Trip Overview - New Brunswick Road Trip - 13 Days from Virginia to New Brunswick

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This is the first post in a series for this trip. You can view links to the other posts at the bottom of this one.

Included in this trip overview post are sections on how we determined this route and destination, where we stayed, a list of our trip highlights, a selection of some of our favorite restaurants, musings on whether we’d return again, what we’d do differently if we had a do-over, and a map of our actual route.

Planning our Road Trip To and Through New Brunswick, Canada

how we determined our destination: To and through new brunswick, canada

One of our summer destination preferences is to head to a northern locale so we can enjoy weather cooler than the hot, humid summers of Virginia, benefit from the extra long hours of daylight, and see a place that we likely wouldn’t enjoy visiting other times of the year when it’s dark and cold. This approach has taken us at mid-summer to destinations such as Scotland (read here), Iceland (read here), and western Canada’s Vancouver and Banff regions (read here).

Ready for our first summer trip since 2019 (darn covid), we decided we did not want to contend with air travel and started scanning options that were within a (somewhat possible) driving distance. I’ve always wanted to see Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. We also enjoyed the US side of the Great Lakes (read here) so were curious about the Canadian side of them. So, we started scoping out options in those regions. As we started coming across locations en route to Nova Scotia, it quickly became evident that there was not enough time to see it all in one 2-week trip so we decided on a visit to New Brunswick with an itinerary built around two of Canada’s National Parks: Fundy National Park, situated along the southern coast on the world famous Bay of Fundy, known for some of the highest ranges of tides (the difference between low tide and high tide is about the same as a 4-story building!), and Kouchibouguac National Park, along the eastern coast of the province. In the more northern and much more French speaking Bertrand area, we got a glimpse into the history of the Acadian people in Canada, the country’s Francophiles who were booted off their land and out of the country during political upheaval.

In order to break up the trip, we added an overnight in Lexington, Massachusetts on the way up, and a more meandering route through some of Maine’s coast. On the return trip, we diverted from our originally planned route and cut across Vermont and New Hampshire to see some of their picturesque historic towns and spent a few days in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, known for its Pennsylvania Dutch culture and history.

This was a road trip that truly earned the name ‘road trip’ – we traversed 10 states in the US and 1 province in Canada. And while we never got to Nova Scotia, we did spot its land mass across the water several times. At a total length of 13 days, we realized that this was the longest trip we had ever taken at once, blowing away our previous length of 11 days, which we have done several times. We clocked in almost 2,800 miles and about 48 hours of driving time.

what were the highlights OF OUR road trip to and through new brunswick, canada?

We covered a lot of ground - literally and metaphorically - and we’ll delve into far more details in our forthcoming posts. In the interim, here are a smattering of the highlights from our trek:

· Fundy National Park – We enjoyed several hikes along the coast and in the interior of the park, discovered several waterfalls, especially picturesque Dickson Falls. Pointe Wolfe Beach was one of my favorite spots. This cove is normally below the bay’s surface but during low tide, you can walk way out into the cove and check out the beautiful colored rocks that are smooth from the water. The town of Alma is cute and a great place to stay, and it’s located right next to the park’s entrance. For an extra challenging hike, the route on Moosehead Trail to Laverty Falls will check that box.

· Hopewell Rock – Just a short drive from Fundy National Park, Hopewell Rock is a beach area of flowerpot stacks that visitors can walk among during low tide. The area is really beautiful and mesmerizing. Unfortunately (in our view), the touristyness of this spot makes it less our speed but if you can get past that, it’s absolutely worth visiting.

· Fort Beausejour-Fort Cumberland – This spot is mostly en route from Fundy National Park to Kouchibouguac National Park and is worth visiting for an overview of the area’s Acadian history. We had the good fortune of visiting on Canada Day, which granted free admission. The fort remains are basically earth-works and there is a small museum with information about the history and artifacts.

