Fundy National Park

The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world, with a range that can exceed sixteen metres at the head of the bay, produced by the resonance of the basin matching the tidal period. At Alma in the park the difference between high and low water is around twelve metres, and boats sit on mud at low tide before floating a few hours later. Inland the park is Acadian forest with more than a hundred kilometres of trails and more than twenty-five waterfalls, including Dickson Falls on a boardwalk loop. The park is a Dark Sky Preserve and Atlantic salmon have been reintroduced to the Upper Salmon River.

History

The Mi'kmaq and Maliseet used the area, though few traces suggest permanent settlement, and Acadians settled nearby from the late 1600s, at Chipoudy, now Shepody, from 1710. Settlers from Scotland, Ireland and England came only in 1825; the plateau farms were abandoned within a generation, while coastal villages such as Point Wolfe lived from fishing, sawmills and small shipyards until logging exhausted the forest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A national park was first proposed by the New Brunswick Fish and Game Association in 1927, and after long disagreement over the site the park was created on 10 April 1946 and officially opened on 29 July 1950 (Wikipedia, Fundy National Park).

The landscape

• The twelve-metre tide - boats grounded at low water and afloat hours later.
• The exposed sea floor - beach walking where the bay was.
• Dickson Falls - a boardwalk loop to a fall in Acadian forest.
• The dark sky - a designated preserve with strong star visibility.

When to go

June to September for full services; the park stays open in winter with limited facilities. Tide times govern any beach walking and shift by about an hour each day.

Good to know

The tide comes in fast enough to strand people on the flats, and the mud is deep. Fog is common in summer. Camping books ahead for peak weeks.

Nearby

Cape Enrage lies east; the Fundy Trail Parkway is west.

Key facts