Grand Falls and Hays Falls

We recently spent a wonderful fall day chasing waterfalls in southwestern New Brunswick. We started out in Grand Falls, NB and then toured through Meductic, NB on our way home to Fredericton.

In Grand Falls, we started out our day with a visit to the local Farmer's Market, where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of homemade bread toasted with butter and jam, ham, eggs, homemade hash browns and coffee - mine was only 4 dollars! (one slice of bread, one egg). My husband's was 6 dollars with 2 slices of bread, 2 eggs and 2 sausages. Delicious and a great deal. The market is small and adorable with many great eats on hand, but also hand knitted hats and mitts, warm coats and boots, wooden shelves and signs and much more. My favourite part was the live entertainment: a man stood above us, on the mostly empty second floor, and played good oldies on his guitar like My Cheatin' Heart. One couple went up and danced, despite the frigid temperatures and early hour (much to my delight, of course).

After filling up at the Market, we headed out to look at the Falls, which are situated directly in the middle of town (and right across from the Market, as a matter of fact).  During the summer, you can hike down to the Falls from this central point, as well as zipline across them, or rappel down the rocks. We didn't do any of that, but we did drive across town to the campground near the tennis courts and high school, park our car and walk the trail along the river. It is a pretty, easy to find and navigate trail that winds along the river, with various lookout points along the way. The entire walk only took us about 30 minutes so it is definitely not something to seek out from afar, but if you happen to be in Grand Falls, it is a great addition to your day!

The view from one of the lookout points along our walking trail.

After leaving the trail, we started on our drive home but stopped after about an hour to check out the Maliseet Trail near Woodstock, NB (Meductic, NB).  This is a gorgeous trail, found easily off the highway (Route 2, the old TCH) because it is clearly (and hilariously, if you check out the picture above) marked.  The Maliseet Trail is a beautiful, easy walking trail (we passed one couple navigating a 3 wheeled stroller over the trail) that leads to Hays Falls, the tallest Falls in New Brunswick at 60 feet.

The trail is well marked along the way with blue metal blazes with white diagonal bars. The hike contains 3 forks - the first one takes you down a somewhat steep descent to the bottom of the Falls, the second one will take you down an easier hiked descent to the bottom of the falls and the third will take you to the top of the Falls.  There are wooden benches along the route and gorgeous wooden picnic tables at the end. The total hike is only about 2 km.  

We took the first fork in the path and ended up at the bottom of the Falls, seeing this majestic site! It was so beautiful! The roar of the Falls covers every other sound in the forest.

We hung out at the bottom of the Falls for awhile, just taking it all in. I found this awesome tree to sit in and look at the Falls.

We eventually climbed up the rocky, grassy face of the mountain to the top of the Falls (not recommended, because it was dangerous and a little scary... when we did get to the top, we noticed a fence all around the top, notifying "DANGER" that we had to climb over) and were able to get the great view of the Falls from the top down. What a beautiful place.  We hiked back out the main trail and headed home after a great day exploring waterfalls.

Currie Mountain

Currie Mountain in Douglas, New Brunswick (15 min drive from downtown Fredericton) is the place to go if you're looking for a slightly challenging but not too strenuous 1 hour hike.  You'll find it across from Happy Apple Acres (http://happyappleacres.com/), which deserves a visit all on its own.  Here is a view of what you'll see on the left side of the road as you park on the shoulder and get ready for your hike... see the St. John River flowing in the background!

Not only do the kind folks at Happy Apple Acres have delicious apples, an amazing view and a gorgeous hike on their property, they also have bees! You can sit and watch the bees work away here at the top of the hill before or after you start your hike on the mountain.

You'll find the entrance to the trail about halfway down the hill, just before you get to the apple trees (you'll see the opening to the trail on your right).  If the owners of the apple orchard are out working in their yard when you arrive, be sure to introduce yourselves - they are very kind and personable. They own and maintain most of the trails you'll be hiking in, and although they are very generous to hikers and don't mind visitors, it is appropriate to ask their permission to hike as well as to be very respectful of the beautiful trail system they take care of.

