Fundy Coastal Drive (303 km)
Saint John to Hopewell Rocks · one way, about 303 km back to the start
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Why this ride
A one-way ride of 303 km, Saint John to Sackville - roughly 4 h 05 in the saddle. The stops in between: St Martins, Fundy Trail Parkway and Alma. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
Roadbook
- Saint John
start
Saint John sits at the mouth of the Saint John River on the Bay of Fundy, a city of about eighty-eight thousand with the dock cranes of a working port, the red-brick faces of a Victorian downtown and a reputation for fog that is not undeserved. The bay beside it has some of the highest tides in the world, and the effect is on show at the Reversing Falls, where the river is squeezed through a narrow gorge. At low tide the river pours out to the sea in rapids; at high tide the sea pushes upstream; and for a short time in between the water is flat. It is an odd sight, and a good reminder that the real boss here is the moon.
The city was settled in the late eighteenth century by Loyalists, supporters of the British Crown who left the new United States after the American Revolution, and it was incorporated in 1785 as the first city in what is now Canada. The old City Market, a covered hall built in the 1870s with a roof like an upturned ship's hull, still sells fish, cheese, dulse, which is dried red seaweed, and baked goods. The city has also been home to a large oil refinery for decades, and it is the headquarters of the Irving family, a name seen on petrol stations across the Maritimes.
The Fundy Coastal Drive starts here and heads east and west along the coast. East of the city, the road leads to St. Martins, a small fishing village with two covered bridges and sea caves, and to the Fundy Trail Parkway, which opens up long stretches of rugged coastline for walkers and riders. West, it runs toward St. Andrews, an old resort town on the Passamaquoddy Bay with a good waterfront and whale-watching boats. The roads are mostly well-surfaced and winding, with the grey sea always at one side, but fog can reduce visibility sharply, especially in summer, and the tide swings by more than seven metres, so be careful near the shore.
The city has every service you could need, with plenty of petrol stations, restaurants and motels. Smaller communities along the coast have fewer stations, so top up before leaving town.
Eat seafood chowder, or a lobster roll, and take it down to the harbour. If the fog lifts in the evening, the light on the water is soft and silvery.
- St Martins
scenic
St Martins is a small village on the Bay of Fundy coast of New Brunswick, and it lives by the tide. Twice a day the water retreats from the harbour and leaves the fishing boats resting on the mud, and twice a day it returns, rising several metres in a few hours. The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world, and at St Martins the difference between low and high water is the height of a three-storey building. It is hard to understand until you have seen the same harbour at both extremes.
The village was a shipbuilding town in the nineteenth century, when the shore was lined with yards producing wooden square-riggers that sailed to Britain and beyond. The industry collapsed with the arrival of steel ships, and what remains are the captains' houses on the hillside, a lighthouse at Quaco Head and the quiet look of a place that was once richer. Two old covered bridges stand in the village, red-painted wooden structures that have crossed the creeks since the nineteenth century, and are favourite subjects for photographers.
The sea caves are the best-known attraction. At low tide, a stretch of beach below red sandstone cliffs opens up, and you can walk into caves worn into the rock, with high arched ceilings and floors of wet sand. The tide comes in quickly, so check the tide tables and keep an eye on the water. The red of the cliffs, the green of the spruce above and the brown of the mudflats make a strong contrast, and fog often drifts in from the sea, giving the coast a moody feel.
The road from Saint John, the nearest city, runs along Route 111 through forest and farmland, with tight bends and short climbs, before dropping into the village. The surface is generally fair, but frost heaves and patches appear in the spring. It is a quiet road for a motorcycle, and in good weather a joy. The Fundy Trail Parkway begins just beyond the village, offering a more scenic and elevated ride along the coast. Fog can arrive suddenly and temperatures drop, so carry a warm layer even in summer.
The village has a bakery, a couple of restaurants and a general store, and the seafood is excellent, with lobster rolls and haddock and chips being the staples. Fuel is limited, and the safest option is to fill the tank before heading out, either in Saint John or Sussex. Plan your visit around the tide, and bring a flashlight if you plan to explore the caves.
- Fundy Trail Parkway
scenic
The Fundy Trail Parkway is a short, slow, beautiful road along one of the wildest stretches of the Bay of Fundy, and it is built for looking rather than for speed. The parkway runs along the cliffs east of St Martins, through the Fundy Biosphere Reserve, with lookouts, short trails and a suspension bridge across the Big Salmon River, and the speed limit is low enough that you can take in the views without being hurried. It is a toll road, with an admission fee collected at the gate, and it is open seasonally, normally from spring to autumn.
The coast here is rugged, with steep forested slopes dropping to the sea, rocky headlands, and small beaches of pebbles and driftwood. At high tide, waves surge against the base of the cliffs, and at low tide the exposed seabed shows ribbons of seaweed and rock pools. The parkway is part of a long-term project to open a section of the coast that had no road, and the road was designed to blend into the landscape, with careful curves, stone guard walls and viewing platforms.
