We originally planned our road trip to Atlantic Canada to visit three main areas: Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Quebec City for about a week each with a focus on slower pace than our normal travel while also and test if we could camp for about half the trip. Many of the places were we going were remote so camping was the only option. In addition to a slower pace and camping, we have some other “testing” on this trip, like inflatable kayaks, bike training in, drone flying, and trying to spend less per day.
Our plan was to go to Nova Scotia first. We would drive 1,500 miles over two and a half days from Gaithersburg to Cape Breton National Park at the tip of Nova Scotia, passing through New England, into Canada and New Brunswick, only stopping overnight. A couple of weeks before the trip, we watched some YouTube videos about the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick. We also wanted to visit some of Sharon’s relatives on the way up and were luck to have some friends host us for a night along the route. As a result, we adjusted our trip and shifted a day from Nova Scotia to the Bay of Fundy.
We stayed in Saint John, New Bruswick (not be to confused with St. John’s, Newfoundland) and then spent the day exploring the Bay of Fundy which is famous for its huge tides. Because we were traveling at a slower pace, we hadn’t planned many activities in advance assuming that we would have flexability. Our first major attraction was the “Reversing Falls,” where high tide creates tsunami-like waves. When we arrived, it was mid-tide was switching, so there was nothing to see. Our second attempt was Sea Cave Kayaking, but this activity is also dependent on the tides and was fully booked. We thought about taking out our kayak, but Sharon didn’t want to risk getting on the wrong side of the tide and pushed out to sea.
Bay of Fundy Provincial Park
The information we found about the Bay of Fundy was confusing. Google Maps didn’t route us along the scenic coast on the “Fundy Trail Parkway,” instead sending us far out of the way between Sea Cave Kayaking and the National Park. We assumed the parkway was closed. In reality, since the Fundy Trail Parkway is part of a provincial park with an entry fee, the route was not shown. Adding to the confusion, the “Fundy Coastal Way” runs parallel but isn’t actually on the coast. Our plan was to enter the park, ride bikes as far as we could, and then turn around. When we arrived, we discovered we could drive all the way through. We tried biking, but the hills were steep. But the hills created a spectacular coastline – much more scenic than we had expected. When we entered, the sun was shining; by the time we left, it was raining.
Hopewell Rocks
So we queried the best place to see the low tides (as low tide was 2 hours away) and went to Hopewell Rocks (another provincial park) and spend some time time walking on the sea floor during low tide. At high tide, only the trees can be seen.
Really glad we decided to spend a day at the Bay of Fundy – now off to Nova Scotia!
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