Fundy Loop

[seguin118]

Planning a trip around Bay of Fundy this summer.Ferry from St.John to Digby and up around.Any suggestions for hikes,campgrounds etc. greatly appreciated.

 

[KayakDan]

Here is the info for Keji
You will be fairly close to "Keji" Kejimikujik National Park.
Canoeing,kayaking and backpacking look pretty good here.

If you decide to go the long way back,consider a visit to Cape Chignecto Provincial Park-Here's the info

 

[chas]

Fundy National park has some great trails, some of which have elevation gain (if I'm not mistaken, there are backpacking trails there with a permit system). The whole park is located where the hills come down to the bay and there are some dramatic viepoints of the Bay of Fundy. There is a nice little town nearby for supplies and possible lodging if you don't want to car camp.

Chas.

 

[dentonfabrics]

I was in Fundy National Park last year. You'll love it. Tons of trails, great biking too. There's not a lot of civilization or night life around though. Nearest town is Alma and there's not a good restaurant or bar to be had. Gas prices also are real expensive in Canada.

I never made it up as far north as Kouchibouguac National Park but that place is supposed to be real nice too. They advertise that the water temps in the ocean are as warm as they are in Virginia.

Hopewell Rocks is a pretty cool sight too. It's about an hour north of Alma. Enjoy your trip. Contact me if you have any specific questions about the area.

 

[pedxing]

I'm totally in love with the Nova Scotia side of the bay. I lived there one summer and drove all over doing interviews for a Harvard-Dalhousie mental health survey

Keiji park is great. It's definitely worth renting a canoe and doing some hiking. There is an incredible variety in the towns, sub-cultures and ecology there (there are Acadian towns, loyalist towns from after the American revolution, communities formed primarily of escaped slaves coming through the underground railroad or escaping with the British after the revolution). Annapolis Royal, The Digby neck (the ferry scenes in Dolores Claiborne were shot on the ferries there), and Bear River are great places in the Digby area. There is a backpacking hostel on Brier Island at the end of Digby neck - although I must admit that I did some hiking there but saw no great backpacking opportunities.

I was addicted to watching the tides at Smith's cove from a spot near the Harbour View Inn.

http://www.destination-ns.com/ is a good place for general info about Nova Scotia.

I don't know if you're planning on getting to Cape Bretton, but I've heard plenty of raves about Cape Breton Highlands National Park (I kicked myself for never getting up there).

I'm also assuming you aren't going as far North as Gaspe, but plan to return directly through New Brunswick.

 

[seguin118]

Thanks for the info.I'm figuring 2 days on Grand Manan and then heading across to Digby,up to Truro and back down through NB.Fundy NP was on the list already.
We stayed at Cobscook Bay last year and did the Bold Coast and a few other trails in the area and I've towed barges up to St.John and had the chance to do a little exploring there.
But civilization,nightlife and restaurants are never very high on my list of priorities and I'm looking forward to getting away from Rte 1 for a while.

 

[Rick]

Seguin, We spent a few weeks for several summers camping on Campobello Island and absolutely loved it.
WE spent a night and 2 days on Grand Manan (stayed at the lighthouse keepers house) and I must say, the island is a bit rustic, but we enjoyed it just the same.
PS - If you get a chance, head over to East QuoddyHead Lighthouse on Campobello (low tide access only) it is worth the trip
Good luck

Rick

 

[una_dogger]

YES!!!

I did the Cape Chignecto Coastal Trail last August and it was AWESOME!!!
An easy three day backpack, gorgeous scenery, pristine campsites, incredibly well run Provincial Park. I saw only one person in three days and he was a park employee.

PM me if you'd like more info or some pics!
http://www.capechignecto.net/

Permit not required but campsite reservations required

Sabrina

 

[Waumbek]

some books

Here are some good books to help you plan:

Marianne and H.A. Eiselt, Hiking Guide to New Brunswick, 2nd. ed. 1996. Goose Lane. (Covers Campobello, Grand Manan, FNP, Kouchibouguac, Carleton, etc.)

Michael Haynes, Hiking Trails of Nova Scotia, 8th ed. 2002. Goose Lane.

Michael Haynes, Hiking Trails of Cape Breton, rev. ed. 2002. Goose Lane.

Wm. Moreira et al., Keji: A Guide to Kejimkujik National Park, 2005. Nimbus.

All of these were purchased in Atlantic Canada and may be hard to find in the US. But check out www.gooselane.com for the first three.

I'll get some pictures up soon with other recs.

 

[Zimmer]

We LOVE Grand Manan (fwiw, we also love rustic); we've also been to Campobello, but if time is limited, we'd choose GM over Campobello (sorry, Rick ) . There are two main campgrounds there: Anchorage Provincial Park and Hole in the Wall. We opted for the former as the latter has cliffside sites that sound really cool, but we didn't want to worry about the kids or the dog on the cliffs. Turned out to be a good choice, as it was very windy. Anchorage has sites that are sort of mown out of 12' high scrub, so you're well shielded from neighbors and have some protection from the wind. There are also these funky wild domestic bunnies all over the campground. Make sure to close up your food if you stay there! Downside is that they won't even let you drive INTO Hole in the Wall even to check out sites without buying a day pass. There is some good hiking that originates from there, but I'm fairly sure it can all be done from other trailheads as well.

We haven't been there, but I've heard raves about Five Islands Provincial Park at the top of the bay of Fundy (within Nova Scotia). One day we'll make it there camping.

 

[Rick]

We LOVE Grand Manan (fwiw, we also love rustic); we've also been to Campobello, but if time is limited, we'd choose GM over Campobello (sorry, Rick )

I should qualify my statement. My wife & I thought that Grand Manan would be a touristy place with small quaint shops and and an old fashioned colorful Main street with the rest of the island dotted with small countryside style cottages and the like. To sum it up, we thought we'd be in a Gloucester-like area rather than a Wasilla-like area.

Once we ratcheted our expectations down, we were fine - By the way, I am by no means a snob. I'm a no-price, self-deprecating, monkey-wrench-gang, sleep-under-the-stars, eat-cheap live-cheap and let-whatever-may-happen, happen kind of person - It's just that our expectations were for something totally different.

I really wanted to stay at Hole In The Wall, but wifey really wanted to wake-up with a lighthouse nearby - (Little did she know it meant waking at 1:06 AM when the fog rolled in and the foghorn started going off every 15 minutes.) I did love that little lighthouse though It was pretty cool walking along that hogsback and bridge to get out there.

We were yelled at and made to turn around by the owner of the Hole-in-the-Wall for doing just what you warned against

 

[Zimmer]

I should qualify my statement. My wife & I thought that Grand Manan would be a touristy place with small quaint shops and and an old fashioned colorful Main street...

Oh. Wow. That must have been a shock!