We really did not plan to see much of New Brunswick on this trip.  While we stayed at a campground near Calais Maine it was so close and such an easy border crossing (think no lines, relaxed border guards) we thought, why not?

St. Croix Island is a National Park Service site near Calais Maine and a Provincial Park in New Brunswick.  Its one of those surprise little parks with a huge historic story.  It was the first attempted European settlement in 1604, 3 years before Jamestown.  The French settlement was a total failure but lessons were learned that enabled the next group to succeed.

This little island made history

First European attempt at settling North America

St. Andrews by the Sea is a lovely seaside resort town with a historic British Blockhouse, lighthouse and famous botanical gardens.

Pendlebury Lighthouse

Low tide at St. Andrews by the Sea

Early 19th Century Blockhouse

Low tide bar to Ministers Island

Kingsbrae Garden

Hopewell Rocks is a popular site in the Bay of Fundy and home to the “Flowerpots”, rock structures visable at low tide in an area of 40 foot tides.  Seeing these rocks at high tide and then walk the area at low tide is incredible.  The tide here can rise up to 13 feet in an hour.  We stayed in nearby Alma NB where the impact of tides on the local fishing fleet is obvious.

Hopewell Rocks low tide

High tide

High tide

Low tide

40 feet underwater

Low tide at Alma NB

The Moncton Tidal Bore is world famous for the tidal wave (not tsunami) rushing upstream twice per day in downtown Moncton New Brunswick.  It is amazing to wait and wait and then here it comes.  The visitor center has the timing down to within 15 minutes.

Moncton River

The Tidal Bore

Deer Island is a small island in Passamaquoddy Bay between New Brunswick and Maine.  We took the free car ferry.  This is a very rural quiet place.  It is most famous for “Old Sow”, one of the largest tidal whirlpools in the world.  Tides are so serious here anything can happen and this whirlpool is awesome.  Scary!

Free ferry to Deer Island

Typical shoreline

Old Sow tidal whirlpool

New Brunswick is a very pretty province with great roads and friendly people.  It is probably the most bilingual of all Canada.

Cape Enrage Light

Sawmill Creek bridge 1905