We are two fairly sedentary professors in our early 60s and one not so sedentary Bernese Mountain dog, planning a road trip to New Brunswick and maybe PEI in August, for approximately a week to 10 days. Our starting point is Portland, Maine where we live. We did a much longer trip of this sort some years ago, taking the ferry from Maine to Yarmouth, NS (which is no longer an option) and then on to Cape Breton & Cap Pele, NB (near Shediac) & then back home via Fundy National Park, Saint John, NB, St. Andrew NB & then back into Maine. Without the ferry, we are looking at a sizable amount of driving. The catch is we want to take a road trip but don't want to drive more than approx 3 hours a day, 2 would be even better. We would like to go to some part of NB we haven't been to before, but preferably like Cap Pele where the gulf stream makes the water warm. We thought about PEI but it is far and not so warm, I think. Any suggestions for an 8 day plus itinerary? We know from experience that finding pet friendly lodging is not a problem.
Itinerary for 8 days or more from Portland, Maine to New Brunswick. Canada
Recent Activity
View all Canada activity »
- 1 Canadian Rodeo in early to mid July --- somewhere near Montreal or Ontario?
- 2 Calgary - Things to Do
- 3 Two weeks in Quebec with kids.
- 4 Preclearing US customs in Canada
- 5 Vancouver + Vancouver Island August Trip
- 6 Need help, can't decide
- 7 Hike/Trail recommendations in Banff?
- 8 Parksville Or Nanaimo
- 9 NIAGARA FALLS TO RAPID CITY MOST SCENIC ROUTE PLEASE
- 10 Info about Visiting Yoho's Lake O'Hara, please!
- 11 Transportation from Toronto to Niagara Falls
- 12 Reservations needed for BC ferries between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay?
- 13 2 weeks in vancouver with small baby
- 14 How similar are the Tofino area of B.C. and the San Juan Islands of WA state?
- 15 help! quebec city with a toddler.
- 16 Sidney, Pender, Galiano, Saturna - best route?
- 17 Brier Island versus Digby (or Annapolis Royal)
- 18 Road Trip from Montreal to PEI to Cape Breton
- 19 Hotel or B and B in Halifax
- 20
chartered power boat trip for family of 5 from Vancouver Island
- 21 Having difficulty finding lodging in Tofino
- 22 13 nights; 12 days in British Columbia - need itinerary
- 23 train travel
- 24 Montreal Hotel for First Time Visitors
- 25 Rental Car Canada and MT
Hi professors,
I think the key to warm waters is being on the Northumberland Strait, so whether you're around Shediac NB OR south shore PEI, I think either way would work. I remember the waters at a beach on the south coast of PEI (Tea Hill Beach) near Charlottetown I found almost unbelievably warm for so far north, as I understand is the case near Shediac. The north shore however of PEI (by Cavendish), the waters of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence I found were frigid. Fascinating the difference as they're perhaps 50 km away from one another. Mind you, Tea Hill is not really a swimmer's beach though... red clay beaches, more for clam-diggers it seems than anything. There may be some more suitable swimming beaches on PEI (like at Cap Pele) on the Northumberland Strait; hopefully someone from PEI can address this particular point.
I'm pretty much a newbie to the region myself, so I'll let others guide you with an itinerary, but I will say that I enjoyed my stays in Charlottetown and Moncton this past summer, which made me want to explore the region some more!
Best wishes, Daniel
If you are still looking for warm waters, you do have to drive all the way to the Northumberland Strait, but for a change you could explore the east coast north of Cap-Pelé (Shediac, Bouctouche, Richibucto, Kouchibouguac, Tracadie). I wouldn't rule out PEI, it is just a bridge away, after all, and it is lovely there. But with 2-3 hours of driving a day you are looking at 3 days to get there and 3 days to get back, so I suppose you are looking for things to see on the way. Fredericton and Moncton are definitely worth a stop, and route 105 between Fredericton and Jemseg follows the river nicely (it catches up with the TransCanada Highway shortly before Jemseg).
On the New Brunswick coast, make sure to stop in Shediac (pretty lively in the summer), the dune in Bouctouche, Kouchibouguac National Park and the little Acadian communities. If you had more time, the Acadian Peninsula (North-Eastern part of New Brunswick) is very interesting to see as well, but the water is not as warm up there, and it would add quite a few miles to your trip.
Happy planning!
Ventdest, Thank you, that's very helpful and likely what we will do. Exploring the East coast north of Shediac was what I had in mind. We went to Moncton when we were in Cap Pele and it was fun but we will probably skip it this time around in order to save time for places we haven been, like PEI and Fredericton (where we have some acquaintances.Our travel time is pretty flexible, we could go for 10 days or so if we wanted to.
Any suggestions from anyone else, either re itinerary, places, to see, places to stay, places to eat, will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Marcia AKA Professors