Waterfall Detail: Millstream Falls is one of the higher waterfalls in Northern New Brunswick. The Millstream River drains a large area of small lake and wetlands as it tumbles and careens through the Chaleur Highlands. This is the end of the Appalachians Mountains in New Brunswick. This is where they slope into Chaleur Bay, re-emerging farther north as part the Gaspé Peninsula and the western highlands of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Millstream River drops through a thirty-metre ravine and during the spring freshet the rush of water through the gorge and over the twenty-five metre waterfall is so strong that access to the bottom for viewing is impossible. The falls plunges straight down crashing onto the bedrock releasing bellows of mist along the ravine. There is no pool at the base of this fall, an oddity that is due to the amount of loose shale sliding down from the edges of the ravine. The area adjacent to the gorge is shaded by a composition of white pine, balsam fir, maple and mature white birch.
The trail is through a hardwood stand for about a 300 metres to a clearing just above the falls. From here the trail follows the edge of the river to the top of the falls where there is a rope to help in the descent into the basin. Millstream Falls can only be viewed from within the ravine making the trip in a must-see.
Visit Detail: On a cool Wednesday morning Larry Krause and I are repelling down an embankment of loose shale. The rope we are using is frayed and ready to break. Larry says the good rope has been removed as he safely arrives at the bottom. I start my descent when the rope snaps and I slid 6 metres before fetching up on a tree. Understanding the need to climb out of the ravine by the only route available, I slowly crawl back up to the rope and fix it before descending down to the river.
Our hike in is along a flat trail from an access road off of the Val Michaud Road. It skirts around a series of cottages down to the river approximately 50 metres from the top of the falls. Walking along the edge of the river to the apex we gather in the size of this waterfalls and the large gorge. We indulge ourselves in the moment. From this vantage point the Millstream appears to drop into a large void. The silence is eerie until we walk out to the very edge of the falls. The roar and mist rise up from the granite walls and we are carried away by the ambience. The trail leads around the apex to a series of ropes that are used to rappel down into the basin.
I had to wade across the ice-cold river to the best vantage point to photograph the excitement of this wonderful waterfall. I really enjoyed the trek into Millstream Falls as well as the ruggedness of the area. I included a HDR image in the post.