Reversing Rapids
Just west of downtown, the Reversing Rapids (formerly known as the Reversing Falls—locals went with the more accurate name) is located within an impressive rocky gorge, a natural phenomenon which has been turned into a tourism site. The rapids here reverse because of huge Bay of Fundy tides battling against the St. John River’s flow; rapids, small waterfalls, and big, slurping whirlpools flow one way up through the gorge during the incoming tide, then reverse during the opposite tide. It’s dramatic, but it is in a busy part of the city next to highways and across from a paper mill with smokestacks, which spoils it a bit. There are a couple of ways to observe the falls. You can get a birds-eye view of the rapids at Reversing Falls Restaurant (tel. 506/642-4400), an attraction at 200 Bridge Rd. that includes a glass observation platform on a rooftop deck 110 feet above the water, a short film on the rapids, and a restaurant overlooking the natural wonder. A rooftop pass is good for 24 hours so you can return later in the day to see all the cycles of the tides. The cost is C$6 for adults, free for children 12 and under, . You can also cross the river to Fallsview Park (go left on Douglas Ave., then left again on Fallsview Ave.) and get a water-level view.
Just west of downtown, the Reversing Rapids (formerly known as the Reversing Falls—locals went with the more accurate name) is located within an impressive rocky gorge, a natural phenomenon which has been turned into a tourism site. The rapids here reverse because of huge Bay of Fundy tides battling against the St. John River’s flow; rapids, small waterfalls, and big, slurping whirlpools flow one way up through the gorge during the incoming tide, then reverse during the opposite tide. It’s dramatic, but it is in a busy part of the city next to highways and across from a paper mill with smokestacks, which spoils it a bit. There are a couple of ways to observe the falls. You can get a birds-eye view of the rapids at Reversing Falls Restaurant (tel. 506/642-4400), an attraction at 200 Bridge Rd. that includes a glass observation platform on a rooftop deck 110 feet above the water, a short film on the rapids, and a restaurant overlooking the natural wonder. A rooftop pass is good for 24 hours so you can return later in the day to see all the cycles of the tides. The cost is C$6 for adults, free for children 12 and under, . You can also cross the river to Fallsview Park (go left on Douglas Ave., then left again on Fallsview Ave.) and get a water-level view.
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