Three Weekends and Four Hikes: Sussex Bluff Trail, Midland Ice Caves, Tracey Falls and Duck Cove Beach

The posts are getting a bit backed up now that we've hit the trails after the long and drawn out winter. We've been busy hiking!

Sussex Bluff Trail:

Earlier in April, I took the girls on a trip up the Sussex Bluff Trail. the snow slowly retreating from the woods, the Bluff trail was a nice steady climb along hard packed snow. It was one of the warmer days of spring, which made the walk very enjoyable.

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There are six geocaches to get along the way. We visited three, which provided some distraction to keep the little ones interested.

Abby is showing off a rock. I'm thinking, 'please don't throw it over the cliff!' Willow is thinking, "Rock, rock rock!"

Lunchtime! The lunch time view was nice and peaceful. There were a few 'ahh, I like hikin' Dad!' (I thought to myself, I may just have them hooked!).
Midland Ice Caves:

A couple of weekends ago, Abby announced that she wanted to go to the 'Ice Caves'. The ice caves in Midland are a popular spot in the winter time for snowmobilers as it is along one of the regular routes through the area. The 'caves' can be found in a forest gully which has the beginnings a stream leading down the hill toward Springfield. A small stream flows over a rocky overhang and freezes into a pictureseque ice wall. It is very busy in the winter as a result. However, once the snow melts, it can be a fun spot to visit without crowds. The ice usually lasts well into the spring, so visiting is not a problem. Plus, as we found on our visit, the ice had started melting (along with the surrounding snow), which created a neat waterfall on the left side of the gully. Abby enjoyed the walk and found another geocache nearby as well.

Tracey Falls:

This past weekend — we were lucky to have a 11 degree Saturday with sunshine. Naturally, with the balmy weather brought beaches and waterfalls! We drove to the Garnett Settlement area near Saint John and took a short hike to Tracey Falls. Tracey Falls flow through a break in the rocks, plunging down a steep 20 metre rock cliff. A well used ATV trail leads the way to the falls. We spent the time hopping overflowing streams and picking up bottles (grr) on the way back.

Duck Cove Beach:

Afterward, we took a side adventure to Duck Cove Beach, a little farther down Garnett Settlement on the Bay of Fundy. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised by the quiet and expansive beach extending out to a sandstone point split similar to Hopewell Cape (NB) and Cape Split (NS). The sandstone cliffs, caves and rocky seaweed covered rocks had the kids busy for a couple of hours exploring the area. We were quite pleased to find such a neat off-the-beaten path destination.

Enjoying our walk, seeing what we can find amongst the seaweed and tidal pools.