Reversing Falls, Saint John

Tidal Rapids At The Mouth Of The Saint John River Within Stonehammer, The First UNESCO Global Geopark In North America, Designated 2010 · Saint John, New Brunswick

Twice a day the Bay of Fundy pushes so much water into the mouth of the Saint John River that the river gives up and runs backwards. The tidal range here is larger than the river's fall, so on the flood the sea forces its way upstream through a narrow rock gorge, boiling into standing waves and whirlpools; on the ebb the river wins and the rapids run the other way; and for about twenty minutes at the turn everything goes flat and boats slip through. Two things need saying at once. It is not a waterfall - the name has misled visitors for a century, the city now calls it the Reversing Rapids, and anyone arriving expecting Niagara will be unimpressed. And the gorge walls are the reason UNESCO made this part of North America's first Global Geopark, because the fault running through them puts rocks a billion years apart side by side.

Reversing Falls Rapids, Saint John River mouth, Saint John, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

THE PUBLIC LOOKOUTS ARE FREE AND OPEN THROUGH DAYLIGHT HOURS with parking alongside; individual paid attractions at the site have opened and closed repeatedly in recent years, so confirm what is currently operating. THE VISIT IS GOVERNED BY THE TIDE, NOT THE CLOCK - check a tide table, and ideally come twice on the same day, once near low water and once near high, about six hours apart. Around twenty minutes of slack water at the turn is when vessels transit. SEASONAL JET BOAT TRIPS run roughly May to October and are tide and weather dependent.

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