Fundy Trail Parkway & St Martins
Whether you like to take a leisurely drive, do some hiking or biking, or just hit the word relax, the Fundy Trail Parkway & St Martins is for you!
You can visit their website directly: Fundy Trail Parkway – Fundy Trail Parkway
How do you get there?
The Fundy Trail is a 2,559 hectare/6,323-acre park featuring a 30 km/19-mile parkway hugging the southern coast of New Brunswick. You have two access points to the Fundy Trail. You can choose to enter the Fundy Trail Western Entrance near St Martins or through the Fundy Trail Eastern Entrance near Sussex Corner.
We were closer to Sussex Corner, which is where our adventure began, and we ended it through the St. Martins entrance so we could visit the St. Martins Village.
I spent this excursion with three of my favorite guys, my father, Gerald, my fiancée, Roger, and my son, Derek. It was a beautiful day! The weather was around 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit).
Fundy Trail Parkway
You need a Fundy Trail Parkway pass (daily, 5-day or seasonal). This pass also allows you into other attractions in the area. More details on these attractions and rates can be found on their website.
On arrival, we attempted to drive to a waterfall that my son had recently visited with an ATV. The road was a little challenging in my SUV for my comfort, so we turned around. The attempt made for good conversation as we started our travels.
We chose to walk the Walton Glen Gorge trail so we could all enjoy the lookout.
It was a fantastic landscape, and the gorge’s depth was somewhat challenging to capture in pictures. The beauty was exceptional and worth the hike.
Standing on the Walton Glen Gorge Observation Deck, you can also see this view!
There are facilities throughout the parkway with washrooms and places to pick up water, drinks, or snacks. With multiple trail options, you could spend days enjoying nature around this beautiful wonder. As you drive, you can stop at many lookout points like the one below.
There are a few beaches to visit in the area, and on this trip, we chose Long Beach. At low tide, this beach extends for half a kilometer or about a third of a mile into the Bay of Fundy, exposing a two and a half kilometer or one-and-a-half-mile long shoreline and an ocean floor perfect for exploring. We were there at high tide, but such a beautiful beach to visit.
St. Martins
St Martins is one of few places with the tidal wonder of the Bay of Fundy and the world’s highest tides. If you are there at the right time, you can see the fishing boats in the Bay on dry sand, waiting for the high tide to rise and fill the empty harbor with water. It is sometimes hard to imagine until you see it! When we were there, it was high tide.
The tide is watched for other reasons as well. People wait to walk or hike the ocean floor into sea caves and caverns. And when the tide rises, it fills these caves and caverns with water with no mark that you have been there. I read that the tidal range can be up to 38 feet on the shores in St Martins!
You can kayak into the sea caves and caverns when the tide is high. The kayaks can be rented; what a beautiful experience, and this has been added to my to-do list when we go back!
We dined overlooking these incredible St. Martins Sea Caves at The Caves Restaurant. It is said to be known for its world-famous chowder, but I chose a fish & chip this trip and it did not disappoint.
We drove through St Martins and passed by the Tidal Harbor, an information center, small shops, and an ice cream shop.
We took a short drive through the village and headed home through the Western entrance near St. Martins.
We can’t wait to go back to hike different trails and enjoy the beautiful scenery. If you plan a trip to New Brunswick, Canada, the Fundy Trail Parkway & St Martins is an excursion you should add to your bucket list!
Beautiful pictures. Looks so inviting and beautiful makes you want to see it!!
Next time you will have to come with us!