Bay of Fundy: High Tides and Hills

I once heard someone say "when you reach the end of life, your final thoughts won't be 'gosh, I wish I'd made that sales meeting.' It will be memories of 'that time we watched the whales in the Bay of Fundy.'"

Those words stuck with me and I decided I wanted to have that memory, too. It might sound like a silly thing, but it was what started me planning a family trip to the Bay of Fundy.

While the beauty of the area cannot be understated, so-called "attractions" aren't exactly close together. We decided to make this a road trip (driving 13 hours) rather than fly. We loaded our camping gear on the roof of our car, our bikes on the back, and off we went.

Fundy National Park, located in the northern section of the Appalachian mountain range, extends down to the coast where it meets the Bay of Fundy. It was the ideal place for us to stay on this nature trip.

Our campsite, early morning

Don't underestimate the size of this park. We camped at Point Wolfe, which was about 10 kms from the camp office and any amenities other than firewood (so be sure to stock up on any groceries or supplies before you get to the park). We were so high in the hills here that early in the morning we had to walk down through the cloud bank to get to the campground washrooms. I also underestimated how cold the nights could get in the mountains. Despite it being July, the temperature some nights hovered just above freezing. It was fine, once we prepared for it, but the first night was a little chilly!

Fundy National Park has more than 100 kms of trails, so there is no shortage of nature hikes here. There are trails for every level of hiker, from easy, beginner trails to tricky, expert trails. We made a mistake on one outing by selecting a difficult trail, severely underestimating just how difficult it was for people who were used to urban hikes.

The trail was at the opposite end of the park from where we were staying and took about 20 minutes of driving, much of it on a one-lane logging trail, to reach. The map said Moosehorn trail was a little over 2 kms long with some steep slopes (not far, right?) and connected to an easier trail (Laverty Falls) nearby (another 2.5 kms). We decided to start the trail, see how it was and then judge. It didn't seem so bad. Yes, there were a lot of uneven bits, but the so-called "steep" drop-offs didn't seem so bad and we motored along just fine.  The trail was beautiful: gurgling creeks, waterfalls and nature all around (a butterfly even came and landed on me when I stopped for a drink of water).

What we somehow didn't realize was that the first half of our hike was entirely downhill. It was noon by the time we reached the river at the halfway point and we felt like eggs frying in a pan as we walked along the rocky edge. That was followed by grass so tall, it towered over our heads. We couldn't be sure that we were in fact still on the trail (perhaps we were lost in the wilderness).

Then the climb back up the mountain began. By now we were all out of water and the temperature hovered around 30 degrees Celsius. Plus, it was über humid. I felt guilty every time my 5 year old asked "how much longer?" and I had no idea. This trail was tough for me, I could only imagine how hard it was on her little body. She wanted water, and we had none. We'd taken one bottle each and finished it by the halfway point. By the time we hit the 4 km point, my body was out of water and I stopped sweating. Not a good sign. Hubby ran ahead and made his way back to the car for more water, then came back for my daughter and I. Once we were back at the car I started shaking and spent much of the rest of the evening lying in the tent with a migraine. I do not recommend this trail unless you know what you are doing! Make sure you bring lots of water.

I know that 5 kms doesn't seem like far - but trust me, this is a difficult trail. We (including my daugher) have leisurely walked 15 kms in a day around cities in Europe without batting an eye. This trail beat us.


The next day, my daughter and I opted to hang by the park's salt water pool while my husband went geocaching. She found some kids to play with and I was content to curl up with a book and catch some sun. It was also pretty neat to sit by the pool and watch the fishing trawlers go by. Not something we get at home in Ontario.




Not far from the park is Cape Enrage. The drive along the water is beautiful, with rocky beaches that all but disappear at high tide. There is a lighthouse at the peak, which was much smaller than I ever pictured lighthouses in my head. Nearby there is a huge cliff where you can go rock climbing at low tide and see the lobster traps that were set to catch during high tide.

Cape Enrage, NB

The thing that sets the Bay of Fundy apart from other bodies of water, is that it has the highest tides in the world. Between high tide and low tide, the water level can change by as much as 40 feet, drastically changing the landscape twice a day.

 

 

Hopewell Rocks, low tide

Hopewell Rocks, high tide

An excellent spot to see this in action is at Hopewell Rocks, which is about 50 kilometres further into the Bay. Plan to spend a whole day here in order to get the full effect. Timetables, available online or at the cape, will tell you what time high and low tides are.  During low tide, when the water is out, you can walk freely on the sea floor. Seaweed becomes exposed and water lines loom high above your head. It'll be many hours before the tide comes back in, so waiting and watching it can be like waiting for a pot of water to boil on the stove... in slow motion!

We headed back to the restaurant near the entrance, where we had lobster rolls for lunch (which is basically lobster salad in a hot dog bun). After that, we still had several hours to kill before high tide, so we decided to go explore some more. We needed some groceries and asked the cashier at the ticket booth where the nearest grocery store was, expecting to be given directions a few kilometres away. We were astounded to learn that the nearest grocery store was in Moncton, 30 kilometres away.  My entire life I had lived within walking distance of a store. It was hard to imagine living so... secluded. We made the trek though, and took a little drive around the city while we were there before heading back to Hopewell Rocks for high tide.


In the opposite direction is quaint little village called St. Andrews, nearly 200 kms from Fundy National Park, near the U.S. border. We booked a whale watching excursion aboard a sailboat called the Jolly Breeze. We were worried that the long drive for this day trip would be for nothing when we woke up that morning to pouring rain. The ships won't sail in bad weather, when the water can be rough, but we lucked out and the further south we got, the more the weather cleared. We even had time to drive around Saint John, NB for a little bit on our way down.

As it turned out, it was the perfect day for this trip. Early on our ride it remained overcast and cool - a welcome change from the hot sun. Since there was little shade on the deck and little glare on the water, it allowed us to enjoy the sites as we sat on the boat. We saw a pod of seals relaxing on one of the islands we passed and a Bald Eagle perched high on a rock by the edge of the water.

As the day wore on, the clouds dispersed and the sun came out. Lovely lentil soup was handed out to the passengers as we set out for whale watching. We were not disappointed and spent more than an hour watching a mother Finback Whale and her calf swim around. Seeing the whales in their natural habitat cannot be compared to seeing a whale swim around in an aquarium tank. This is an experience I recommend for everyone. It's not cheap - probably our biggest expense on this trip at $55 per person ($35 for kids) - but well worth the money.

We also chanced upon a passing US Navel vessel, which was a sight to see on its own.






On our way back, containers with live star fish and sea urchins were passed around for the children to see and touch as the history of the area and education about sea life was told. Then they each had a chance in turn to steer the ship as we headed back to port.

The town itself is a sight to see, with quaint little shops and homes built in typical seaside fashion. We stopped for fish and chips at the Kennedy Inn, Canada's "oldest summer hotel," and wandered around town before taking the long drive back to our campground again.

The Canadian Maritime provinces offer so many sites to see, it is hard to choose what it is that you want to do. More popular destinations include PEI and Newfoundland, but although this trip involved a lot of driving, we feel we got to see a lot of treasures and considered it a great success. There is a lot to be said for spending a week with Mother Nature and all the wonders she offers.