The trail is wide and mostly smooth, although, of course, you will come across some root-y and rocky areas. This time of year is especially beautiful as the trails are covered in gorgeous red, yellow and orange leaves! The smell was fantastic!

 You'll find all kinds of delightful surprises along your way!

The trail winds all around the mountain until you reach the top. It is home to deer (we saw one flying away with his white tail bouncing!), rabbits, and possibly moose (not sure?). My husband's Geology professor at UNB informed his class that Currie Mountain is actually a long dormant volcano so it is a great place for searching out different kinds of rocks and seeing how the landscape was formed. There are many rocks all over the mountain, especially as you wind closer to the top, that have obviously been formed by layer upon layer of magma. This mini inukshuk is at the very top of the mountain. 

 Another great surprise on the way to the peak of the mountain.

We were there in mid-October 2010, a few weeks after a couple different wind and rain storms. This was evidenced very clearly on the mountain as we encountered tree after tree down.

It is a short hike from the bottom to the top and back; it could take you less than hour or more than an hour if you take your time and really meander around the different trails. A nice early evening hike before or after dinner!

Mactaquac - Home of the Beavers!

We got up at 6 am Monday morning, October 4, 2010, and headed to Mactaquac in the hopes of seeing some beavers at work. And, boy, we were not disappointed!

We walked into the park at just before 7 am, a little scared but also excited as to what animals might be lurking about. It was still dark although the sky was quickly lightening.  We quietly walked along the path to the first beaver lodge and did not, unfortunately, see any wildlife along our way. When we arrived to the first lodge though, we saw 7 or 8 beavers at work! (This first stopping place, by the way, contains a wooden sitting area perched over the water, in perfect view of the lodge - what luxury!).   The beavers were swimming around the lodge, and one was gnawing away (sounded just like a handsaw) on a piece of wood in the water.  When the first beaver saw us, he sounded the alarm (big slap of the tail on the water, which I learned reverberates several miles on top and below the water to alert all the other beavers to take cover) and swam away. After a few minutes, all 7 or 8 beavers reappeared swimming toward us. They all took turns swimming by us, to the left and to the right, wiggling their little noses. Beavers do not have very good eyesight, so they rely on their excellent senses of smell and hearing. After swimming by us a few times, most beavers went back to work, although 2 of them never did stop swimming back and forth in front of us (presumably keeping us in line). 

We stayed at the first location for about 15 minutes or so but then headed on (another 15-20 min walk) to the next location, which is a much bigger lodge. There, there were another 8 or 9 beavers working away at packing mud on to the top of the lodge. These beavers were much larger and more aggressive. The same scenario repeated itself (sounding the alarm, circling us, etc.) except this time, one beaver in particular, continually sounded the alarm the whole time we were there. He would swim one way past us, then back, slap his tail, then repeat. He never gave up and it was obvious that all the beavers were rather agitated that we were there. However, after 15 minutes or so, most of the other beavers did return to work. We saw one giant fellow swimming along with a full tree branch covered in bright green leaves. We thought he was going to attach it to the top of the lodge and pat it down, but he actually swam around the lodge to the far end and then disappeared under the water (into the lodge) with it - food for the winter! How brilliant beavers are!

It was too dark to get pictures of the beavers at work, but I can show you some of their handiwork in these pics:

I find beavers pretty fascinating. I read up on them after our early morning hike and found out that:

• they are the second largest rodents in the world after the capybara
• there used to be 60 million in North America, but the population has declined to 6-12 million because of hunting
• beavers have HUGE impacts on their surroundings - for example, if there is no existing pond in which they can build their lodge, they will first build dams to create a pond, then create canals through which they can float their food supply and lumber supply, then build lodges
• beavers can stay underwater for up to 15 min
• they are herbivores and mostly eat wood, but also love pond lilies!
• they do not hibernate, but store sticks and logs in their lodges for eating during the winter
• their teeth grow continually so as not to get worn away by all their work gnawing on wood
• they can live up to 24 years of age in the wild
• many people might think that beavers ruin habitats but actually they create them - they are an integral part of creating ecosystems for other wetland species
• they fell trees both for food and for strategic reasons (creating dams) - their dams serve as protection against predators and as a way of creating a easy source of food in the winter - they can build a whole dam in one night!
• there are two dens inside the lodge, one for drying off after coming out of the water and one where the family actually lives (usually 4 adults and 6-8 babies)
• beavers leave their lodges in the spring and roam about; they don't come back and start work on refilling them with wood and re-protecting them will mud until fall
• beaver testicle secretions have been used for years in the production of some medicines; castoreum from the females has also been used as medicine and in the production of perfume (it still is today!) :(

