Joggins Fossil Cliffs

The Joggins cliffs expose about fifteen kilometres of rock from the Pennsylvanian period, around three hundred and ten million years ago, when this was equatorial swamp forest; lycopsid trees are preserved standing upright where they grew, filled with sediment, and inside some of them are the remains of Hylonomus lyelli, the earliest known reptile. Charles Lyell visited in 1842 and Darwin cited the site in On the Origin of Species. Because the Fundy tides scour the cliff face twice a day, new fossils appear constantly, which is why it was inscribed by UNESCO in 2008 and why collecting is prohibited without a permit.

What you actually see

• The upright fossil trees - lycopsids preserved standing where they grew.
• The constantly renewing face - tides exposing new fossils daily.
• The Darwin connection - a site cited in On the Origin of Species.
• The guided beach walks - fossil identification on the shore at low tide.

When to go

May to October for guided walks and the centre; beach access depends on the tide and the guided programme times around it. The centre closes in winter.

Honest expectations

Beach access is tide-dependent and the cliffs are actively falling, so unguided wandering is dangerous. Collecting fossils is illegal without a permit. The centre closes for winter.

Nearby

Cape Chignecto lies southwest; Amherst is northeast.