New Brunswick
Saint John
Established on May 18, 1785, Saint John, New Brunswick is Canada’s oldest incorporated city. Long before the arrival of Europeans, the area was the traditional land for numerous nations like the Wolastoqiyik, Mi’kmaq , and Peskotomuhkati. In 1604, French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived at the mouth of a large river on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24) and appropriately named it rivière Saint-Jean (Saint John River). For well over a century, the French colony of Acadia (today’s Maritime provinces) thrived in the region with fur trading fueling the economy. In 1631, Acadian Governor Charles de La Tour established a fortified fur trading post overlooking the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. The site, known as Fort La Tour, was the site of a famous siege in 1645 when La Tour’s rival, Charles de Menou d’Aulnay, attacked the fort while he was away. The fort was being defended by La Tour’s wife, Françoise-Marie Jacquelin, and a group of men who where betrayed and imprisoned by d’Aulnay. The men were soon hung and Françoise-Marie Jacquelin, known as the “Lioness of Acadia”, died mysteriously while being captive.
The area around Saint John was at the heart of the struggle to control Acadia between the French and British. In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht permanently ceded much of peninsular French Acadia (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) to the British. Beginning around 1755 during the French and Indian War, the British began deporting some 6,000 Acadians who refused to take a loyalty oath to Britian. Additional deportations occurred following the fall of the French stronghold of Fortress Louisbourg in 1758. Britian secured control of all of French territory in present-day Canada in 1764 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris which ended the Seven Year War.
Following the American Revolution, approximately 14,000 British Loyalists relocated from the former colonies to the mouth of the Saint John River in 1783 to remain loyal to the Crown. It was this influx of these British Loyalists that rapidly grew the region and led to the incorporation of Saint John in 1785. Saint John played a critical role as an immigration and quarantine station during the 1840s when waves of Irish immigrants arrived during the Potato Famine. The ship building traditions of Saint John began during the American Revolution when British naval vessels would arrive for repairs. This led to Saint John becoming a leading global center for wooden shipbuilding and international trade, giving rise to wealthy merchants and a prominent industrial economy. A massive fire on June 20, 1877 destroyed much of the downtown district of Saint John which was quickly rebuilt and accounts for the vast 19th-century Victorian and Georgian architecture seen today throughout the city. Today, the economy of Saint John is fueled by a large refinery and pulp mill as well as the oldest brewery in Canada, Moosehead.
The mighty Saint John River flows 418 miles from its headwaters in the Notre Dame Mountains near the Maine-Quebec border to the Bay of Fundy in Saint John, New Brunswick. Its path defines the northeastern-most border between Canada and the United States. As the river approaches the Bay of Fundy, it clashes with the highest tides in the world. The tidal range of the Bay of Fundy can approach up to 52 feet and this sends a surge of water up the Saint John River twice a day during high tide. At the Reversing Falls Rapids in Saint John, you can witness this phenomenon from several different vantage points. During low tide, the Saint John River flows swiftly over rapids as it races to the Bay of Fundy. In contrast, high tide forces sea water from the Bay of Fundy up the river reversing the water’s direction of flow and completely eliminating the rapids. There is also a period called “slack” then the river’s flow appears to stop completely as the rising tide is totally offset by the flow of the Saint John.
Below is a series of photos that show the difference between low and high tide on the Saint John River at the Reversing Falls site.
Fundy National Park
Fundy National Park was established in 1948 along an area of the Bay of Fundy between the Saint John River system and the Petitcodiac River system. Adjacent to the coastal community of Alma, the site was chosen as New Brunswick’s first national park both to preserve the area’s natural beauty and to encourage tourism. For centuries, the native people used the park’s land for easy inland portage routes between the two rivers. The first Europeans arrived around 1825 and those early settlers farmed and logged the fertile land. Fundy National Park encompasses approximately 12 miles of rugged coastline along the northern shores of the Bay of Fundy. The national park offers miles of hiking along the spectacular coastline, numerous campgrounds, a golf course, and even a heated saltwater swimming pool overlooking the bay.