By the way, if you want to see the beavers at work, you will have to go early morning like we did (or through the night) as beavers are nocturnal animals! Happy hiking! 

Fundy - Coastal Trail to Matthew's Head Loop

October 3, 2010 found us in Fundy National Park, taking in one of our favourite hikes from this beautiful area (Matthew's Head), prefaced by a new hike for us (the Coastal Trail).

We started at the Point Wolfe covered bridge, pictured below. You can find parking on the far side of the bridge, just to the right (see the sign in the pic).  This area of the park used to be a thriving small village, with a bustling mill located on one side of this bridge and a dam located on the other side. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, this village contained boarding houses, a small general store and many hundreds of people who were loggers and millers. In 1948, however, the village was bought by the Park and several years later, most of the dam and all of the mill were removed so as to start the restoration of the river bed in this area.  The bridge pictured below was built in 1992 but is a replica of the 1910 bridge.

 On the far side of the bridge (left side if you're driving toward the parking spaces), there is a small lookoff that shows the remnants of the dam as well as some informative posters on the costs of cutting. In the spring, there would be so many logs in the river that people could literally stand on the river and walk right across it without any fear of sinking! These logs, as they traveled down the river to the mill, would scrap up the river bottom and destroy the natural habitats of many of its occupants, including the American eel and the Atlantic salmon. The other cost, of course, was the many trees who were processed each year at this mill. 

The picture below shows the remnants of the dam that was located on this side of the covered bridge. The picture below that shows what the original dam looked like.

After learning all about the fascinating history of Point Wolfe, we started off on our hike. We had to walk down the highway for about 3 km to meet up with the start of the trail. The trail is called "Coastal" and the entrance is clearly marked and visible from the road.  The trail is classified as "Difficult" (number 3 in a 4 point rating system, with number 4 being "Strenuous") by Fundy National Park. It starts out very steep. For about 10-15 minutes, you will walk straight up a small narrow, root-lined path through the woods. This picture does not do it justice, but it gives you some idea.

Although the trail is called "Coastal," you do not walk along the coast for much of it. However, you are walking through gorgeous, thick forest on a narrow but nicely beaten down trail. Some of the time, you will have to climb over fallen trees and navigate rooty walkways, but it is overall not a difficult hike for experienced hikers. After walking for about 1 hour or so, we joined the Matthew's Head trail and looped around. The Matthew's Head trail boasts some magnificent coastal views!

After stopping for a quick picnic and a little nap in the sun, we hiked back to our car and headed down to the village of Alma for some tasty homemade bread and chili. The entire hike, including the picnic, the sign reading and the relaxed nature of our pace, took about 3 1/2 hours. Definitely a winner for a casual but sometimes challenging hike in beautiful scenery.

Mactaquac Provincial Park

On a beautiful sunny day in late September, we ventured the 20-25 minute drive from downtown Fredericton to Mactaquac Provincial Park. This is one of our favourite places to hike because of the many trails to explore, the wildlife (deer, moose, bunnies, beaver...) and the beauty of the surroundings. 

On this day, we explored a new trail to us. We parked near the main entrance (on the right side of the road, directly across from the entrance to the golf course and beach) and headed into the woods.  Instead of turning right on the path toward the beaver pond area, we turned left and headed into a beautifully lush, mossy trail

full of boarded pathways (it's very swampy) and scenic bridges over small streams and tributaries. 







The entire hike (loop) took us only about an hour. The best part: we came across a perfect campsite for future marshmallow roasts or even overnight camping. It is a small lodge with 3 walls and a roof, built by a fire pit complete with wooden benches. We will be back!