2023 Summer Road Trip – Day 43 – Big Water, Big Axe

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Once again it was foggy this morning. Seems like it is foggy and gray and gloomy most mornings and then the afternoon is beautiful blue sky with a nice breeze and a high in the lower 70’s. We had a beautiful spot to look out on the lake while eating breakfast, even if it was foggy.

We drove from Hartland up to Grand Falls, New Brunswick to see the Grand Falls Gorge and waterfalls. Some people call the falls the Niagara Falls of New Brunswick. It may actually be prettier. It’s been a number of years since viewing Niagara Falls but the view of Grand Falls today was spectacular. With all the rain of the last month, there was a huge amount of water from the St John River going over the falls and rushing down through the gorge. The gorge is 1.2 billion years old with huge, towering cliffs. We would say it is one of the most amazing sites in New Brunswick and not to be missed. It’s been surprising to us all there is to do and see in New Brunswick. Prior to our visit from most of what we had been told, New Brunswick was just a place to drive through on the way to the other maritime provinces. We now say you should not miss all New Brunswick has to offer and allow plenty of time to visit the province.

We are glad we went out of our way to see Grand Falls.

A walking trail leads around to the other side of the falls and then down into the gorge.

From the falls the water flows under the bridge and into the gorge.

We are glad we hiked the trail because the gorge is just as interesting as the falls.

This painted rock snake is at the Grand Falls visitor center. It is called Morrell the Snake and people are encouraged to add their own painted rock to make Morrell grow.

There is also a zipline across the falls if you’re interested.

From Grand Falls, we drove about 1.5 hours to Nackawic, NB. It was not out of the way to our stop for tomorrow, so we just had to make the visit to Nackawic. Nackawic is the Forestry Capital of Canada, so it is appropriate that it is also home to – The World’s Largest Axe. The axe, built in 1991, is a gleaming symbol of the industrious lives of Canada’s lumberjacks. The chromed blade is 23 feet in length and made of a solid 55 tons of steel. The handle extends another 50 feet in the air. Pretty impressive. The Axe Park is another beautiful park along the St John river, with a marina and a perfect parking spot for tonight. A great spot to park for our Faith Group Wednesday online gathering. It was another great day.