The authority on the waterfalls of New Brunswick is Nicholas Guitard, who is an avid nature photographer, canoeist, hiker and waterfalls hound.
The second tallest waterfall in the province is Fall Brook Falls, which is 108 feet high. This waterfall should not be confused with Falls Brook Falls, which is located near Edmonston.
The tallest waterfall in New Brunswick is 115 feet, but in the summertime it has very little water flow in it. Compare this with Hickory Nut Falls in Chimney Rock State Park in North Carolina at 404 feet. Which is one of the highest waterfalls east of the Mississippi in the United States. I hiked up that trail along that falls a number of times when I lived there over 20 years ago.
If you're driving down Highway 2 from Quebec, the best waterfall to stop and see would be Grand Falls. One reason you can see it without having to hike a trail to get there. Secondly, it's the largest waterfall in New Brunswick. Not as tall as Fall Brook, but a lot wider. At 75 feet in height, it is still quite a significant view, if you take the trail to the base of the gorge.
Guitard mentioned that Grand Falls is reported to be the largest waterfall east of Niagara Falls. It is estimated the volume of the water that flows over Niagara Falls is over 3, 000 tons per second. Well, we don't have any waterfalls in New Brunswick that have that kind of volume, but we do have the Bay of Fundy that has the highest tides in the world twice a day. The volume of water that flows in and out of the bay in one tide change is over 160 billion tons.
A park ranger once mentioned to me that it would take one year and nine months of Niagara Falls water flow just to equal the amount of water that flows in and out of the Bay of Fundy in one tidal cycle. Now that is impressive. And will be dealt with in a future podcast.
If you're driving into the province from St. Stephen, you should stop and see Lepreau Falls. There's an observation deck that gives an excellent view of the falls. It's only about two miles off Highway 1, and located about halfway between St. Stephen and St. John. The waterfall is part of Stonehammer UNESCO Global Geopark, which is a large region in Southern New Brunswick with a geologic history going back 1 billion years.
The final group of waterfalls that I want to mention is along the Fundy Trail Parkway. The parkway is 19 miles long and has over 22 miles of hiking and biking trails. It opens on May 19th and will close for the winter on October 29th. The operating hours are from 9 a. m. to either 5 or 8 p. m., depending on the time of season. There'll be a entrance fee to get into the Parkway, but it's well worth it.
The four waterfalls are: Fuller Falls, Long Beach Brook Falls, McLeod Falls and Walton Glen Gorge Falls. The last two are in Walton Glen Gorge. The gorge has been compared to the Grand Canyon, but obviously much smaller. At over 300 feet deep and with vertical rock faces, it is an awe-inspiring scene.
Oromocto River Watershed
Hiking NB
All Trails
Guide: Waterfalls of New Brunswick
Fundy Trail Parkway Waterfalls
King’s Landing
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