Fall Brook Falls

The tallest (or maybe second to Walton Glen Falls) waterfall in NB? Yeah, I’m checking that out! 

A few weeks ago my friend Kate was home for a bit and we decided this would be our day trip adventure. After a 2 1/2 drive through some (kinda weird) back roads and a wrong turn (of course), we found the most beautiful waterfall! 

Considering how big it is, it was weird that you couldn’t hear it from very far away. It was like a big surprise in the middle of the forest! And the forest was beautiful too! I bet it will be amazing in a week or two with the fall colours!

We brought a picnic lunch and had the whole place to ourselves. 

It wasn’t super hot out, but I can’t resist a fresh water swim, especially in a new place, so I went for a freeeezzzinnnggg dip! 

There are a few places to park coming down the road and the hike in is only about 20 minutes, depending on where you end up parking. The road brings you down by this beautiful river. 

You take a right at the bottom of the road (at the sign pictured below) and the trail takes you right to the falls. It's pretty steep coming down that road, which is fine, but makes it slightly annoying to come back out. 

There are great directions and more at Hiking NB here. Check it out for important info like bringing 10$ to get through a gate! The only thing I would reiterate is that near the end of your drive there, the road naturally curves right (as stated) and the road you are supposed to go on (straight, or left) has a sign that says it's a dead end or "no exit". You take that one! ;) 

Can't wait to see your fall adventure pics here! 

Memel Falls

I forgot how fun it is to go to new places! I had so much fun EXPLORING Memel Falls. No adventure is complete without going the wrong way for at least 10 minutes, right? We'll get to that later. 

One of my favourite friends was home for a visit; so after a squishy sleepover at her cottage and a yummy breakfast, we hit the road for Memel! I had heard about Memel Falls quite a few times, and I have been trying to get there for two summers now! I am so glad we did. 

It's about 20 minutes down a semi-rough road, but our Honda Civic made it, so I think you should be ok! Another thing I really like about Memel is the short and fairly easy hike to get there. It's only about 10 minutes to get to this beautiful view. 

From what I could see, the swimming hole is deep all around so there are lots of jumping options. I'm not saying it doesn't require common sense though. :)

There are ropes to climb up and a little bridge to cross to get up on the cliffs. 

This is where you'll find some good views of the three-tiered waterfall. 

And I love this view: 

The trail is a little hard to find and navigate, but if you go on a weekend, you can likely find people to guide you. We had to ask a couple of people. There is an opening before the wooden bridge that you go down:

Cross the river:

(but this view is on the way out!)

Follow some pink ribbons for about 5 minutes: 

(Also on the way out.)

until you get to the ropes to follow down to the falls. 

It was pretty busy the day we went, but we still had an awesome time.

I love my friends and I love Albert County. 

Oh, I guess I should mention that it was kind of gross in some places because people, unfortunately, don't clean up after themselves. Please leave it cleaner than you found it! FYI - no service out there! 

Enjoy! 

Walton Glen Gorge

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IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog was written in 2017 and there has been construction since then. I’d like to leave the blog below as is. Call me sentimental.

To make the hike much shorter, you can come from Saint Martins and take the Fundy Trail Parkway to the “Walton Glen” stop. This has clearly marked signage and a new accessible and short path to the lookout.

To get down to the eye of the needle, Hiking NB says, “Coming back from the lookout, after about 200 meters, you will find a wide part in the trail on the right. Enter the woods on a trail off the end of the wide part. Continue straight past the first junction. If you turn right at this junction you will end up back at the lookout. At the next trail junction turn right and the trail will soon start to descend steeply down into the gorge. Follow the trail down into the gorge until you come to the stream and then follow the stream down through the gorge.”

Explore!

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What better to do on a holiday Monday than go on an off-the-grid adventure! A couple friends and I have been wanting to do this hike since last summer, so we did our research, wrote the plan in the group chat and left Moncton around 8:30 (okay, more like 9:00 - I’m usually late). 

This spot came on my radar just last summer. There are kind of two parts to it - the lookout and the "eye of the needle". I knew this hike was going to be a difficult one and it definitely lived up to it. The views were amazing and I would say it matched the effort it took to see them. :) 

It will really make you wonder if you’re in New Brunswick at many spots! 

About 20 minutes past Adair’s Lodge, we parked on the side of the road and started our trek. The first hour and a half was pretty much all on ATV trail. We found a couple of different ways to get there in our research and then got some more advice from some fellow hikers on the trail.

We meandered to a waterfall, McLeod Brook Falls, down this sweet set of stairs, then came back up to the ATV trail to get to the lookout. 

I had read to do the lookout first as you won’t want to do it after hiking all the way down to the eye, and I’m so glad we did! By the end we were exhausted and I wouldn’t want to have missed this view! It has been called the "Grand Canyon of New Brunswick" and you can see why. 

(This is the second highest waterfall in NB.)

