This is what the Ice Age Trail Companion Guide says about them:
"Follow two large parallel pipelines that carry water down hundreds of yards from a man-made reservoir upriver. These pipeline "tubes" are made of wood banded with steel. Wood was used for these pipelines because it does not corrode or rot under the constant water pressure. However, the water pressure does create a fascinating tubular fountain effect. Water shoots from hundreds of small leaks occurring in knotholes in the wood."
The first time I saw them, they were nothing like what I expected. They were much larger and also much longer! It's really quite incredible that you can walk along right next to them. In fact, it's downright amazing that you can have access to the hydro dam property through this segment.
The tubes are so large, you can even see them on Google maps...
Google Map of Grandfather Falls
I've tried to capture the enormity of these tubes with photos, but it doesn't quite look the same. You have to feel what it's like to be in their presence, to hear the water cascading from the leaks.
So here's another quick video of the end of our Grandfather Falls hike as we walked past the tubes on our way to the parking area at the hydro dam:
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