Snowshoe to Parlee Brook Ice Amphitheater

To reach the trail leading to the Amphitheater, from Sussex Corner, New Brunswick, you can follow the road signs to Poley Mountain. Once on Waterford Rd, turn right onto Parlee Brooke Rd, approximately 3km before the ski resort. Follow this road for about 5 km. The trail starts just before the last house on the right. 

Parking for this hike might be challenging: here are only a few spots at the end of Parlee Brook Rd, where the road closes for Winter and the plow turns around. Please, do not park elsewhere on the road, and do not park by the Abbey house: that's a private property and parking. 

The hike is about 3 km to the Amphitheater. Usually, snowshoe tracks will lead you to it, but going just after a fresh snow storm makes it magical (and a bit more challenging). Once you start the hike and got up the hill, there will be a junction at your left to reach Friar's Nose, one of the few peaks of the region. Continue straight to get down to the other side of the mountain, and again after the cottage. Follow the river for a few hundred meters, and make a straight cut to your left to reach the hidden valley. There should be pink or orange ribbons on the trees to help you find the narrow path. Once you've found it, hike the valley to the end to reach the Amphitheater: you can't miss it. 

In the Amphitheater, the path might be easy if a lot of people have passed through before you, but be prepare for a lot of snow in your way. For the last few hundred meters, the icy narrow path makes it difficult to walk with snowshoes. The ground is made of ice boulders, so crampons (traction device) could be a great plus to bring along. 

On our last hike to the Amphitheater, to reach the beginning of the wall, we were literally swimming in 6 feet of fresh snow. The Amphitheater will look very different when the snow melts and makes the ice walls shine. Try to get there before the sun hides behind the opposing mountain in order to get the full effect.