2
Tidal
UNITED STATES
1
95 NEW BRUNSWICK
Houlton
Vision
2 1
114 FUNDY
NATIONAL
PARK
FUNDY TRAIL
Saint PARKWAY ROAD Alma
John
FUNDY
TRAIL
PROVINCIAL
1 PARK
d y
MAINE
of Fun
1 Bay NOVA
SCOTIA
Fundy Trail Provincial
Park showcases the
geography of the world’s
highest tides
V
BY JEANNE O’BRIEN COFFEY
erdant rocky outcroppings,
decorated with lacy wisps of
fog, march northeast along the
coast as far as my eye can see. In
the foreground, pine trees poke
into the vista where blue-gray sea meets blue sky.
These Canadian headlands formed over
millennia, as the Bay of Fundy’s vast tides—the
world’s highest—repeatedly attack the coast,
washing away softer soil and leaving behind sheer,
hard rock. I’m standing at Champlain Lookout, a
perfect showcase for this powerful feat of nature.
Strollers admire
the view of Melvin The lookout is one of 21 car-accessible vantage
Beach and the points in what was then the Fundy Trail Parkway,
Bay of Fundy in a 19-mile-long park encompassing 6,323 acres
New Brunswick’s
along an otherwise undeveloped stretch of New
ENVISION SAINT JOHN: THE REGIONAL GROWTH AGENCY
Fundy Trail
Provincial Park. Brunswick coastline.
The attraction reopened in 2024 as Fundy
Trail Provincial Park. A through road and its
surrounding coastal area, it cuts through one
of the last remaining coastal wilderness areas
between Labrador and Florida. It feels like my
family’s little secret. Our quartet enjoys a snack
at a solo picnic table, suspended on the edge
of a cliff, and we don’t see another car the
whole time, despite it being a spectacularly
sunny July day.
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That’s More Like It
Most of the Fundy Trail Parkway Road travels A cable ladder
atop the cliffs, meaning beach access requires (left) leads to
the Walton
A year later, the same woman greeted us. The day hikes ranging from moderate to strenuous. But
Glen Gorge
was warm and dry, so we followed the trail from the highway plunges down to sea level at Long observation
behind the visitors center to the Walton Glen Gorge Beach, one of the coast’s sandier strips. Here, at deck (right).
observation deck, a 15-minute walk. We meandered each of the 2 daily low tides, the beach extends a
through a stand of young, tightly packed pine trees third of a mile into the bay, meaning you are walking
reminiscent of the Shire in The Hobbit and The Lord on the ocean’s bottom to reach the water’s edge.
Heavy Weather
never seen before. Without fully comprehending of the Rings movies before tackling a steep cable- With each matching high tide, the water rises 1 foot
Tufts Point
is among the where we were headed, we turned and found ladder descent. every 5 minutes, adding up to roughly the same
unbeatable Perhaps the provincial park, which cost roughly ourselves traveling a scenic parkway in decidedly A cable ladder is essentially a series of railroad amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls every
Bay of Fundy $74 million to develop over 25 years, flies under foggy weather. We hopped out of the car at each ties set into the side of a hill, secured together by 21 months. Savvy visitors wear water shoes.
views along the
the radar because its final stretch opened in lookout, jokingly “oohing” and “aaahing” as if we thick cables, with another set of cables for handrails. At the Big Salmon River Interpretive Centre, we
twisty drive
in Fundy Trail summer 2020, when the pandemic brought travel could see anything at all. In this case, it was more like steep, awkward stairs enjoyed displays explaining the area’s flora and
FROM LEFT: ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES; LEIGH McADAM
Provincial Park. to a standstill. Since then, it has averaged about “This is what the falls would look like if the than a ladder. For people with more time—or who fauna, and infographics about the tides. The tiny
75,000 visitors a year. Contrast that with the 4 weather was clear,” a staffer told us cheerfully seek a less arduous route—an alternate 45-minute cottage lends out plastic chairs and beach toys,
million annual visitors to Acadia National Park a at our first stop, Walton Glen Reception Centre, walk skirts the cable ladder. Both paths lead to and offers free sunscreen, insect repellent, and
couple hundred miles southeast in Maine, and it’s pointing to a poster displaying a gorgeous view of a platform with all-encompassing views of the stuff for removing parking-lot tar from your shoes.
