Fundy National Park

Fundy National Park is a Canadian national park in the Bay of Fundy near Alma in New Brunswick. The park showcases a rugged coastline which rises up to the Canadian Highlands, the highest tides in the world and more than 25 waterfalls.

Understand
The park covers an area of 207 km² (80 sq mi) along Goose Bay, the northwestern branch of the Bay of Fundy. When you look across the Bay, you can see the northern Nova Scotia coast.

A variety of scientific projects are ongoing in the park, with the primary focus on monitoring the park's ecology. Projects have focused on re-establishing aquatic connectivity in the park (Bennett Lake Dam, new Culverts, Dickson Brook restoration. Species such as the endangered Inner Bay of Fundy Salmon, Martens and Fishers (members of the weasel family), brook trout, eel, and moose are monitored regularly.



Landscape
The park is located in the Level III- Eastern Temperate Forests (Maine-New Brunswick Plains and Hills) ecoregion. The park is situated in two distinct ecoregions.

The southern section of the park falls in the Fundy Coast ecoregion. This region experiences cool, wet summers and mild, rainy winters. Its coniferous forest consists of red spruce, balsam fir, and red maple with some white spruce, and white and yellow birch. Some sugar maple and beech trees are also found here at higher elevations.

The northern section of the park falls in the Southern New Brunswick Uplands ecoregion. This ecoregion experiences summers that are warm and rainy, and winters that are mild and snowy. Its mixed-wood forest contains mainly sugar and red maple, white and red spruce and balsam fir trees.

The park is in the New England-Acadian forest ecoregion.

Flora
The park is home to 658 species of vascular plants, 276 species of bryophytes, and more than 400 species of lichens. The Fundy forest is generally a mixed-wood forest composed of red spruce (Picea rubens), balsam fir (Abies balsamea), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), white birch (Betulla papyrifera), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and red maple (Acer rubrum). The mixed-wood forest floor is blanketed with moss, wood fern (Dryopteris), and bunchberry (Cornus canadensis).

Pure hardwood stands (distinguishable communities of tree species within a forest) account for 5.4% of the Fundy forest cover. The most abundant pure hardwood stands are yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) and white birch (Betulla papyrifera). There are also some sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red maple (Acer rubrum), and beech (Fagus) stands. Carolina springbeauty (Claytonia caroliniana) and trout-lily (Erythronium americanum) bloom in the hardwood forest every year.

The coniferous forest in the park represents the boreal element of Fundy’s forest cover. Although pure stands of conifer are rare in the park, the Fundy forest has some of the last pure stands of red spruce (Picea rubens) found in eastern North America.

The bogs of the park are blanketed with sphagnum moss (Sphagnum) from which grow black spruce (Picea mariana) and Eastern larch (Larix laricina). Within the park’s Caribou Plain bog, three carnivorous plant species are found: pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), sundew (Drosera anglica), and bladderwort (Utricularia).

Some rare plant species are also found in the park. Bird’s-eye primrose (Primula farinosa) is found along the Point Wolfe and Goose River coastal cliffs, and several other rare flora species, namely slender spikemoss (Selaginella viridissima), squashberry (Viburnum edule), green spleenwort (Asplenium viride), rare sedges, and fir clubmoss (Huperzia selago), are found along the eastern branch of the Point Wolfe River and the lower part of Bennett Brook.

Fauna
Animals that inhabit this national park are moose, snowshoe hares, chipmunks, cormorants, red squirrels, pileated woodpeckers, little brown bats, peregrine falcons, black bears, coyotes, beavers, white-tailed deer, white-winged crossbills, various mice and shrews, juncos, sandpipers, raccoons, warblers, plovers, great blue herons, and northern flying squirrels.

Visitor information

 * Park website

Fees and permits
Daily (2024):
 * Adult $9.00
 * Senior $7.75
 * Youth and children free
 * Family/group $17.50

Seasonal passes are available for less than the cost of 5 day passes, and less than the cost of 4 day passes if purchased before June 14.

Fishing (2024): Daily $13.50 Golf (2024 summer/shoulder season):
 * 9 Holes $25/$21.25
 * 18 Holes $45/$37

Annual passes available.

Do

 * At low tide, park visitors can explore the ocean floor where a variety of sea creatures (e.g., dog whelk, periwinkles, various seaweeds) cling to life. At high tide, the ocean floor disappears under 15 m (50 ft) of salt water.
 * Paddle in a kayak as the waters rise up to 12 metres or more.
 * Walk the otherworldly sea floor at low tide.
 * There are 25 hiking trails throughout the park. The Caribou Plains trail and boardwalk provides access to upland forest and bog habitats. Dickson Falls is the most popular trail in the park.
 * The Dobson Trail and Fundy Footpath extend out of the park to Riverview and to St. Martins respectively. A unique red-painted covered bridge is located at Point Wolfe.
 * Park amenities include a golf course, a heated saltwater swimming pool, three campgrounds, and a network of over 100 km of hiking and biking trails.
 * During the winter, Fundy National Park is available for day use, at one's own risk for skiing, snowshoeing, tobagganing, and winter walking.

Lodging
Per night 2024 (Jun 24 - Sep 5/May 18-Jun 25 and Sep 8-Oct 31):
 * Rustic cabins $78/not available
 * oTENTik (glamping tents) $111/$100
 * Yurt $133/$111

Camping
Sites range from "Unserviced with washroom building having toilets and showers" to "Serviced with electricity, water, and sewer".

Per night 2024 (Jun 24 - Sep 5/May 15-Jun 25 and Sep 8-Oct 11):
 * $28.50-39.50

Winter camping (Thanksgiving Day to mid May):
 * Unserviced $15.70

Backcountry
Backcountry use and camping (2024, per person):
 * Overnight $13.50