left descends sharply. Follow the track to the small parking area. A sign points to the trailhead. These trails in the northwest portion of the national park wind through a 950-acre tract of primary rain forest that is among the most beautiful and best preserved on all Dominica. The land was donated by a U.S. citizen, John D. Archbold, to the Dominican government through the Nature Conservancy. There are 2 major sets of trails plus one offshoot. The common trailhead starting from Providence and leading to Sylvania and Cochrane is fairly easy though during rainy periods the rocks are slick at the stream crossings. It first passes through banana and citrus trees before reaching the rain forest. After about an hour the trail splits in two. The left trail goes to Cochrane, about 1.5 hours away. The right trail goes to the former coffee plantation of Sylvania, recognizable by the crumbling foundations. Sylvania is about two hours away from this point. (The description of this trail is on the next page.) Taking The Cochrane (Left) Trail: You'll soon reach the turnoff for the 15-minute walk to the 275-foot high Middleham Falls, among Dominica's highest. You're welcome to swim in the large rock basin beneath the falls. Located in an area known as Narodney, the Middleham Falls and several other streams join to form the Boeri River, more commonly known as the Canefield River. Next Page (Middleham Falls Part 2) |
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