After lunch with an amazing view, we followed the pink ribbons back down to the brook toward the Eye of the Needle. 

After a few river crossings, climbing down ropes, our “dad” friend warning us to be careful (thanks, Mark), and about 60 more mins, we made it to the Eye of the Needle. 

Obviously, this section is amazing!! But the trek down is breathtaking too! 

I’ve said it before, but I’m obsessed with rocks and water, so this was just up my alley. There was enough water to swim, so we all (except one) swam through the eye of the needle, and relaxed in the sun for a little bit. 

(PS - the water was “out of this world” freezing!!)

Over the course of the hike, we saw at least 4 waterfalls. It was really cool! 

We decided to try to “book it” out of there, and made it back to our cars in 1.75 hours. The whole venture took us 6 1/2 hours! A long and GREAT day! 

Time for the nitty gritty . . . 

There seem to be quite a few ways to get to the lookout and the eye, so do your research and have fun figuring it out! :) As always, Hiking NB has great directions and he also updated it because of the construction on the Fundy Trail. Be aware of this construction as the trail head may be in a different spot, depending on where they’re at with construction. (Can’t wait for them to finish the Fundy Trail!)

Getting to the Eye of the Needle is a very difficult and often dangerous hike. Please be careful and be prepared! 

Disclaimer: I've heard that there often isn't enough water to swim and sometimes the highest waterfall isn't running, depending when you go. 

Tips: 

• Screenshot those directions as you’ll lose service before Adair’s

• Be prepared for river crossings

• Bring a bathing suit!

• Be prepared for a long hike. :)

Here are some different options for you to experience “the gorge”. 

1. Hike just to the lookout - 1.5 hours one way (to catch the first waterfall, McLeod Brook Falls, on your way, go down the stairs in the woods to your left).

2. Hike just to the gorge - 2 hours one way

3. Hike both A and B! (what we did - 6.5 hrs total incl. breaks)

4. Hike both A and B and go about a half hour further and you will meet the ocean! (That’s what I’m told).

So thankful for a beautiful province with so much to discover. 

Quiddy Falls

This adventure was one of my last of summer 2016, but I thought I'd save sharing it for the beginning of this summer! This swimming hole is just a beauty. It's a little bit of a drive to get there, but it's worth it. 

One of my best friends and best cousins were here and I wanted to show them one of my favourite NB spots. After visiting my sister in Sussex, we headed out for an end of August swim. The hike in is only about 15 minutes and it's really quite beautiful. Some parts look enchanted! 

There are sections that are quite steep that you have to shimmy down on a rope, but where it's so short, I wouldn't say it's very difficult. I know kids around kindergarten age have been fine on it. 

It was a little overcast that day, but it was warm enough for a dip. I find the water here not super cold, compared to a lot of swimming spots (ex: Crooked Creek).

(iPhones come in handy sometimes!)

I have seen people jump from on top of the waterfall, but I can't say I'd recommend it! Seems kinda silly to me. :) But, the view from the top is really nice! It reminds me of a quarry. 

We opted to spend our time under the waterfall instead.

That's some pure joy right there! 

There's also another little waterfall before the big one - bonus! 

Sadly, I haven’t been here since they’ve redone all the roads around there for the Fundy Trail Parkway so I can’t provide up to date directions, but I’m sure they are out there somewhere!

PS - this is also known as Wallace Falls. 

Happy adventuring. 

Matthews Head

Well, there's nothing like a camping trip with a bunch of friends in one of my favourite places (Fundy National Park) to kick off summer. I have high hopes for this one being one of the best yet! A few months ago I booked an Otentik for some friends and then ended up booking a second, and the experience did not disappoint. 

After a great camping experience, a short sleep, and a morning around the campfire, we headed out to hike Matthews Head. 

I consider Matthews Head a great pre-summer trail, as you get some pretty incredible views along the coast, it's a loop, and it's a perfect length - not too short and not too long (in my opinion). If it's still too cold to swim, breathing in the ocean air is a great alternative.

The first half is downhill, which takes you to the first look out: 

Make sure you don't miss it - you have to go left at a fork. 

The trail has a bit of history attached to it as well. It is named after Tom and Ellen Matthews, who settled there in 1865. The first section of the trail is an old wagon road that brings you to what looks like the foundation of a 19th century homestead. If you keep your eyes peeled, you'll find it semi-hidden in the grass on the right a little bit before the first lookout pictured above. 

About 2/3 of the way, you get a good look at Squaw's Cap and the rugged Fundy coastline. 

The trail also takes you through a few different kinds of forest.

This section is probably my favourite: 

And of course, the second half is mostly uphill and gets a little steep at the end, but all in all, it's not too challenging - about 1 1/2-2 hours. And there's nothing wrong with taking a break at some red chairs! 

How's that for candid? ;) 

So, next time you're in Fundy, check out Matthews Head!