Kilmarnock (Gibson) Falls is one of the most amazing places I have ever been to. You HAVE to see these falls.
*******************************************************************************
Gibson falls is a beautiful sight and one of those places you think about finding as a kid. It is just far enough out of the way as to still feel private and special, but very accessible. It is well worth your time. As you approach ground zero, about 9km up the Kilmarnock road (entering from NB-105), you will find a bridge crossing the water you are looking for. This is Gibson Creek. Park just after the bridge on the left and look for the trail heading downstream. This is crown land.
Follow the trail through the quiet woods. You can tell many feet have followed the path but the forest around is clean and looks essentially untouched. It seems visitors have taken care to leave the location the way they found it. In mid August there are a pile of interesting fungi (boletes, coral fungi, gilled mushrooms), big pine trees and wide areas of mossy forest ground. It is amazing. Gibson Creek bubbles along to your right. It is dark with tannins and gorgeous when the sun hits it. The water here is peaceful in its passing. The path is easy enough to navigate but there are some roots to step over. It is about 300 meters (5 min walk; ~0.2 miles) from the road to the falls. At the falls the peacefully passing water plummets down a two-tiered drop to good sized pool at the bottom. The coordinates are for the top of the falls, as is the terrain rating. You do NOT have to access the lower section to log this virtual cache.***Note: difficult climbing and cliff/falling rocks attributes apply less if you remain above...although there is still a cliff.
I strongly advise keeping your children and pets close to you, and away from the edge. Do NOT let them run ahead because the terrain changes quickly near the end of the path. There is plenty of space to walk while keeping back from the edge, but small children will need close supervision and plenty of help if you are planning to access the lower portion of the falls. Use your judgement. It may not be appropriately safe terrain for everyone.
I would change the terrain rating to a 4-4.5 if you wish to appreciate the falls, or swim in the pool, at the bottom. If you choose to head down, I would recommend walking down the trail a ways past the top of the falls. There is a rope at a steep spot for athletic types, and a bit easier (although still steep) descent a little ways past that. Be careful of rocks/debris above you when you are at the bottom. If you swim in the pond be careful of rocks. The depth of the plunge pool varies greatly and there are many rocks under the water you can't see because of the dark tannins. Near the water exit point is a safe-ish place to enter, but drops immediately to about 5 ft deep, and 7-8 feet deep a few feet further out (depths change with weather and season). Teenagers were jumping from the cliff into the pool (to the right of the falls when looking at the falls from below). It is supposed to be quite deep at that side, but although they all submerged and re-emerged, I think you should seek out local advice (or that inner voice of reason) before attempting such a thing. While we were there we swam in the water. It was as warm and mysterious as the forest was big and beautiful. It capped off the whole experience and it is something I will never forget.
I am pleased to be sharing this with you, the geocaching community, because these are the kinds of places I love to find. We love to find. It is the epitome of geocaching, for me, to find an amazing spot that most people will never experience. Places like this make life awesome. What a magical location, and one of the greatest I have ever been to. I know a lot of people put virtual caches at places of historic or political significance. I am placing this one at a place of natural beauty. The requirements to log are not difficult. I just want people to feel and see and experience this little gem of an area near Woodstock NB. Enjoy it. Remember it.
*******************************************************************************
To log this cache you must do two things:
1) Post a picture with your log showing your gps, your geocaching handle (e.g. M. Hawkins), or yourself with the falls in the background. Bonus points for pictures with part, or all, of your body in the water (g-rated of course).
2) Note one interesting thing about your trip in your log.
-------- e.g. I loved the trees; I saw a squirrel eating a blueberry; I stole a blueberry from a squirrel and ate said blueberry; water was really low; water was really high; missed my morning coffee and fell asleep on the trail; belly flopped off the cliff - still recovering; swam in the pool; fish nibbled my toenails and had to cancel pedicure; ate a mushroom....shouldn't have; road access difficult due to snow; proposed to my girlfriend etc...
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.