Soaking up fun and adventure in New Brunswick
Published May 1st, 2023
All photographs by Jay Kana & Steph Wallcraft
In all of our adventures across Canada, the east coast is truly a special place.
We spent a week in beautiful and welcoming New Brunswick to soak in the sights, sounds, serenity and all the hot and cool spots the province has to offer. Plus, it has the highest tides in the world!
From kayaking twice on different parts of the Bay of Fundy to the remarkable Fundy Trail Parkway to the unique Saint Andrews and much more, count on us going back for seconds and thirds in the future.
Here’s our guide to help you make the most of your visit to New Brunswick.
Saint John
Currently experiencing a revitalization, Saint John is going from great to outstanding. It’s Canada’s oldest incorporated city and has the charm and presence to prove it.
With the Hilton Saint John as our home base, everything was within walking distance.
A new and creative Waterfront Container Village uses, well, shipping containers as satellite shops and is smartly set up beside the cruise ship port. It’s colourful, has food, drink and retail shops, and there’s even a stage for live entertainment. It was worth the ten minute walk.
The oldest market in Canada is here via the Saint John City Market, complete with all the wares you’d expect from fruit, meats, cheeses, drinks and more. When you go, look at the ceiling as it’s in the shape of an inverted ship’s hull.
Dining-wise, there are 80 non-chain brand but independent bars and restaurants in a 10 block radius, so there’s likely something for every taste. We tried a bit of everything over a few days that included seafood, Thai, Indian, Italian and traditional pub fare. There’s a strip of restaurants with joined patios facing the water, complete with ambient strand lights that are worth experiencing on North Market Wharf.
Keep walking and explore the streets and sights of the downtown and pop into an art gallery or two or an interesting shop.
It truly is a beautiful city that has plenty to offer visitors from beautiful waterfront views to a detailed dining scene, plus oh-so many attractions.
The one place you will have to drive to, (although you could walk the four km from the hotel…) are the Reversing Falls Rapids, which is exactly what you’re picturing.
As the tide is going out, the Saint John River flows into the bay and the rapids follow; when the tide comes in, the force pushes the water back upriver and like putting a car in R, the rapids flow in reverse.
The full cycle takes around six hours so you can sit tight and watch the full transformation if you have time, or visit twice; once in the beginning for 30 minutes and once at the end for another 30. That five hours in between can easily be filled with a variety of activities and attractions.
Saint Andrews and Ministers Island
Saint Andrews, also known as Saint Andrews by-the-Sea, was designated as a National Historic District in 1998 and is one of Canada’s premier seaside resort towns. The inviting main strip, Water Street, is draped with several century-old buildings, small-town shops offering retail options, boutique shops, food, drink, candy, ice cream and more. Stroll the King Street pier and get a view of Saint Andrews Harbour and soak in the small-town charm. Dining options are plentiful and for the full seaside dining experience, score a seat on a patio.
A few minutes north is where you’ll find the one-of-a-kind Ministers Island, which is interestingly, a part-time island. During high tide, it’s an island. At low tide, you can stand on the shore and watch as a sand bar emerges from beneath the water, then, amazingly, drive on and across it to experience the island, which is not an island at this point in the tides.
It’s about a five minute drive across, you’ll have to go slowly and stay to one side to keep in motion.
Interestingly, when the tide is high, the “road” is covered with at least 13 feet of water.
This was the historic summer estate of Sir William Van Horne, an American who made himself popular and wealthy by overseeing construction of Canada’s first transcontinental railroad.
Take a tour, roam the grounds, and bring yourself back a century or so to imagine what life was like in this mega estate.
No dawdling here, though as the island is only accessible for a few hours a day due to the tide timing. Plus, the window of opportunity changes daily. Planning carefully and smartly will give you the best experience here, and you’ll get to say you’ve driven on and across an ocean floor.
St. Martins
About an hour east of Saint John is the quaint fishing village of St. Martins, which is where we went from a gas pedal to kayak paddle via the good people at the Bay of Fundy Adventures. We did the 2.5 hour Sea Caves Kayak Tour that saw us depart from the harbour, slice across the bay and then parallel to the Bay of Fundy coastline. We paddled past two UNESCO sites: Stonehammer UNESCO Global Geopark, and UNESCO Fundy Biosphere Region.
