Grand Falls

The Saint John River drops about twenty-three metres here into a gorge one and a half kilometres long and up to seventy metres deep, cut through rock in the middle of the town, which is bilingual and uses both Grand Falls and Grand-Sault. Wells, cylindrical potholes ground into the rock by stones caught in eddies, run along the gorge walls, some several metres across. A hydro station upstream diverts most of the water for generation, so the falls run at full volume only during spring melt or when flow is released, and are often reduced to a trickle. Stairs, a zipline and a boat run into the gorge.

What you actually see

• The gorge - a kilometre and a half of rock cut through the town.
• The wells - large cylindrical potholes ground into the walls.
• The falls - a twenty-three metre drop, volume depending on hydro releases.
• The gorge stairs - a long stairway to the bottom with viewing platforms.

When to go

Late April to early June for the strongest flow during melt; through summer the diversion leaves little water. The zipline and boat run in the warm months.

Honest expectations

Most of the year the falls are largely dry because of the hydro diversion, which disappoints visitors expecting the name. The gorge itself is impressive regardless. Stairs are long.

Nearby

Edmundston lies north; Hartland is south.