Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Bay of Fundy Trip

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Bay of Fundy Trip

My aunt asked if I'd accompany her (76) on a vacation. She wants to go to Bay of Fundy and walk on the ocean floor at low tide. I am in my 30s but would be happy to take her. My problem is I've no idea where to begin putting together this vacation and am turning to you for help. I did alittle research on the net and am still not quite sure what area the Bay of Fundy is near. Where should we stay and what else should we see. Anyone to contact for brochures? Thanks in advance for your help.

The Bay of Fundy is between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. I am pretty sure that on the New Brunswick side there are hiking trails in one of the parks where you can walk on the ocean floor at low tide. Check the Fodors (or Frommers) guides for more info.

If you want to walk on the ocean floor, I suggest going to a location near the Bay of Funday park. The Rocks Privincial Park south of Moncton is the place I remember where I was able to see the full effect of the 40 to 50 foot tides. There are some places along the north shore of the Minas Basin, but I don't recall any where you could see the results of the high tides any better than at the provincial park. We stopped at the national park, but it was not that great for viewing the tidal plains. We did to go the viewing place for the tidal bore in Truro. A large group on hand for what was to me a non-event. A small wave of water came up the creek, perhaps 2 feet high, perhaps less. That was it. Although the tides are very high, the change in water level is still gradual. It does not take place instantly, but don't linger long on an isolated area when the tide is coming in. In a few minutes time, you could be swamped. But it is not like the Johnstown Flood or a Tsunami.

OOPS It is Fundy. F u n d y I was thinking with my "phonic" switch flipped to on.

You should fly into Moncton NB. Hopewell Rocks is where you can walk on the floor of the ocean. I do think that is called Rocks provincial park. Take her also to Fundy National Park in the same area. There are lots of areas in the Fundy coast also to go whale watching. Also near Moncton is Parlee beach which is on the Northumberland Straight. This is a beautiful sandy beach.

Thanks to Melissa for correcting my bumbling entry. It is indeed Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park. My New Brunswick map does not show the place and I was trying to read the fine print on a AAA map. I missed the Hopewell. At least I got the Moncton part right!! I recall being there very well and I think you will enjoy it. There is a web site for the park. http://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/ It includes a tide table should you care to consult it for the times of high and low tides. Some of the high tides are about 45 feet. That is a lot of water!! When the tide is coming in, the water level can rise more than 4 feet per hour. (The rate of rise can be 27 feet in 6 hours, which is common, but bear in mind that the water can rise more than 6 feet per hour. ) If you decide to explore well away from an exit point where you can retreat to higher ground, I suggest you know the times. In other words, I don't think it wise to spend an extensive period of time exploring without knowing when the tide will start to flow in. Let's put it this way, if you were walking on the sand and the rising water was starting to lap at your feet and your exit point was a 20 minute walk away, you could be sloshing in 2 feet of water by the time you got there. Given that the water would slow you down, it could be 3 feet deep by the time you reached the ladders.