A major note of warning for people who may be unaware of the LOC approach. Most of the trails going through that area are VERY WET and hard to find. Scrappy's has a good trail leading up to it, but I'm pretty sure the stuff going into Area 51 is bad (never been so I can't really verify) and wet so bring your waterproof footwear. A lot of people wear sandals and just let them dry; but my preferred weapon is the rubber boot. It's also buggy. Super buggy. No surprise, really, it IS a swamp. But let's try to keep ourselves protected.
So the meeting area. You get there by approaching the rotary from either Joseph Howe Drive or St. Margaret's Bay Road. It is THIS parking lot, indicated in THIS photo:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&ge ... 8&t=h&z=18
And as for directions to the LOC/Scrappy's/Area 51, look no further than the description in Zig's book, here:
LOC
The fastest way to reach LOC from Halifax is to take route 333. It will take you roughly a 1/2 hour. If you're coming from highway 102, follow signs for Peggy's Cove. In West Dover the road will take a very sharp right turn, there will then be two small two-car pull-outs on your left immediately after the baseball field.
Scrappy Boulders
[insert dog house directions]To get to the Dog House cross the street from the parking area and find an ATV trail which leads towards the lake. Cross a stream and follow the trail along the lake. There are a few variations on the trail but they all seem to merge. Just stay close to the lake. In about 15 minutes you will come up to the Dog House.
[Scrappy's] The Scrappy Boulders are located about 10 minutes past Dog House. Continue on the same ATV trail and along a granite slab until you hit a t-junction with another ATV trail (about a minute). Turn left at this trail, which doubles back almost 180 degrees before turning right and heading uphill. This trail leads along a granite bluff with a precariously balanced boulder on its right edge. Hike past the boulder about 20ft and then turn left down a small slab to another ATV trail that parallels the granite bluff on its left. You should be able to see the Scrappy boulders immediately in front of you across a large gully. Keep an eye out for a faint trail down a sharp gully on your left. Across that gully is a boulder with a cairn on its top. If you find this faint trail you will end up on a path that leads you directly to the Scrappy boulders.
Area 51
There's a few ways to reach Area 51. The one recommended is from the main trail before reaching Dog House. About 50 feet before Dog House outside of the small forest take the trail on the left which is marked with cairns for 5 minutes. Upon reaching the rocky ridge head left along it and you'll reach the top of Area 51. From scoop, Area 51 is visible across the swamp. It is, in fact, very close. There is a faint trail joining the two areas but it is often wet. Please stick to the existing trail rather than bushwhacking.
Alright. Lastly, we have the google earth directions to the LOC parking:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&ge ... 6&t=h&z=15
Sweet. Maybe we'll actually get out this week.
- Steve