easy to understand how you could find yourself a deep ravine cutting through forested hills. She gorge—carved by a glacier 650 million years ago— A little basket holds skipping stones to toss into
GARY CORBETT/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
virtually alone, gazing upon one of the world’s most said we could follow the trail to the nearby obser- and the surrounding protected lands. the waves, and a whiteboard invites you to share
impressive coastlines. vation deck but that we wouldn’t see much. We The Walton Glen Gorge observation deck is just your dreams. After throwing a few stones, we sat in
We stumbled upon this park accidentally in the couldn’t even watch the educational movie—the one of the trail’s thoughtfully situated attractions. borrowed beach chairs to watch the water’s edge
summer of 2022. When Americans were finally whole visitors center is solar-powered, she ex- The whole park maximizes views for a wide variety retreat as if someone had pulled a bathtub’s cork.
allowed back in Canada, we resumed what had plained, and without the sun, there was no way to of physical abilities. Many of the most spectacular From low tide to high tide, the bay’s tidal range
been an annual trek to Fundy National Park and show the film. Oh, and there would be no lights in pullouts are by the road and about half are is about 50 feet, whereas the average tidal range
noticed a sign on the way pointing to a road we’d the bathrooms. wheelchair accessible. worldwide is only about 3 feet.
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Visitors stroll along
a path that leads to
a suspension bridge,
which crosses the
Big Salmon River.
Clockwise from
left: Fuller Falls; Time for Lunch The summer sun sets late this far north, so
the Cookhouse; The Cookhouse evokes the community buildings with two-thirds of the trail behind us, we planned
Flowerpot where late-1800s lumberjacks might have to visit one more lookout—Flowerpot Rock at
Rock, which
gathered. During our visit to the park’s sole Fownes Head. New Brunswick is famous for
succumbed to a
winter storm in restaurant, we explored the remnants of a sawmill these freestanding geological oddities, so named
2022. and interpretive displays about the lumber industry. because trees growing atop many of the tall,
We enjoyed freshly baked molasses cookies and narrow rock formations make them resemble
strawberry shortcake, but those may not be flowerpots. The most famous are the Hopewell
available now that it’s under a new operator. Rocks 66 miles to the east.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: LEIGH McADAM; REJEAN/[Link] (2)
On the other side of the Cookhouse’s parking But our plan had 2 problems. Our cloudless
lot, the interpretive center houses a small museum day had suddenly become socked in with fog,
with more artifacts from those lumbering days. rendering that last vantage point a gray nothing.
If You Go Just past that, my kids enjoyed bouncing on But the far bigger difficulty was that I didn’t know
This year, Fundy a suspension footbridge across the river. The that the rock had tumbled into the sea during a
Trail Provincial Suspension Footbridge Trail is one of more than 2022 winter storm, the victim of rough weather
Park is open a dozen hiking paths within the park, ranging from combined with enough rushing water to fill the
until October 27. easy quarter-mile strolls to strenuous technical Grand Canyon twice with every tide change.
NICOLAS VINCENT/[Link]
Hours vary. climbs. The park also serves as an endpoint for the So this time, the fog hadn’t concealed a thing.
Adult admission, Fundy Footpath, a rugged backcountry hiking trail We saw it all, no imagination required.
about $9. Families of nearly 40 miles.
(2 adults with kids We made our next stop Fuller Falls, one of the
18 and under), park’s 4 waterfalls. Its top is visible just a few steps New England native JEANNE O’BRIEN COFFEY
about $27. from the parking lot, but our adventurous group delights in sharing stories about her corner of the
happily braved the 72-step cable ladder to enjoy world. Her work has also appeared in Boston and
the mossy glen up close. Naturally, Danny Seo magazines.
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