bay of fundy - Nova Scotia

BAY OF FUNDY
GUIDE & MAP
HOME TO THE WORLD’S HIGHEST TIDES
AND THE MOST EXTREME TIDAL
ENVIRONMENT ON EARTH.
T
he world’s highest tides carve dramatic cliffs, creating
a coastal masterpiece best explored by seaside hiking
trails, captivating tours or amazing boating experiences.
The powerful tides have revealed numerous world-renowned
fossil discoveries in Nova Scotia including one of the most
significant dinosaur discoveries in North America near
Parrsboro and the extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage
Site Joggins Fossil Cliffs.
DISCOVER MORE!
For more information, including guided
tours, packages and experiences, visit:
Nova Scotia Tourism
novascotia.com
Taste of Nova Scotia
tasteofnovascotia.com
Bay of Fundy Recommended Experiences
bayoffundytourism.com
The 50-foot (15 metre) tidal range is five times higher than
typical tides on the Atlantic coast.
Each day 100 billion tonnes of seawater flows in and out
of the Bay of Fundy during one tide cycle – more than the
combined flow of the world’s freshwater rivers and enough
water to fill the entire Grand Canyon!
In 2014, the Bay of Fundy was named one of the Seven
Natural Wonders of North America, keeping company with
Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, the
Everglades, Niagara Falls, the Redwoods (Sequoia National
Park and Redwoods National Park) and Mount McKinley.
Landscape of Grand-Pré, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Burntcoat Head
Front Panel: Cape Split Provincial Park
April 2015
NOVA SCOTIA’S
WELCOME TO
NOVA SCOTIA’S BAY OF FUNDY
PHOTO OPS
WHEN THE TIDE IS YOUR GUIDE THERE IS AN OCEAN OF POSSIBILITIES.
Twice a day, billions of litres of water flow in and out of the Bay of Fundy, creating the world’s highest tides. With these
tides comes an abundance of sea life and whales just waiting to say hello. As the tidal waters rush into the rivers that
feed the Bay, a surge of water up to 8 feet high rises up for rafting and kayaking experiences that give adrenaline seekers
the thrill of a lifetime.
You’ll want to keep your finger on the shutter button
with jaw-dropping views of the Bay of Fundy at
every tide-carved curve of the coast.
Cape d’Or
Grand-Pré
Cape Split
Balancing Rock
The Look Off
Five Islands
TIDAL TIPS
• We have the highest tides in the world, but we
recommend you explore the coast when they are low!
Check the tide times at: www.novascotia.com/
bayoffundytides
• The time between a high tide and a low tide is, on average,
six hours and thirteen minutes. You can expect to see at
least one high and one low tide during daylight hours.
• The Bay of Fundy has 4 unique tidal effects:
Vertical, Tidal Bore, Horizontal Tide and Tidal Rapids.
Tidal Bore Rafting, Shubenacadie River
• In some parts of the Bay, like Burntcoat Head, the tide
retreats as much as five kilometers (three miles) at low
tide leaving vast areas of the ocean floor exposed.
• Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy is also the best site on the
planet for “green” tidal energy. Visit the tidal energy test
site near Parrsboro at the Fundy Ocean Research Centre
for Energy (aka FORCE) or the Tidal Power Station in
Annapolis Royal to see how this power is harnessed!
Hall’s Harbour
THE BEST WAY TO SEE VERTICAL TIDES IS TO VISIT SMALL
HARBOURS AROUND THE BAY THAT EMPTY AT LOW TIDE
AND THEN COMPLETELY FILL IN ABOUT 6 HOURS.
The Three Sisters, Cape Chignecto
Luckett Vineyards, Gaspereau
Mudsliding, South Maitland
TIDe-ALLY AWESOME EXPERIENCES
TOP ADVENTURES IN TASTE
1 Tidal Bore Rafting, Shubenacadie River
14 Wild Caraway Restaurant & Café, Advocate Harbour
2 Cape Chignecto coastal adventure
(Hike Cape Chignecto trails or kayak the Three Sisters)
15 Le Caveau Restaurant at Grand-Pré Winery
3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
(Grand-Pré and Joggins)
17 Hall’s Harbour Lobster Pound and Restaurant
4 Whale Watching – Digby, Freeport and Tiverton
5 Parks Canada’s Historic Fortifications
(Annapolis Royal’s Fort Anne and Port Royal
National Historic Sites)
6 Guided Beach Tour with Fundy Geological Museum
in Parsborro or Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Joggins.