Note: Parks Canada has placed red Adirondack chairs at over 400 breathtaking locations across the country. They invite guests to Canadian parks to enjoy the chairs during their visit and post photos on social media
The Bay of Fundy, located between the peninsula of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, experiences the highest tides in the world, with water levels fluctuating up to 55 feet (16.8 meters) between tidal cycles. The name “Fundy” is thought to be an English translation for the French word fendu, meaning “split”. This extreme phenomenon is driven by a unique combination of the bay’s specific funnel shape, its geographic length, and a physics principle called tidal resonance. The bay’s unique funnel shape was formed by glaciers which receded roughly 14,000 years ago. As the massive pulse of tidal water enters the bay, the coastline narrows and gets shallower. This forces 160 billion tons of seawater—more than the combined flow of all the world’s rivers—into a tighter and tighter space. The narrowing shores literally squeeze the water upward, resulting in the massive vertical height. This funnel effect is amplified by the long length of the Bay of Fundy which has a maximum length of 170 miles.
The other major contributor to the high tides of the Bay of Fundy is something called tidal resonance. The Bay of Fundy acts exactly like a tub of water. If you push water to one side, it sloshes back and forth at a natural rhythm. In Fundy, it takes about 13 hours for water to rock from the mouth of the bay to the head and back. Because this natural “slosh” perfectly aligns with the 12-hour and 25-minute Atlantic Ocean tidal cycle, each new ocean wave gives the bay’s water an extra push, amplifying the movement just like pushing a child on a swing. The bay experiences semidiurnal tides, meaning there are two high tides and two low tides every day. Since the transition from low tide to high tide is about 6 hours and 13 minutes, there are times when visitors can literally walk out on the exposed seafloor. One of the best places to experience this is at Alma Beach where you can walk out a good quarter of a mile and explore the ocean floor. Another great spot to witness the world’s highest tides is at the Alma Wharf which is home to a bustling local fishing fleet. Depending on the tidal cycle, you might see boats floating high in the water or resting on the ocean floor. The tidal changes in the Bay of Fundy are certainly an amazing natural phenomenon that needs to be witnessed in person.
Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park
Located on the far northern end of the Bay of Fundy, the New Brunswick provincial park of Hopewell Rocks offers visitors excellent views and access to the “flower pot” rock formations found along this section of the coastline. Officially, the rock formations are known geologically as sea stacks which have formed from thousands of years of erosion from tides, snow, ice, and wind. This process created striking, tree-topped sea stacks that look like oversized flower pots. Although the flower pot rocks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, they all have the same origin about 330 million years ago when fast-moving streams deposited thick layers of sand and gravel at Hopewell Cape. Over time the sand and gravel compacted into layers of conglomerate rock and sandstone. Forces from within the Earth thrust and tilted the rock layers, creating large, vertical and horizontal fractures. The forces of erosion went to work on these cracks to form the flower pot rocks we see today alone the coastline.
Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park is a very popular tourist destination along coastal New Brunswick. Visitors from around the world come to see the unique flower pot rock formations as well as the extreme tides of the Bay of Fundy. The park has beautiful grounds, an interpretive center, restaurant, and a great trail system that connects a series of observation points to take in the spectacular views of the Bay of Fundy. From the first observation point, visitors have a great view of the immense mud flats along this section of the coastline including the 2.5-mile-long Daniels Flats. A little further down the trail you get your first view of the rock formations which includes Diamond Rock. At the trail’s terminus, there is a staircase that provides beach access during low tide. My visit was well after low tide, but there was still a little bit of beach left to explore the iconic formations like Lovers Arch and Bear Rock. During high tide the beach is inaccessible, however tour companies provide kayaking trips that allow visitors to paddle amongst, and even through, some of the formations.
Moncton
Moncton, New Brunswick is the second largest community in the Maritimes after Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since 2022, Moncton has been the fastest-growing city in Canada which is apparent with all the modern buildings and construction taking place. It is often called the “Gateway to Acadia” due to it being a crossroads to many destinations like the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. Officially the community is bilingual and French is just as common as English throughout the city. One of the major attractions in Moncton is a bizarre optical illusion called the Magnetic Hill which has been amazing tourists since the days of horse-drawn carriages. If you park your vehicle at a designated point and put it into neutral, when you release the brake, the vehicle appears to be coasting uphill. I gave it a go and sure enough, the illusion was pretty amazing as Rosie coasted uphill without power. Like all good illusions there is a simple explanation as to why vehicles appear to defy physics. This phenomenon is created by the specific grade of the road and the fact that passengers’ eyes cannot see the horizon, which is hidden by trees and the rolling terrain.
