Best Hiking Trails Near Nackawic, NB in Fall

Nackawic, New Brunswick sits inside a stretch of the Saint John River Valley with dozens of hiking trails within a short drive, from easy waterfront strolls to full-day trail systems, most of them forested and several leading to a waterfall. In fall, when this part of the valley turns some of the earliest colour in southern New Brunswick, that trail density is exactly what makes it worth the trip.



The trails below range from a 15-minute walk to a full day out, so this list is organized by how much time and effort you actually want to put in, not just by distance from town. All of it sits close enough to Nackawic to combine two or three trails in a single day if you're making a real outing of it.

Quick answer

The best fall hikes near Nackawic, NB include the Nackawic Nature Trail for an easy waterfront walk, the Shogomoc Suspension Bridge Trail for family-friendly river views, Big Pokiok Nature Park and Woolastook Park Loop for longer forested hikes with waterfalls and hardwood colour, and the Mactaquac Provincial Park trail system for the widest range of trail lengths and difficulty in one place.

Easy, family-friendly trails

If you want fall colour without a long commitment, start here.

Nackawic Nature Trail runs along the Nackawic waterfront for nearly 3 kilometres. It starts on Otis Drive and follows the water all the way to the World's Largest Axe, making it a genuinely leisurely, scenic stroll rather than a hike in the technical sense. It's a good option if you want river views and fall colour without leaving town.

Shogomoc Suspension Bridge Trail is a short walk, under a kilometre and about 15 minutes, that crosses a suspension bridge at the mouth of the Shogomoc Stream. The bridge itself is the draw here: it offers a genuinely dramatic view over the water, and when the surrounding trees turn, it's one of the better short payoffs for the least effort on this list.

Margaret (Coburn) Cameron Nature Preserve, in Keswick Ridge, is an easy loop through hardwood forest that takes about 30 minutes. Hardwood forest is exactly what produces the brightest fall colour, so despite being one of the shortest trails in the area, it punches above its length for a fall visit.

Waterfall trails worth the detour

A few trails lead to a waterfall, and fall is a good season for all of them since the forest around each one turns at the same time as the water keeps running.

Shogomoc Falls Trail, at the Meductic exit off Route 2, is a 2.5-kilometre forested route leading to a waterfall. It's known as a swimmable spot in summer, but the forested approach makes it just as worthwhile as a fall hike, minus the swim.

Howland Falls Trail, along Route 105 near the Bear Island community, is one of the more accessible waterfall hikes in the area. It's a roughly ten-minute walk off Scotch Lake Road, down a steep hill into a ravine that holds the falls, short enough to fit into a bigger day of driving the Loop Scenic Drive or exploring other trails nearby.

Trail systems for a longer day out

For a fuller day of hiking, three trail systems near Nackawic offer enough range to fill an afternoon.

Big Pokiok Nature Park has a full network of trails built around the rocky Pokiok Stream, including the Streamside Trail for the closest access to the water, the Lookout Trail for quick access to a stream waterfall, the Hiker's Dream Trail through mostly softwood forest, and the Beechnut Trail, which runs along a hardwood ridge, making it one of the better spots in the park specifically for fall colour. The mix of softwood and hardwood stands across the park means you'll see a real range of colour just by switching trails partway through a visit. The trail system here was built by the AV Group, which operates a specialty pulp mill in Nackawic and manages forest land across the province, so the trails are actively maintained rather than informal.

Woolastook Park Loop, in Kingsclear just off Route 102, is a 5.5-kilometre, moderately difficult loop, the most substantial single trail on this list. It's accessible year-round, though winter visits are better with snowshoes or spiked footwear given the sloped terrain, which makes fall, before any ice sets in, one of the better windows to take it on.

Mactaquac Provincial Park has the widest trail system in the region, including the Alex Creek Trail, Murch Field Trail, Little Mactaquac Trail, Scotch Lake Road Trail, Porcupine Pass Trail, Beaverpond Trail, Maple Sugar Trail, and Eagle Trail, along with connecting trails between them. Different trails cut through different habitats across the park, so it's worth picking a couple rather than trying to do all of them in one visit. The Maple Sugar Trail in particular is worth prioritizing in fall, since maple stands are usually the first to turn and among the brightest. Once you're done hiking, the park also has a beach, a golf course, boating marinas, and TreeGo ziplining, so it works well as a full-day stop rather than just a trailhead.

If you're planning a full day around this area, all three of these trail systems, along with the waterfall trails above, sit close enough to the Loop Scenic Drive that they can be combined into one longer outing rather than three separate trips.

A note on Coac Falls

Coac Falls, off Route 105 in Upper Queensbury, has historically been one of the more popular waterfall hikes in the region, with the Destination Nackawic hiking guide describing it as a roughly 3-kilometre, 2-hour round trip. At the same time, current listings on AllTrails, updated as recently as this past month, flag the trail as closed and crossing private property. Given that conflict, it's left off the recommended list here rather than risk sending anyone onto land they shouldn't be on. It's worth confirming current access directly before this trail appears in any published guide again.

A few things to bring

Fall weather in the Saint John River Valley shifts fast, so a few basics make any of these trails more comfortable:

• Layers. Mornings can be genuinely cold while afternoons still run warm, especially into September.
• Proper footwear. Several of these trails, including the Beechnut Trail and the descent to Howland Falls, involve uneven or sloped ground that gets slick once leaves start covering the path.
• A camera or phone with some charge left. Fall colour along most of these trails, especially the hardwood stretches at Big Pokiok and Woolastook, is the whole reason to make the trip.

Make it a full day

None of these trails exist in isolation. A short hike at Nackawic Nature Trail or the Shogomoc Suspension Bridge pairs naturally with a stop at Big Axe Brewery's riverfront patio afterward, and anyone doing the longer Woolastook or Mactaquac trail systems is already close enough to the area's u-pick apple orchards to make a stop on the way home. Since most of these trails sit directly on or just off the Loop Scenic Drive, hiking and driving the Loop aren't really two separate trips here so much as two ways to see the same fall colour.

Frequently asked questions

• What is the best easy hiking trail near Nackawic, NB?
• The Nackawic Nature Trail is the easiest option, running nearly 3 kilometres along the Nackawic waterfront from Otis Drive to the World's Largest Axe.
• Are there waterfall hikes near Nackawic?
• Yes. Shogomoc Falls Trail (2.5 km, near Meductic) and Howland Falls Trail (a short walk off Scotch Lake Road near Bear Island) are both accessible waterfall hikes near Nackawic.
• What's the longest hiking trail near Nackawic?
• Woolastook Park Loop, in Kingsclear off Route 102, is 5.5 kilometres and moderately difficult, the most substantial single trail in the immediate area.
• Is Mactaquac Provincial Park good for hiking?
• Yes. Mactaquac Provincial Park has an extensive trail system covering multiple habitats, plus a beach, golf course, marinas, and ziplining, making it a good full-day stop beyond just hiking.
• When is the best time to see fall colours on these trails?
• This stretch of the upper Saint John River Valley typically shows colour from mid-September, with peak colour around the last week of September into the first weekend of October.

Plan your hike

For more on trails, parks, and things to do around Nackawic, visit destinationnackawic.ca, or reach the Destination Nackawic team at info@dnedc.ca or (506) 575-2241.