New Brunswick is a maritime province with three coastlines – on Chaleur Bay, the Northumberland Strait and the Bay of Fundy. Routes along these coasts can provide an interesting introduction to the area.
South Bay of Fundy Coastal Drive Region Saint John, New Brunswick’s largest city, has been a shipbuilding center since the last century. Replicas of sailing ships can be seen in the New Brunswick Museum. Other historic sites include the Loyalist House and the Old County Courthouse. The city was also a bastion for the British Loyalists, who flocked there in
May 1783 to escape from the victorious American rebels after the War of Independence. The Reversing Falls are a natural phenomenon caused by the powerful tidal waters of the Bay of Fundy finding an upstream outlet into the rocky river gorge. The coastline is battered by the tempestuous 14m- (46ft-) tides of the Bay of Fundy, resulting in dramatic scenery such as the Hopewell Cape’s sandstone ‘flowerpots’ – enormous rock formations that have been likened to flowerpots because of their shape and peculiar sprouts of green foliage. Visitors should stay alert to the powerful incoming tide however, which can rise as much as 14m (46ft). St Andrews has some well-preserved 18th-century houses as well as The Blockhouse, built in 1812 to defend the town from US incursions. Blacks Harbour has a ferry to the little-known and unspoilt Fundy Islands, of which Grand Manan, the largest, boasts beautiful rare flora and fauna. Whales and dolphins can often be spotted from the shoreline. It is also a center for collecting dulse (edible seaweed) which is a specialty of the province. Deer Island and Campobello Island are reached by ferry from Letete. To the east of Saint John is Fundy National Park, the area’s most popular resort. Much of it is set on a plateau 300m (985ft) above sea level with 110km (69 miles) of hiking trails and 700 campsites. The huge range of organized activities there includes an Arts and Crafts School. Rowboats and canoes can be rented to navigate the tidal flats where tides can rise by 14m (46ft) a day. At low tide, guided walks of the ocean floor are led by naturalists. The park is situated on the major Atlantic bird migratory route, providing good birdwatching opportunities. The Fundy tides cause an impressive tidal bore at Moncton, the province’s second-largest city. At Magnetic Hill, a popular natural attraction, an optical illusion makes it seem as if cars are being ‘pulled’ uphill. Family entertainments are provided at the Magic Mountain Water Theme Park and Crystal Palace Amusement Park.
West The River Valley Region The St John River Valley provides a scenic route to the capital, with the uncluttered resort of Grand Lake on the way. Fredericton, 110km (70 miles) upriver from Saint John and the Bay of Fundy, is the province’s capital. It is the legislative and academic center of New Brunswick and possesses some fine neo-classical and Victorian architecture, such as the Legislative Building, Christ Church Cathedral and Government House. The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is one of the finest in Canada with an extensive collection of Canadian, British and Renaissance paintings. Salvador Dali’s painting St James the Great forms the centerpiece of the collection. Cruises on the St John River are possible. On Saturdays, the Farmer’s Market is the focus for Frederictonians and visitors alike. North of the city, the highly developed resort of Mactaquac Provincial Park offers a huge range of outdoor activities. Nearby, King’s Landing Historical Settlement, a reconstructed loyalist village, is also worth visiting for its insights into the 17th-century pioneering lifestyle.
Central Miramichi River Route Salmon fishing on the Miramichi River is recommended. There are also numerous walking tours and trails along the river. A 7.5km-foot trail from Chatham to Loggieville winds along the abandoned Colonial Rail Line, one of the area’s main forms of transport during the 19th century. The Aboriginal town of Metepenagiag (Red Bank First Nation), just outside of the town of Miramichi, is New Brunswick’s oldest town, with archaeological finds that date back more than 3000 years.
East The Acadian Coastal Drive Region The eastern shoreline, once a French stronghold, has a temperate climate and some excellent beaches, particularly near Kouchibouguac National Park, where a network of boardwalks protects the fragile sand dune ecology: the park is the home of more than 223 species of birds, and ocean canoe trips are offered to view nearby seal colonies. La Dune de Bouctouche, one of the world’s last surviving white sand dunes, has an award-winning eco-visitor center. In the south, Shediac hosts an annual lobster festival; at Parlee Beach nearby is the largest and best beach in the province. North of this, the area around Tracadie is still a French-speaking enclave and deep-sea fishing charters are available here. A 500-acre Acadian Village at Caraquet recreates the lifestyle of the 18th-century Breton settlers whose descendants still dominate the northeast corner of the province.
The iExplore Community offers travel guides to thousands of destinations, first-hand travel reviews and vacation pictures from everyday travelers like you.
