Walton Glen Gorge: the 'Grand Canyon of New Brunswick'

The Walton Glen Gorge is one of New Brunswick's lesser knowndestinations, about 40 kms south of Sussex featuring a trail through a deep canyon.

The gorge did not disappointoutdoor adventurerCalixte LeBlanc of Moncton, who is exploring hiking trails and outdoor attractionsfor CBC Information Morning in New Brunswick.

Hikers can park at the trail head and enter on a former ATV road.

The left fork in the road leads to the lookout for an "awe-inspiring" view overlooking the gorge, said LeBlanc.

"A millennia ago, a glacier rolled through Fundy and created the gorge so it's this big huge open area and hundreds of feet of cliff on each side, so it's really impressive," said LeBlanc.

The hike also features a view of 42-metrewater falls, the second highest in New Brunswick.

After visiting the lookout, hikers can backtrack and take a different route on the trail that leads down into the gorge, following the riverbed.

"I never really thought there was a place like this in New Brunswick.It really brought me back to how I felt when I first arrived in Jasper National Park. And just basically the magnitude of the place, it made me feel really small."

LeBlanc says that's where hikers will encounter the "Eye of the Needle,"what LeBlanc describes as the main event.

"The main event is basically where the gorge is the narrowest, so it's a cliff on the left and a cliff on the right and it's only 10-feet wide and 100 feet high on each side and you kind of have to cross that if you want to keep going and the water's up to your waist."

The trail is strenuousand LeBlanc recommends it for more experienced, fit hikers.

Information Morning - Moncton5:16Off the beaten path

Outdoor columnist Calixte LeBlanc takes us on an adventure through Walton Glen Gorge.

Length:approximately 6.5 kms(one way)

Difficulty:strenuous

Hiking time:4hours (minimum)

Trail condition: Mostly dry,rockyspots,veryrootyinplaces,deadfallin someplaces, somerock/boulderscrambling and rivercrossings, ropes to help ascent/descent

Access: FromSussexCorner takeNB111Southfor 16.7kms. Turn left ontoShepodyRd. at Hammondvale. Afterpassing CrawfordLake on the right, veerleft at the fork, remaining onShepodyRd.Take next right onto LittleSalmon River Rd. From FundyNational Park (Alma) follow Highway 114 throughthepark. Afterexitingthepark, turn left onto ShepodyRd.(loosegravel). Drive for16.6kms. Turn left at Little Salmon River Rd. OnceonLittleSalmon RiverRd. (N45 34.737 W65 18.023) continuefor10.7 kms. Turn leftonto McCumberBrookRd.Continue 2.4 kms.The trail head ison the left (N4529.064W65 18.437).Atthetrailhead asign indicates thetrail/bridgeis closed.This is anote for ATVs. This is whereyouwillbegin the hike. Little SalmonRiver Rd andespecially McCumberBrookRd arerather rough terrain.Watchoutfor rocks andpot holesprotrudingfromthegroundbutmostvehiclescouldcarefully access thetrail head.

TheTrail:The spectacularWalton Glen Gorge (over 60 metres) wascreatedby a glacierthatflowedintotheBayof Fundyoveramillenniaagoandhasbeenrightlydubbed"theGrandCanyonofNewBrunswick".Thefirstfewhundred metresare wide,easyhiking. The trail turns sharplytotheleft,indicatedbyanarrowturnsign.Soonthefirstfork is reached,staytotheright.Atthesecondfork,onemayfollowthetrailtotherighttoaccessapanoramicviewofthe gorgefromthetop.Follow thepink ribbons until reaching abluesignindicating the protectedstatusoftheregion. At this sign, followthepink ribbonsto your left forseveralmeters until reachingthegorgeedge. This hike is rather easy (smalldescent/overgrowth) and allows explorers an exceptionalviewofthegorge.The secondhighestwaterfall inNewBrunswick,Walton GlenFalls (over 42 metres) isclearlyvisible fromthisvantagepoint; however, it may only be running in the spring or afterheavyrain.

Foramoreadvancedtrek,backtracktotheforkandfollow the pink ribbons to the left. The trail becomes more narrow, very rocky and rooty.Lookfor asmalltrailonthe leftwhichleads steeply downhill to Walton Glen Brook (follow pink ribbons throughout).Either follow the riverflow,rock/boulderscrambling, or follow the trail which ascents and descendsthe slide falls;thetrailisrathersteepwithropeinsomeareastoassist the climb but it is hard packed and relatively easy to followfollow.Aspectacular waterfall (25 metres) providesaperfect stopping point for a dip in the water and a snack.Continue following the trail or river until the pink tape ends. It is well worth it to continue walking throughthe river/rockscrambling, until shortlythe"EyeoftheNeedle" isreached.This,thenarrowest partofthegorge (threemetres), isextremelydeep (30 metres) and provides the hikerwithamostimpressiveperspectiveofthishidden gemofNewBrunswick.