Saint John, St. Martin's Caves, & Fundy Tides?

[cgc33a]

I expect to be in Saint John on June 1. According to the tide table I looked at, the low tide is around 5 AM & high tide was around 11 AM (If I remember correctly). Will be gone by the next high tide at 5 PM. I was thinking about renting a car to go see the caves in St. Martin, but it appears that you can only see them at low tide & 2 hours after, which would be too early for me that day. Is that a correct assumption? Therefore it wouldn't be worth the time & effort to drive out to the Fundy National park (name?), and I should just go to the Reversing Falls to see the effects of the tides?

Next question: What would be the best time or times to go to the Reversing Falls &/or take the sightseeing boat ride of the falls? Are they swirling all of the time (except at slack tides which only last 20 or so minutes)? I will have a 10 year old with me & a 3 year old which is a consideration for what we do in Saint John. Also thinking about walking back to the ship from the Reversing Falls on the walkway. Will that be doable?

Thank you.

[daWoods]

If high tide is at 11 am you're out of luck. You can't get to the caves anywhere near high tide. Best visiting time is at low tide, or two hours before and after. Reversing falls is best at high tide when the water from the Bay of Fundy flows inland against the current of the St. John River. There's always some current except at slack, but it's not spectacular. How rough the waters are depends on how much water is flowing down the St. John. There are times in the spring when the river does not reverse because of spring runoff. At this moment the river is still quite high, but by June 1 it should be about normal. The best time to do the jet boat would be at high tide or within a couple of hours of it. As for walking back to the ship, it's quite a hike, especially with kids. It is doable, but leave lots of time.

 

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