Reversing Falls Rapids, Saint John

Reversing Falls Rapids is a Natural Wonder, also is the world’s greatest example of tidal impact upon a river. Twice each day 100 billion tons of water, a volume equal to all of the world’s rivers … enters and exits the Bay of Fundy. At this location, water levels rise as much as 9 meters or 28 feet in a tidal cycle. Reversing Falls Rapids experiences two tidal cycles daily resulting in 2 low tides and 2 high tides. Each complete cycle is roughly 12 hours and 10 minutes. Between the tidal extremes is a calm period known as “slack tide”, this condition lasts for just 20 minutes and is the only time vessels can safely pass through the gorge. Interestingly, five thousand years ago, sea level was 30 meters or 100 feet lower in this area. Native people living here at that time enjoyed an impressive waterfall!

A must-see if you're in the area during high tide. Excellent views from both sides of the bridge, including a belvedere view. The site occasionally offers free guides. I would not recommend the skywalk because it is expensive and provides little value.

We went and saw the water going over the falls the first day. There was actually a drop, hard to tell the actual height, of maybe 15 to 25 feet. Went there the next day and the water was going the other way. Went through a neighborhood to get a different view. There was a seal going with the flow. Looked like a labrador retriever out there floating along, but it would go under water for several minutes and reappear.

Reversing Falls Rapids is one of the few things to see in Saint John. Caused by the highest tides in the world in the Bay of Fundy, the river flow reverses and causes the "rapids." You can view the falls twice a day at low and high tide from the Fallsview Park viewpoint, on the Reversing Falls Bridge, or another vantage point that offers a bird's-eye view of the river gorge.

It's unfortunate that such a rare natural phenomena plays second fiddle to things like the Irving paper and pulp company. It's a very interesting event to experience, but a pretty wretched environment to experience it in. A wrong turn into the private company lot showed there's so much more that's not visible from the public locations either