For motorcyclists, the ride is a pleasure in the way a gentle, scenic drive can be. The bends are smooth and well graded, the surface is excellent, and the gradients are steady, so you can enjoy the rhythm of the ride. In places the road climbs above the water, and the views stretch to the horizon. Take care in fog, which can come in without warning and reduce visibility to a few metres, and keep an eye out for wildlife, including moose, deer and bears, which sometimes cross the road. The suspension footbridge at the Big Salmon River is a good stop, where a walk across the gorge gives a view of the river meeting the sea.
The history of the coast is a story of logging, shipbuilding and isolated communities. In the nineteenth century, loggers floated timber down the rivers to sawmills at the coast, and the remains of old wharves and dams can still be seen in places. The tides here are among the highest in the world, and the water in the bay is cold, grey-green and always moving. Walkers can follow trails to quiet beaches, and in the autumn the forest above is a patchwork of red maple and yellow birch.
The nearest services are at St Martins, a short distance west, with Hampton and Sussex further inland, so fill the tank before you enter. A small interpretive centre and a cafe offer food and information, but the opening hours are seasonal. Allow at least two hours, and bring a layer for the sea breeze.
- Alma
scenic
Alma is a small harbour at the edge of Fundy National Park, and it is one of the best places in the world to watch the sea go away. The tide in the Bay of Fundy rises and falls by twelve metres or more near here, and at low water the fishing boats sit on the muddy bottom of the harbour, tilted on their keels and tied to the wharf with long ropes. A few hours later the water returns and lifts them, and the whole village looks as if it were breathing.
The village is a working fishing port, with lobster boats, a small fleet and the smell of salt and bait, and in recent years it has also become a tourist stop. Shops sell local crafts and seafood, and a bakery is celebrated across the province for its sticky buns, which you will see travellers queuing for, with sticky fingers and satisfied faces. Lobster is cooked and sold at the wharf, and a plate of fresh haddock or scallops in one of the restaurants is a fine way to end the day.
Behind the village is Fundy National Park, a rugged area of forested hills, rivers and waterfalls on the coast, where the Acadian forest, a mix of red spruce, maple and birch, meets the sea. Trails lead to waterfalls such as Dickson Falls, where a boardwalk threads through a mossy ravine, and to quiet beaches at Point Wolfe, where a covered bridge crosses the river. The park has a pass requirement for entry, and a scenic road runs through it, with views of the bay. Moose, bear, deer and porcupines live in the forest, and whales are sometimes spotted offshore.
The ride to Alma along Route 114 from Sussex or from the north is a pleasant one, with rolling bends, forest, farms and views of the bay. The surface varies, with some rough sections, and the road climbs and descends over wooded ridges, so you need to keep your attention on the bends. Fog is common, particularly in early summer, and cold air can come off the water even in July. The best time is late summer and early autumn, when the weather is more settled and the crowds have thinned.
Alma has fuel at its small station, a few shops and several places to eat, so it is a practical stop. For anything larger, Moncton is the nearest city, and Sussex is a smaller option inland. A short distance north, the Hopewell Rocks, the flowerpot formations on the shore, are a popular stop and a good addition to the day, as long as you check the tide times.
- Hopewell Rocks
finish
Twice a day, the Bay of Fundy pulls off a trick that no other place on Earth quite matches. The tide here rises and falls by up to about sixteen metres, the highest in the world, and at Hopewell Cape the water drains away to reveal a floor of red mud and a set of tall sea stacks that locals call the flowerpot rocks. Their bases are worn narrow by the waves and their tops are crowned with spruce trees, so they look like giant planters. At low tide you can walk among them on the ocean floor; at high tide, you can paddle a kayak around their tops.
The geology is a story of red sandstone and conglomerate, laid down in ancient river systems and then sculpted by tide and frost over thousands of years. Every day the sea carves a little more, and the rocks change shape slowly, with occasional collapses. The mud is slippery and the tide returns quickly, so pay attention to the posted tide times and the staff, and keep an eye on the time. The park is open in the warmer months, from mid-May to mid-October, with an entry fee, and tide tables decide when to come.
As the end of the Fundy Coastal Drive, this is the culmination of a ride along a quiet coast. The road runs through small fishing villages, covered bridges, tidal flats and forest, and has fair pavement with gentle bends. Fog, which arrives often, can turn the view to grey, but it adds to the mood. The Bay of Fundy lies at the heart of the region's identity, and you will see harbours where boats sit on dry mud at low water and float again six hours later.
Practicalities are not generous. The nearest towns, Sackville and Amherst in Nova Scotia, are twenty to thirty kilometres off, and Moncton lies not far to the north, so fill the tank before you come. There is a restaurant at the park, and small cafés nearby sell seafood chowder and lobster rolls. Temperatures are cool even in summer, and the wind off the bay can be sharp, so bring a layer. Plan your day around the tide, and you will have one of the great natural shows of the continent.