This trail leads from a small parking lot at the trailhead right beside the St. John River. It enters a mixed forest stand, and has a gentle uphill grade. The trail eventually comes out at the Number 2 divided highway, but along the way, passed through a large gully where spur trails lead to the base and head of a waterfall.
The waterfall's head (Hayes falls) has safety fencing and picnic tables for the public. The view from the top is nice. At the bottom, you see a great view of the falls. My first time completing the trail was done during the winter, so the ice buildup makes a prime site for an easy and fun ice climb, (lots of anchor potential at the top) and a great winter camping spot to boot.
In all, the trail is a great afternoon day hike venture that anyone could enjoy.
For the climbing inclined, there are several ice lines in the vacinity. Look for it in mid to late December.
Shannon Burt
Directions:
Trailhead is marked with a sign (see photo)and the trail finishes at the number 2 highway. See mapquest.
Instructions:
(a) Click above link to get placed in edit mode with existing (form)
(b) When finished, your update is available to view as draft (see wiki update pending link below stats on trail page)
(c) editors are notified and must approve all edits before they go live
ByPosted By: The Big X
- Tue May 25 18:40:07 EDT 2010
Not Rated
UpsideAbsolutely worth seeing waterfall! A great place to introduce a young family to the joy of hiking - just watch the kids like a hawk when you get to the falls! An ideal afternoon getaway.
DownsideMore of a casual excursion, this trail lacks a true feeling of remoteness that is key to the very best of trails. It has the distinct feel of a city park (without the actual city). The distance is brief and very easy. Trail is, as Dr. Livingstone pointed out already, poorly marked where it branches out; it's not clear which direction to take to get to the falls at a certain juncture. I believe it is the first or second turn to the right.
CommentI was truly impressed with the size and beauty of the falls at the end of the trail, which is the primary reason to do this trail. While it is an easy trail (in both length and incline) I strongly urge parents to ensure children are properly outfitted with good footwear and that they closely supervise them near the falls. When I visited the site in May 2010 there was a family there whose children were wearing flat soled basketball sneakers and were climbing all over the lower reaches of the falls. The rocks there are covered with a slimy layer of moss that is very slippery to walk on - with the jagged rocks and steep slopes it would be very easy for a child (or adult for that matter) to injure themselves if they were poorly dressed and/or careless in what they do. It certainly detracted from the enjoyment of the visit for me to keep worrying that these poor kids could take a terrible fall at any second!
ByPosted By: Doctor Livingstone
- Sun Jun 19 07:30:22 EDT 2005
UpsideNicely Groomed Trail, absolutely amazing waterfall at the end, lots of parking at trail head
DownsideWhere trail splits could use better signage
CommentThis is a great trail and definitely worth the trip. We did it with kids (4 to 9) and the youngest didn't enjoy the length but other than that. One of the nicest waterfalls in NB.
Posted By: The Big X
Posted By: Doctor Livingstone
