Wentworth Valley facts for kids

The Wentworth Valley is a special valley found in the Cobequid Mountains in Nova Scotia, Canada. It's like a natural path that goes through these mountains, being the lowest point to cross them. The valley was named after John Wentworth, who was a governor a long time ago (from 1792 to 1808).

Exploring Wentworth Valley's Nature

This valley runs from north to south and sits in a dip in the land called the "Folly Gap." This dip was carved out by glaciers a very long time ago. The part of the valley surrounded by mountains is about 8 km (5.0 mi) long. It stretches from Folly Lake in the south to Wentworth Provincial Park in the north.

The valley floor changes in width. It's about 0.5 km (0.31 mi) wide in the south and gets wider to about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) in the north.

Mountains and Rivers

On the west side of the valley, you'll find Higgins Mountain, which is about 360 m (1,180 ft) tall. On the east side, there are several unnamed peaks that are between 290 m (950 ft) and 330 m (1,080 ft) high.

At the south end of the valley, you'll find Folly Lake. This lake is the highest point of the dip, sitting at about 190 m (620 ft) elevation. Water from Folly Lake flows south into the Bay of Fundy through the Folly River. This means its water doesn't actually enter the Wentworth Valley itself.

The Wallace River starts in Dicks Meadows on Higgins Mountain. It then flows north through the valley all the way to the Northumberland Strait.

Just north of Folly Lake, the valley floor drops quickly. Over about 2 km (1.2 mi), the land levels out at around 120 m (390 ft) elevation. From there, the valley floor and the winding Wallace River slowly go down over the next 14 km (8.7 mi). They reach about 30 m (98 ft) elevation where the West Branch Wallace River joins it.

How People Travel Through the Valley

Transportation has always been important in the Wentworth Valley because it's a natural pass through the mountains.

Railways and Roads

Back in 1872, the Intercolonial Railway built its main train line through the valley. This line connected Halifax to Rivière-du-Loup. The tracks climbed along the western side of the valley to reach the highest point at Folly Lake. Today, these tracks are still used by Canadian National Railway. They are a key part of the main route for both freight and passenger trains traveling from Halifax to central Canada.

Roads were built to follow the railway in the 20th century. Trunk 4 was one of these roads, going through the valley and over Folly Mountain to the south. In the early 1960s, this road became Nova Scotia Highway 104, which is part of the Trans-Canada Highway.

In 1997, a new section of Highway 104 opened. This new part was about 45 km (28 mi) long and completely bypassed the valley. It was a toll highway, meaning you had to pay to use it. This new section is called Cobequid Pass and is located about 10 km (6.2 mi) west of the valley. It was built much higher up, crossing Westchester Mountain at 270 m (890 ft) elevation. After this new highway opened, the old Highway 104 in the valley went back to being called Trunk 4. Now, it's considered a secondary road.

Communities in the Valley

The Wentworth Valley is home to several small communities. If you travel from south to north, you'll find:

• Folly Lake
• Wentworth (This includes a railway spot called Wentworth Station and a small area named East Wentworth)
• Wentworth Centre
• West Wentworth
• Lower Wentworth

What People Do for Work and Fun

The people living in Wentworth Valley often rely on the nearby towns of Truro and Amherst for most of their shopping and services.

Recreation and History

The valley is a popular place for fun, especially in the winter! It's where Ski Wentworth is located, which is the biggest ski hill in Nova Scotia. People come from all over to ski and snowboard here.

The valley also used to be home to a special station called the Folly Lake Satellite Ground Terminal. This station was once used by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) but is no longer active.

A long time ago, in the 1800s, people used watermills on the Folly and Wallace Rivers. They also mined copper from the rocks in the area. For a short time, there was even a copper smelter (a place to melt copper) operating in West Wentworth.