Bay of Fundy and Hopewell Rocks

The Bay of Fundy, between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, has the greatest tidal range on the planet, with the water rising and falling by as much as sixteen metres twice a day as an enormous volume of sea funnels in and out. The most famous place to grasp it is Hopewell Rocks, where the tide has carved the soft cliffs into a row of tree-topped sea stacks known as the flowerpot rocks. At low tide you walk out across the ocean floor and stand at their bases, dwarfed; a few hours later that same ground is under many metres of water and kayakers paddle among the tops of the very rocks you stood beneath. The transformation, repeated daily, is the whole point, and timing your visit to the tide table is essential.

What you actually see

• The flowerpot rocks - the tree-topped sea stacks you walk among at low tide.
• The exposed ocean floor - the seabed you can stand on when the water withdraws.
• High tide - the same rocks half-submerged, paddled among by kayak.
• The tidal bore - the wave that runs up the rivers as the tide turns, seen elsewhere on the bay.

When to go

May to October when the site is open and staffed. The single most important thing is to check the tide table: you need low tide to walk the floor, and the two states are hours apart, so plan around it. Your ticket is valid two days so you can see both.

Honest expectations

The tides rule everything: arrive at high tide and there is no ocean floor to walk, so ignoring the schedule wastes the trip. Getting caught by the incoming tide is dangerous, and staff clear the floor well before it returns. The stairs down to the floor are long. It is a managed, ticketed site rather than a wild beach, and busy in peak summer.

Nearby

Fundy National Park is along the same coast; Moncton and its own tidal bore are 40 minutes north.