· Biking at Kouchibouguac National Park – There is a nice 14-mile loop geared towards bikers that offers a nice way to explore a significant portion of the park while moving just fast enough to outpace the mosquitoes. We also enjoyed several hikes in this park but had to truly cover up every spot of skin to avoid the mosquitoes that were in full force in July. The Bog Hike is particularly cool for unique vistas and to spot carnivorous plants.

· Village Historique Acadien – Situated in Bertrand, this open-air, living history museum proceeds through 200 years of Acadian history, starting in the 1700s. The buildings here have been relocated from other sites and provide a peek into the history of the Acadian people throughout the region. We spent a solid 5 hours exploring the museum. (The English spelling is Acadian, the French Acadien.)

· Drive through New England – We were able to take a tour of some of the picturesque towns of New England and the nearby wild areas. Some of the towns we explored included Keene, NH; Brattleboro, VT; Bennington, VT. We drove through the Catskill Mountains, the Pocono Mountains, the Green Mountains National Forest.

· Wandering through historic Lancaster, Pennsylvania – This very walkable area is great for window (and actual) shopping, grabbing a bite to eat at a wide array of restaurants way more diverse than we’d expected for this area, and check out the history, including Lancaster Central Market, the country’s oldest continually operating public farmer’s market.

where we stayed: ACCOMMODATIONS on our road trip to and through new brunswick, canada

When we did quick one-night stays to break up our drives on this trip, we used Marriott points to stay free at one of their properties. For any other stops (which was the majority), we rented a home through AirBnb, which allowed us to stay right near the destinations that drew us in the first place. New Brunswick is a rural province and so these options worked well for both location and to give us added flexibility in cooking our own meals. Not to mention the benefit of having access to a washer and dryer while on a lengthy trip! Here’s a quick overview of the places we stayed – all of which we would recommend to others. In our more detailed posts, we’ll provide additional information about each where there’s something worth writing about!

· Night 1: Lexington Element in Lexington, Massachusetts

· Nights 2-4: Once Upon a Time AirBnb in Alma, New Brunswick

· Nights 5-7: Cottage near Kouchibouguace AirBnb in Kouchibouguac, New Brunswick

· Nights 8-9: Chalet in Bertrand AirBnb in Bertrand, New Brunswick

· Night 10: Residence Inn in Concord, New Hampshire

· Night 11-12: Renew on Walnut AirBnb in Downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania

where we ate: DINING on our road trip to and through new brunswick, canada

For the most part, we ate breakfast in our accommodations and packed hiking-friendly lunches to take with us each day, but we typically ate dinners out. Here are a smattering of spots we enjoyed during our trip.

· Tipsy Tails Restaurant in Alma, New Brunswick – This small spot has a handful of tables inside and additional ones on their back deck, which sits overlooking the water. The view can’t be beat nor can outdoor dining on a beautiful summer day! We enjoyed this spot so much that we returned to it a second night. While the menu is fairly short, it has delicious options, and we’d particularly recommend the fish tacos. There is also an extensive beer menu with interesting, local beers on tap.

· O’Donaghue’s Irish Pub in Miramichi, about 40 minutes from Kouchibouguac, is exactly what you want out of an Irish pub setting – lots of loud imbibing locals, sports on TV, and all of your pub favorites to eat. We both ate fish and chips, of course, after a healthy appetizer of nachos, and a couple of drinks (IPA for me, hard cider for Dustin). We were there on a rainy night, which is also apropos!

· Captain’s Resto and Lounge in Saint-Louis-de-Kent near Kouchibouguac – This fine dining restaurant had just switched to a new chef a few weeks before we visited. The chef, his wife, and family, are from the Netherlands, and he was clearly trained well in developing a fine dining experience. The restaurant has seating indoors and a large patio outside, which is where we sat. The meals are plated beautifully, the ingredients fresh and locally sourced where possible, and there was just the right amount of creativity. For example, for our appetizer, we had red beet and goat cheese bites served with salad and lime dip. The service was slow as they were trying to determine the right staffing based on the new chef joining, but we were in no rush, nor were any of the other diners. As one of only a few options near Kouchibouguac, this restaurant was truly memorable, and I hope it does well!