7 Land the Lobster Experience with Fundy Adventures,
Gullivers Cove
Top Natural Attractions
and Views
8 Five Islands Provincial Park – Campground
(Horizontal Tide)
9 Coastal Exploring at Burntcoat Head
(Vertical and Horizontal Tide)
10 Cape Blomidon Provincial Park (Horizontal tide)
11 Cape Split (Tidal Rips, also known to local fishermen
as Dory Rips). Hike the 8km (5mi) trail or experience
Cape Split from the water with Advocate Boat Tours.
12 Maitland Viewing Platform (Fundy Tidal Interpretive
Centre) – South Maitland (Tidal Bore)
13 Hall’s Harbour is an amazing vertical tide!
16 Digby Scallops at the Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa
18 Try Tidal Bay wine on an excursion with the Wolfville
Magic Winery Bus – North America’s only hop-on
hop-off wine bus.
HIDDEN GEMS
19 Bear River – The Tidal Village on Stilts
20 Ship’s Company Theatre, Parrsboro
21 Balancing Rock (Volcanic Rock Columns), Long Island
22 FORCE Centre, Parrsboro
23 Tangled Garden, Grand-Pré
24 Experience Predators, Plankton and Periwinkles
with Gael Tours, Smith’s Cove
25 Not Since Moses Run, Five Islands
26 Masstown Market, Masstown
27
Take a helicopter ride with Vision Air Services to
see how the world’s highest recorded tides
continuously shape our landscape. Halifax Stanfield
International Airport
28 Avondale Sky Winery, Newport Landing
For packages, experiences and guided tours visit:
Whale Watching, Brier Island
WHALE TALES
Several whale species, including the rare
North Atlantic Right Whale and other marine
mammals congregate in “nature’s aquarium”.
Four whale species often viewed in the Bay of
Fundy are Humpback, North American Right,
Finback and Minke.
Did you know:
• Female Humpbacks Have BFFs –
researchers show that female humpback
whales not only make friends with one
another but reunite each year.
• Whales swallow their entire weight in
water when eating.
• Humpback whales have a life expectancy
of 45 – 50 years.
• Humpback whales sing! Their songs can
heard up to 20 miles away. Whales in the
North American Atlantic population sing
the same long complex song, and all the
whales in the North American Pacific
population sing the same song.
• Male whales are called bulls and
females are called cows. Their young
are called calves.
No
rth
Explore SAFELY
Although it takes approximately
6 hours for the tides to change direction,
visitors should always be aware of
the incoming tide when exploring the
coastline. Be sure to allow plenty of time
for safe return, as tides move
more quickly than they appear.
Joggins
3 6
New Brunswick
2
Glooscap
Trail
.
N, N.B
T JOH
4
Evangeline
Trail
Long Island
4
Brier Island
RY
FER
FER
Freeport
St. Mary’s
Bay
1
101
Port Royal
DIGBY 16
Smiths 24
Cove
Weymouth
RY
21
4
Gilbert Cove
Tiverton
Cape d’Or
13 17
19
5
28
1
102
Stewiacke
Shubenacadie
14
2
Stanfield
27 Halifax
International Airport
1
12
3
8
Kejimkujik
National Park &
National Historic
Site of Canada
103
HALIFAX
Chester
Kejimkujik
Scenic Drive
Mahone Bay
Bridgewater
Halifax
Dartmouth
Lunenburg
E
Liverpool
YARMOUTH
TRURO
Urbania
Newport
Landing
Brooklyn
101
26 Masstown
Maitland
Walton
W
FERRY TO PORTLAND, M.E.
12
Noel
Blomidon
WINDSOR
Debert
2
NOVA SCOTIA
Bear River
0
Lighthouse
Route
ait
Londonderry
Five Islands Bass
14
Annapolis Royal
Str
104
Parrsboro
10
101
nd
4
2
WOLFVILLE Grand-Pré
Berwick
18 3 15 23
KENTVILLE
Bridgetown
rla
Springhill
River
20 22 6
8 25
Cape
Economy
Split 11 Cape Blomidon
10 Minas BasinBurntcoat Head 9
Hall’s Harbour
Aylesford
1
Kingston
Middleton
Greenwood
O SAIN
T
FERRY
Sandy Cove
14
Advocate Harbour
Margaretsville
Port George
River
Hebert
ve
adie Ri r
nac
Shu be
Gullivers Cove
Cape
Chignecto
be
Oxford
Apple River Port
Greville
Bay of Fundy
Delaps Cove
7
AMHERST
Minudie
um
6
S
10
20
30 km