Bouctouche Dune

The Bouctouche dune is a sandspit running about twelve kilometres into the Northumberland Strait, one of the few remaining large dune systems on the northeastern coast and formed over some two thousand years. By the 1990s foot traffic was destroying the marram grass that holds the sand together, so the Irving family funded the Eco-Centre and a boardwalk about two kilometres long that carries visitors over the dune rather than through it, with interpretive stations along the way; storm surges in 2010 and 2022 destroyed sections, and roughly eight hundred metres remains walkable today. The lagoon behind is a nursery for fish and shellfish and a feeding area for terns, plovers and herons.

What you actually see

• The boardwalk - a raised walk over the dune protecting the marram grass.
• The twelve-kilometre spit - a long sand finger into the strait.
• The lagoon - sheltered water behind the dune with wading birds.
• The Eco-Centre - interpretation of dune formation and the restoration.

When to go

June to September for the beach and full centre hours; the boardwalk is open year-round and winter walks on the spit are striking. Piping plover nesting restricts some areas in early summer.

Honest expectations

Walking beyond the boardwalk onto the dune is discouraged and damages it. Storms have destroyed sections of boardwalk repeatedly and repairs take time. The centre closes in winter.

Nearby

Shediac lies south; Kouchibouguac is north.