· Grains de Folie in Caraquet – This bakery/café and bookshop is owned by a couple who moved to the area from France. The spot is quaint and cozy and offers delicious breakfasts, café beverages, has a bakery, and has a French-language bookshop within it. This is the type of place I would love to live near! For breakfast, I had cappuccino and Atlantic omelette (salmon, swiss cheese parsley), and Dustin had bagel with ham, egg, cheddar cheese, maple syrup on sesame bagel. We picked up a couple of gifts in the bookshop.

· La Table des Ancetres Restaurant at Village Historique Acadien – The open-air living history museum of the Acadiens in Canada has a restaurant open for lunch daily with two options on the menu that alternate based on the day of the week and are based on historic menus that the original Acadiens would have eaten. We each tried a different option during our visit. I had salted cod in cream soup and Dustin had roasted park with mashed turnips. Both were good and filling and made more interesting by their historic aspect. This restaurant can get crowded and is first-come, first-served, so plan accordingly!

· Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro in Freeport, Maine – On our lengthy day of driving from Bertrand, New Brunswick to Concord, New Hampshire, we decided to visit Freeport, Maine, for dinner. We wandered through the town, did a little after-dinner shopping at the 24-hour L.L. Bean store with the storied boot, and ate at this place for a late dinner. The restaurant is quite large indoors but has a more intimate outdoor seating option, which is where we dined. We split crab cakes for our appetizer and split a pizza for dinner (the Ultimate Caprese with chicken). The desserts sounded fantastic but alas, we had no room!

· Our Town Brewery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania – This active brewery + restaurant is a casual spot to grab a table, order one of their beers and a bite to eat. They have outdoor dining but it was basically 100 degrees when we were there so inside was the place to be. Our lunches were both tasty – Dustin had a BLT with their brew called In the Shade (blackberry, blueberry, and lemonade sour ale). I had a Bacon Chicken Ranch with a side salad and their City Sunrise brew, which is a grapefruit and ginger IPA.

· Rachel’s Café and Creperie in Lancaster – This was one of the few times we got breakfast at a restaurant. This quite bistro-style restaurant was located literally across the street from the historic townhouse we rented. I had Rodeo crepe (bacon, red onions, peppers), and Dustin had the Olyer crepe (ribeye steak, cheese, scallions). I also couldn’t help but try the Nutella mocha, which was very tasty, while Dustin opted for a more normal iced latte.

Would we return to spots along our Road Trip To and Through New Brunswick?

We had a fantastic time on this trip and are glad we went. Because of the rural nature of the destinations in New Brunswick, we were able to more-or-less do them justice during our stay so while we would happily return, we would prioritize other new-to-us destinations first. We did consider this to be a short peek into an area we’d like to explore more thoroughly and be able to actually hike: New Hampshire and Vermont. This is also the first time Dustin had been to Maine, though I’ve been before, and we absolutely want to plan a trip to check out that area, too.

Trip Do-Over: What would we do differently?

If we had visited New Brunswick about six weeks earlier, we probably could have had fewer mosquitoes to deal with, so I’d say late spring is probably a better option, though it will also be cooler so sometimes you can’t win. Other than that, we planned this trip pretty well with enough days at the different destinations to off-set the length days of travel. I’ve learned through lived experience that doing a long drive at the end of a long road trip is grueling but easier to tolerate at the start of the trip, so we applied that here, making our way up to New Brunswick with two long driving days but breaking up the return trip quite a bit more.

Our Driving Route

In order to accurately show our approximate route, we’ve split this up into two maps. The first shows our outbound route and covers days 1-9. The second shows our return route and covers days 10-13. In total, we covered about 2,800 miles and nearly two full days of driving time (just under 48 hours).

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