Kouchibouguac National Park
Established in 1969, Kouchibouguac National Park is located on the east coast of New Brunswick and was established to preserve a section of the fragile Canadian Maritime Plain region. Kouchibouguac (pronounced koo-shee-boo-gwack) is the Mi’kmaq word meaning “river of the long tides”. The Kouchibouguac River forms the northwestern border of the national park and meets the Kouchibouguac Lagoon just inside the barrier islands. Just across the river, there is a large commercial fishing fleet based at Loggiecroft and you can watch the boats returning daily with their haul of lobsters. Kouchibouguac is also home to an abundant wildlife population including moose, black bears, seals, and the endangered piping plovers which have protected nesting sites along the dunes. In addition, Kouchibouguac is recognized as a dark-sky protected area ideal for night-sky viewing and stargazing.
With over 35 miles of flat, multi-use trails, Kouchibouguac National Park is a dream for cyclists and hikers. The extensive trail system is well-defined and links virtually every section of the 238 square kilometer park. During my stay, I was able to walk everywhere I wanted to go directly from my campsite. My favorite hike was out to the large bog which has formed on top of layers of peat moss. Just on the edge of the bog is a spiral staircase tower which gives you an elevated view of the bog where you can search for wildlife. While I was on top of the tower, I spotted a mother black bear and her three cubs foraging on the bog about 500m away. If you are willing to brave the swarms of mosquitos at dusk, moose are a frequent site on the bog. There is a half-mile boardwalk that crosses over the peat bog where you can observe carnivorous plants like the pitcher plant. Due to the low nutrient levels of a bog, these carnivorous plants have adapted to get their nutrients from the insects they attract, trap, and digest.
Another great hike from my campsite follows the Kouchibouguac River out past the lagoon and then arrives at Kellys Beach. Located on the barrier island of South Kouchibouguac Dune, a long boardwalk leads visitors over the marsh to Kellys Beach which offers warm saltwater swimming and a sandy beach. The dunes and waters of the barrier islands are a great site for bird watching as numerous species live and nest in the area. The Kouchibouguac River and Lagoon are also very popular with paddlers who often put in the water at Ryans along the river. During the winter months, the trails of Kouchibouguac National Park are popular for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing making it a four seasons park.
Caraquet
Located on Caraquet Bay along the beautiful Baie des Chaleurs, the town of Caraquet is directly across the inlet from Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula. Caraquet is rich in French flavor with that being the predominant language being spoken and displayed on signs. The town is widely acknowledged as the Acadian cultural capital and it hosts the Acadian Festival each August. Acadians are French-speaking Canadians, but they have a distinct culture, history, and dialect separate from the Québécois. They live primarily in Canada’s Maritime provinces, especially New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, rather than Quebec.
The Acadians are an ethnic group descended from French colonists who settled in the region of Acadia (now parts of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Maine) starting in the early 1600s. Those early French settlers built farming and fishing communities where they lived largely in peace, often working closely with local Mi’kmaq people. When the British took control of Acadia in 1713, they demanded that the Acadians sign a loyalty oath and pledge to fight for Britain. In defiance, Acadians chose to remain neutral and refused to fight against France or their Indigenous allies. During the French and Indian War (1754-1763), British authorities systematically deported Acadians in what was known as the Le Grand Dérangement. The British forced over 10,000 Acadians from their homes, burned their villages, and dispersed them across the American colonies, the Caribbean, and Europe. Thousands of exiled Acadians migrated to Louisiana (then French territory) in the late 1700s. Over time, their culture and language adapted, and they became known as Cajuns (a word derived from “Acadian”). Following the war between France and Britain, some Acadians returned to Canada and created the vibrant Acadian communities that remain today in the Canadian Maritime provinces.
Opening in 1977, the Village Historique Acadien is an outdoor, living-history museum established to preserve and celebrate Acadian culture. The original section of the village featured seventeen structures representing the farming and fishing traditions of 18th century Acadia. All the buildings found in the village have been sourced in New Brunswick and were meticulously moved to the site. The second phase opened in 1981 and represented some of the 19th century industrial advances in Acadia such as the Riordon Grist Mill, print shop, blacksmith’s shop, Chapelle Chapel, and schoolhouse. The final stage of the village opened in 2001and represents Acadia life in the 20th century up to the second world war. This phase features a railway station, cooperage (barrel factory), sawmill, stores, and the beautiful Château Albert Hotel where visitors can spend the night, eat a meal, or hear live entertainment in the bar. All the structures are staffed with bi-lingual guides who offer insightful narratives about the structures and Acadian life. In addition, there are several places to get refreshments throughout the village and you can even sample authentic Acadian meals at La Table des Ancêtres.
