Hike Dominica – Middleham Falls Trail Description & Local Hiking Guides
Overview of hiking Dominica’s Middleham Falls:
- Time required: 2 – 3 hours round trip (depending on how much time you spend hanging out in the pool)
- Degree of Difficulty: 5 out of 10
- Height: Just over 2,200 feet (670 meters) at the highest point on the ridge, although the trail-head starts around 1,650 feet (500m)
- Distance: About 4 miles (6km) round trip
- Guide Required: No – The trail-head and trail itself are well marked.
This enjoyable Dominica hike through the rain-forest takes you to one of the tallest waterfalls in Dominica. The trail-head can be found by following the signs “to Middleham Falls”, on the road out of Roseau that leads to Laudat. There is a small parking lot down a secondary road off the main road. This trail is within the Morne Trois Piton National Park and is also an optional segment of the Waitukubuli National Trail.
The Middleham Falls Trail starts with a gradual incline on a natural path with sections of wooden steps. The trail twists and turns with several ups and downs on its way over a ridge on the way to the waterfalls. Close to the ridge top, the trail gets fairly steep and was muddy in a few areas. Along the way to Middleham Falls, we passed a few smaller waterfalls and crossed a number of little streams. The streams were shallow, so we easily crossed them and stayed fairly dry, by stepping on rocks. Although they were a bit slippery, we didn’t take any headers. It’s wonderful to see life growing everywhere in the rain-forest – Including the mossy carpets on some of the rocks in and near the streams.
About an hour on the trail, it eventually leads to a man-made staircase with a concrete platform partway down. The platform appears to be incomplete or in need of some repair, however it provides excellent views of the falls and the pool it spills into.
Depending on the source of info, the waterfalls are between 225 and 300 feet tall – let’s say 260 feet (80m). Whatever the height, it is quite dramatic. The water was hitting the pool at the bottom with enough force to cause a constant mist in the air, which resulted in a near-constant rainbow being beautifully painted across the bottom of the falls. We decided not to continue down the steep, slippery climb to swim in the pool – It looked really cool though! We could see a notch in the cliff face just above the pool where you can hang-out and dive into the pool for a swim.
Apparently there’s another trail to the waterfalls that comes from the town of Cochrane, that passes by a bat cave, infamously known for its stench. That Dominica hiking trail is a little longer but less hilly than the approach we took.
We hiked this trail in the morning and only encountered one other couple on their way to the falls when we were on our way back out. We also encountered some Park Rangers who were chain-sawing small logs and repairing sections of the wooden stairs that had rotted away under the rain and mud. So over-all, surprisingly quiet and remote for an easily accessed natural wonder.
In summary, the Middleham Falls Trail was a very pleasant and relaxing Dominica hike, with just enough on-and-off steepness to make it “invigorating” now and again. While one of the more popular waterfalls on the island, it is still fairly quiet as only those who don’t mind hiking for a couple of hours, will make the trip. This trail has several man-made on/in the ground as well as above-ground wooden stairs, although there’s plenty of natural rock-filled ground paths as well. There are some nice views of the surrounding rain-forest valleys and mountains along the way and of course, there are the amazing waterfalls which are what this island is all about.
* Please note that the information provided on this page is based on 2017 conditions prior to Hurricane Maria – The trail may have changed as the island recovered *
For a guide / tour to hike Dominica’s Middleham Falls Trail, these local Tour Operators will take good care of you (Click on a Tour Operator name below for more details):
- Elvis Stedman (elvistourguide@gmail.com)
- Cool Breeze Tours (coolbreezetours9@yahoo.com)
- Derick Joseph (d_eklipse@hotmail.com)
- More Coming Soon…
It’s also possible for an “off-duty” member of the Dominica Forestry, Parks & Wildlife Division to provide guide services. Inquire with forestry@dominica.gov.dm
For a more colourful review, check out our personal Dominica hiking experience with our Middleham Falls Blog Post
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