We admired sea caves, cliffs and rock formations, and stopped at a private beach near the end of the tour and watched the tide begin to come in.
This was one of our favourite moments as we’re avid kayakers and there’s something about paddling in this world-famous Bay that’s unlike anything else.
Fun fact: This houses the longest undeveloped stretch of coastline left on North America’s eastern seaboard.
A quick stop for a fish and chips lunch at the local The Caves Restaurant was well-earned after our kayak adventure. Friendly service, good food and wonderful views of the water.
After lunch, we walked on the ocean floor for about 30 minutes as in a matter of hours, it would be beneath the tides. It’s memorable that you can set your feet down on the same place that you can only access by water in the same space, only hours apart. The tides truly are a magical aspect to New Brunswick.
Did Jay to too adventurous in trying to get some video and get his feet wet as the tide was coming in, despite Steph warning him and him saying “no, no, it’s fine!?” Perhaps…perhaps.
After a long day, end your day a the Beach Street Inn, with a cozy and charming room overlooking the water, and an lovely lobster dinner in their dining room.
Fundy Trail Parkway
Until May 2020, the famed Fundy Trail Parkway was a dead end requiring a U-turn to get out of the area. Now, a fully paved connector road is open between the Parkway and the entrance to Fundy National Park. The turn-off comes quick so keep your eyes wide open for the sign.
In what can easily take up a full day, this serene and scenic stretch of road is 30-kilometres long and follows the shoreline with 21 lookouts, five beaches, four waterfalls, and several hiking trails, including the mammoth 41-kilometre Fundy Footpath, connecting to Fundy National Park.
Attractions along the Parkway include walking across the Big Salmon River suspension bridge, strolling through Long Beach, and taking the moderate and absolutely worth it hike to the Walton Glen Gorge lookout.
The Gorge, nicknamed the Grand Canyon of New Brunswick, features a viewing platform to admire the area which is 1,000 feet across, 525 feet deep and over 550 million years old. Thank you to the volcanic eruptions for creating this.
The Parkway’s creation rang up a price tag of $100 million and took 25 years to create; money and time very well invested.
Whether you’re a driver or passenger, this is one of the top 10 driving experiences in Canada.
After a day or driving and adventure, take the 30 minute drive toward the picturesque fishing town and popular summer vacation destination in Alma and settle in for the night. Oh, all the restaurants close at 8 p.m., so plan and eat accordingly.
Hopewell Rocks
Similarly to the Fundy Trail Parkway, the majestic Hopewell Rocks can easily encompass a full and worthwhile day.
Your important choice is to arrive when the tide is either in or out - showing up without planning for, say, an hour, will be a misuse of your time.
We arrived early at low tide and walked down onto the ocean floor, where you’ll easily gain perspective on just how towering the cliffs and sea stacks are. As the tide comes in, the water levels will change very quickly. Smartly, park staff are close by to ensure everyone gets up the stairs before the area is submerged.
The cafe/restaurant is a good pit-stop to refuel as you’ll need it if you follow our lead, which was to do another sea kayak adventure, this time via Baymont Outdoor Adventures.
The best part is in contrast to the morning, where we walked the ocean floor. This time, we kayaked over the very same spaces, giving us such a unique vantage point. The two-ish hour tour blends kayaking through open waters, through rock formations and sea caves and splashes in history of the area.
The area is quite the Canadian icon as it’s featured in Air Canada’s welcome and safety videos.
You should go. You really should. Maybe we’ll drive you!
If your’e flying, there are direct flights available. If you’re driving, it’s about 15 hours over 1,500-ish kms. Fancy the train? Via Rail goes from Toronto to Moncton, with the destination being a 90 minute drive to Saint John.
To further add to planning your experience, visit tourismnewbrunswick.ca
We drove a 2022 Lincoln Nautilus during our week in New Brunswick and to learn all about this luxury crossover, watch the video below.