Waterfall Detail: Lake Anthony, with its clear water is one of several lakes nestled behind Red Rock Mountain in eastern Charlotte County. The lake interconnects with Sparks and Red Rock Lake by a brook that cuts through rocky terrain while dropping over 300’ along its 4 km route. The area was once part of the Magaguadavic Fish and Game Corporation, which was incorporate in 1892 and held a tract of land of 5000 acres. At that time the land was covered by dense forest broken by scores of lakes and rivers. Today much has been clear-cut and crossed with scores of logging roads. This practice although unsightly, facilitates quick and relatively easy access to a plethora of waterways and natural attractions.
There are a series of waterfalls throughout the brooks length but there is two of note.
The upper falls is located down from the outlet of Lake Anthony. It is not cloistered in a ravine but simply drops over the edge of a ridge into large boulders before rambling downward into a small pool. The red granite is very apparent t this location.
The lower falls is located just over 1 km up from inlet to Sparks Lake. The series of waterfalls is part of a small gorge that stretches along the brook for over 100 metres. This is a very surreal location with many waterfalls and associated pools embraced by sheer cliffs rising 30 to 40 feet above the brook. In its entirety the brook drops about 30 metres.
From Fredericton drive out to Fredericton Junction and continue on Route 3 towards Hoyt. In Central Blissville look for Route 785 heading south to Mount Pleasant and St. George. About 50 km from Central Blissville look for the Lake Anthony Road on the left. Drive out and up this road and just over 3 km looking for the second road on the right. Turn onto this road and drive 1.7 km until reaching the hydro line and park there.
Upper Falls: There is no trail so bushwhacking is the only way into the falls. From the road, head west walking under the hydro line until reaching the brook a distance of 400 metres. Follow the brook south an additional 400 meters until you reach the upper waterfalls.
Lower Falls: From the hydro line continue driving southeast on the logging road. It is rough in a few areas due to the flooding last December. At approximately 3 km there is a road on the right. Turn here and follow this road. It will make shape right turn in about 400 metres. Continue to the end of the road, an additional 1.4 km through a large clear cut. From this point it is 160 metre bushwhack through the clear-cut and forest to the gorge and the waterfalls.
Visit Detail: William Francis Ganong mentioned in his Monograph on the Morphology of New Brunswick Waterfalls that there was a hanging falls of 90’ on the Anthony Lake Brook in Charlotte County. He was citing information from a copy of the Magaguadavic Fish and Game Corporation Bulletin.
Reviewing topographical maps for the area as well as aerial photos it was determined that the land drops well over 300 feet in elevation and there was at least two waterfalls on the brook that runs from Anthony Lake to Sparks Lake. We snapped to GPS coordinates from the information and decide to hike into these two promising locations.
On a warm Sunday morning Rob Lemmon and I struck out from Fredericton fully prepared to canoe across Sparks Lake to the outlet of the brook where we would hike up to the first set of falls. On the drive down we decided to see if we could access the upper falls by the Anthony Lake Road. Fortunately enough all culverts were repaired after last Decembers floods that hit the south west part of New Brunswick.
We drove out looking for the best access to the brook. We decided on the logging road that ran along the edge of Newton Lake and drove out and parked under the hydro lines. With our predetermined GPS coordinates set we hiked westward under the lines to the brook and then followed it south. Unfortunately the coordinates were erroneous but we moved on and came upon a 30’ waterfall 200 meters further down the brook. From here we bushwhacked back through an old clear-cut to the road and the truck.
From here we decided to follow this road to see if it would lead to an access point further down the brook and our second GPS coordinate. Fortunately it led to relatively new clear-cuts and access to the second location. Striking out across the cut we quickly made our way to our second location which turned out to be a very small waterfall. Down stream the brook opened into a dead-water and upstream the brook was scattered with large boulders making for an excellent picture. We decided to rock hop upstream and eventually head out across the clear-cut and back to the truck. It was at this point that Rob spotted what appeared to be a rock face further upstream. So we decided to move further along and this decision led to a spectacular set of waterfalls and pools encased within granite walled gorge. The area is devoid of thick underbrush making it exposed and open.
We spent the better part of an hour exploring the gorge. The sculpturing power of water was very apparent as rock were carved and shaped smooth. The brook entered the gorge through two channels each of which deformed the rock in differing patterns only to join in a deep pool and crash down through a narrow channel to the large pool at the base. This further dropped into yet another pool before traversing through the boulder strewn brook that led us here.
Calling it a day we hiked the 200 m back through the woods to the logging road and the truck. We did not find a 90’ hanging falls but we did have an adventure exploring the two portions of the brook. At home that night I looked at the satellite images of the area and determined that there is another location worthy of exploration and possibly the 90’ falls that Ganong alluded to.