"Cochrane Lane Cliffs trail" Welsford Things to Do Tip by Canuck5

If you like to hike, or perhaps your hobby is rappelling up and down the face of a rock wall, you'll find an opportunity to do this at the Cochrane Lane Cliffs. Although rappelling looked like a lot of fun, this was a day for watching those who already know the basics. I was there for the hiking.

The trail is actually located on property owned by the Dept. of National Defence, so unless you're a member of the Univ. of N.B. Mountain Climbing Club, you're supposed to call the DND Range Control first. There's a big sign near the car park, displaying the number.

I would say that the trail overall was of moderate difficulty, although there is a side trail (like the Waterfall) and the main trail beyond Joe's Garage, that are more challenging.

The trail is not blazed very well, or consistently. I only noticed a few orange blazes here and there. The trail beyond "Joe's Garage" becomes confusing, and although I found a sign for the "Staircase", I wasn't sure I was taking an actual trail. I wouldn't have wanted to be on this trail at night. So, we erred on the side of caution, and turned back.

One sign near the log-in book shows the trail looping around, while another says it's a "proposed hiking trail". We never found the campsite that is supposedly along the trail.

Anyway, it was two hours well spent, really only stopping for about 10-15 minutes to eat a light lunch we had brought with us, at an observation point overlooking the valley.

Address: East side of Cochrane Lane,Welsford, New Brunswick
Directions: From Hwy 7 at Route 101 in Welsford, drive 1.5 kms south, then turn east onto Cochrane Lane. Drive 2.3 kms and you'll see a number of signs on the east side of the road. Park your car on the east side of the road, but north of the gate.
Phone: (506)-422-2000, ext. 2482