Fundy Nat. Park & Grand Manan I.

[Waumbek]

I've been up checking out the hiking in Fundy Nat. Park and on Grand Manan Island, a 90-minute ferry ride from coastal New Brunswick (Blacks Harbour). This is a fabulous part of the world that I hope to see more of (plus further north at Gros Morne, Newfoundland, and other places). The trails were empty--it's still pre-season there--and everyone was very friendly and helpful. The weather, of course, was dreadful, almost a week solid of rain so I didn't take many pictures. But it has not dampened my enthusiasm to return after this initial recon visit. One of the new things I encountered was having to pay attention to the tides on a hike. The Bay of Fundy is famous for its high tides (a record 52 feet at the north end of the bay), and at least a few of the trails cross beaches and other areas that are under water part of the time. (Tide intervals are 6 hours and 13 minutes). On Grand Manan, there's an incredible cliff-side trail (Red Cliff Tr.) that winds around the southeast part of the island and goes past the hole-in-the-wall rock structure. You can get out to it at low tide if you successfully negotiate the slippery seaweed and grass. But at high tide, kayakers can paddle through it. The high cliffs of Grand Manan make for spectacular scenery and dramatic hikes (not for kids or dogs as there are no guardrails). Thanks again to all who gave me tips about this area. It was well worth the trip.

 

[TrekMan]

Fundy Bay area

Hi - We are getting married October 1st and planning a trip to the Fundy coast in NB. Any suggestions where to go - we are mainly looking at B&Bs for staying, renting a car and looking for hiking, views etc.

-TrekMan

 

[Rick]

We were out on Grand Manan Island for a couple of days back around 2001 .
(Camping on Campobello Island is our all time favorite)

On Grand Manan, we stayed at the
Swallow Tail lighthouse
more info - This lighthouse is the one the point that the ferry passes by as it rounds the isle to come into port. It was extremely cool being out there. Very Rusticly Romantic too.

Our favorite lighthouse is East Quoddy Head on Campobello Island. It is reached only at the mipoint of low tide (about 2 hours each side of it) otherwise you are stranded as the tide comes ripping through the small crags that become islands at high tide.
Here is some more detail
East Quoddy Head
More

The mosquitoes are very bad until the end of July (and it is quite cool until midJuly) You are 2 ferry transits away from St. John New Brunswick too. If I recall, the ferries between Campobello, Deer Isle and the Mainland are free. The Grand Manan was like $60Cn R/T.

 

[hiker6288]

Have been going to Lubec for the past 6 years.Been going to Campobello just as long as they are connected by bridge and there is a great campsite next to Herring Cove Provencial beach.This July we have a week on Campobello and a rental from a gentlemen on www.campobello.com I have no affiliation with the website but there is alot of info and a couple links on it for some research on Campobello.Rick hit it right on the head.East quoddy is beautifull and you can see the seals swim every night down at the pier in Lubec.They will literally come within 5-10 feet,,,makes for good entertainment as you enjoy an ice cream and soak in the evening sunset.October will probably be to late for the whales but if your up for a relaxing couple days without your cell phones as Lubec is a black hole for your signal then that is the place for you.Some people have a hard time understanding that you can have a vacation,have a great time,and not have any huge attractions or crowds or nightlife.Every year it continues to get better with new adventures found along the ocean.

 

[Waumbek]

Hi - We are getting married October 1st and planning a trip to the Fundy coast in NB. Any suggestions where to go - we are mainly looking at B&Bs for staying, renting a car and looking for hiking, views etc.
-TrekMan

The most incredible campsites I have ever seen are on the cliffs of Grand Manan at Hole-in-the-Wall wilderness campground. Honestly, I might want to limit my alcohol consumption if I tented there! And they warn you that the whales might wake you at night. I could handle that. Be aware that it's a 90-minute ferry ride from coastal NB (Blacks Harbour) to Grand Manan, and you might want reservations in advance. We winged it and almost ended up spending the night on the island because the ferry was booked pretty full on the return. (You don't actually buy a ticket until you get to Grand Manan.) There's good cliffside hiking on the island. The other place to go to hike, of course, is Fundy National Park. I liked the Point Wolfe campground best (no RVs and RV "services" but washhouses are there.) The Fundy chalets in the park are supposedly "rustic" but quite well-appointed and they have killer views of the bay. You should probably be reserving those soon. In fact, much of NB closes up late September/early October. I can recommend Bocabec cottages in Bocabec near St Andrews (google Bocabec cottages); the cottages are not literally on the water but have a view and the one we had was super clean and nice. St Andrews is a charming late 18th c. town settled by Loyalists (who still wonder how George lost the colonies). It's only about 30 minutes from the border crossing at Calais. I could go on but I'll get some web addresses for you and come back and add them on an edit. Oh yes, there's one out-of-print guide to NB hiking that I never managed to find here but purchased at the bookstore in Fundy Nat Park. You really should try to get it. I'll track down the title and add on an edit too.
Here's a link to FNP campgrounds. And here's a link to Fundy Highlands Inn and chalets. #2 and #3 have the best view but #23 and #24 are great too. The guide you should try to get is Marianne Eiselt and H. A. Eiselt's A Hiking Guide to New Brunswick, 2nd ed. (1996). A new guide is apparently in the works. You might try contacting the Fundy Guild, which runs the bookstore. The FG produces a very nice tyvek map of park trails with descriptions that you'll see on the Guild site as well (it's the Fundy National Park Trail Guide) and can probably order from there. OK, those are for starters so let me know if you need more info. And congratulations on the impending wedding bells!
PS. Not sure about staying in a working lighthouse. The automated foghorns are very loud. Right outside the building you have to cover your ears. If you go to Campobello, Herring Cove is beautiful for camping. There's also a nice set of log cottages on the west side of the island right near customs. I can dig up the name if you'd like. Ferry service from Campobello to other islands may be closed down by October. Ditto the nice rental agent (Bob) on the Campobello site listed above.

 

[TrekMan]

Great info ... more than I had wished for

Waumbek,

Thanks for all the great leads. Looks like maybe 32 hours of browsing to get some of the stuff down! Excellent! The more I see of new places, the more I see what I have missed. Camping is not out of the question and we may just look at several options, but will treat ourselves when the time is right.

Thanks again - I will watch for info from others, but you seem to be "The Source"!