New Brunswick, Canada, has a total of two national parks - Fundy and Kouchibouguac. So, if you are an avid lover of the outdoors and find yourself in New Brunswick, visiting both just makes good sense! Fundy National Park is situated along the southern coast of New Brunswick, perched above the Bay of Fundy. Kouchibouguac National Park is also coastal but along the eastern side of the land, near the confluence of the Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
Fundy National Park sits along the Bay of Fundy, which is famous for some of the highest tides in the world. Depending on the exact spot, the difference between low and high tide fluctuates between 15 and 48 feet, roughly the height of a 4-story building!
The drive from southwestern Virginia to New Brunswick, Canada, is no easy feat. An optimistic Google map will proclaim the drive to be 18 hours in length, but that estimate is built for the travel of future bots; real humans have to stop to eat, use the bathroom, caffeinate, and replenish the gas in their cars. Oh, and there will definitely be traffic, perhaps some passing rainstorms to slow traffic. There is a border crossing where every question feels like a trick and a trap and an honest answer to the questions will gain you a free pass to a (friendly but time-eating) secondary screening (true story, more below).
We decided to visit 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.
The drive from Spokane, Washington to Banff is about 6 1/2 hours but of course that is only if you drive straight through. Stopping for the necessities like food, gas, and bathrooms means it is a pretty solid day’s trek, also dependent upon the border crossing from the US into Canada. The drive left the state of Washington pretty quickly and then spanned much of Idaho’s panhandle before crossing into Canada. From there, the topography began to change with the towering mountains first in the distance and then rising up and around us until we climbed ourselves up into them.
Our 11-day road trip that would carry us across international borders twice started with a couple of days in Vancouver before we headed to Washington state and ultimately north again to Banff.
When I dream of hitting the road for an extended road trip to just go and explore without any time constraints, I mostly picture spots out west. It makes sense. There is ample open space, more solitude, fewer cities. I often picture spots from this particular trip - most particularly Banff, in Canada’s Alberta province, nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Hiking in the Canadian Rockies is often breathtaking.
Kouchibouguac National Park is at the heart of Acadian New Brunswick. Situated along the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and with the Kouchibouguac River running right through it, the area is filled with the life and ecology common of an estuary. With hikes along the water, in the woods, and through bogs, there are a variety of sights to take in. Like many other similar areas along the eastern seaboard, the area is also home to sated mosquitoes so come prepared.