Whopper Dropper Hike

Funny name for a trail, eh?  It comes from the fact that the entrance to the trail is behind our local Burger King, and the fact that there are some crazy drops that mountain biking enthusiasts love!  I've never had the opportunity to hike this trail despite it being only 8 minutes from my doorstep.  The entrance used to look like this:


Random internet picture to show 'before' image

Unfortunately two years ago, it was clear cut for commercial development and now looks like this:


Again...random image to show 'after'.

Luckily it does not look like this for the entire hike...only about the first 10 minutes.  It actually makes it a little challenging to find the actual trail.  Jill and I picked some random spot to follow...it made for an adventure!  The first bonus of this hike was discovering that there were tons of wild blueberries that were ripe for the picking!


They were so sweet and yummy and made for frequent snacking.

We sent a text to one of our friends and said "We're lost....come get us". 

She knew we were joking.  LOL

There was a slight rain falling that actually kept us cool.  There is plenty of tree cover so we didn't even get that wet.  If you were hiking in the heat of the sun, there are a couple of spots that you'd be full on sun...but the trees do provide plenty of shade.  Like I mentioned, this is one of the most popular mountain biking trails in Nova Scotia with the challenging rock formations throughout the trail.  We did not come across any bikers during our 1.5hr hike.


This was the turnaround point of our hike.  At this
point we took a selfie and headed back.

As we headed back, we decided to follow a different trail....and soon came across this amazing, peaceful location.

I'm assuming that biking enthusiasts have taken the time and energy to create some of the bridges that you come across as you hike.

You wouldn't catch me biking this anytime soon!



As we were hiking back, we kept saying..."Let's remember where we come out so when we come back we can find our way back in again."  Well....that was easier said than done!  I have no idea if I could find that rock/peaceful spot again.  LOL  I will definitely come back and hike this trail again!  I think there are still paths that I haven't travelled! Next time I'll pack a picnic and sit at one of the many open spaces and just enjoy the peacefulness!

As you can see, for the most part, the trail is about 2-3 feet wide in most places.  If you get off the regularly used trail, it can shrink to about a foot wide.  On our way back, we did notice that there are orange tabs on some of the trees or arrows on the rocks pointing in directions, however....it wasn't a consistent marking.

The overall hike took us about 1 hour 25 minutes or so with only a short break at the lake.    I would recommend this trail hike for anyone new to hiking, or someone who would like a short hike to get out in nature.  There are some steep rock climbs/descents but definitely doable if you watch your footing!

Reminder to those hiking...go prepared!  I had my camelbak filled with water, a few energy snacks, and a foil blanket just in case it was needed.  Of course I had my cell phone as well.  It is better to be prepared and not have to use it than the alternative!!  Have fun!!