Fundy National Park

Fundy National Park

Area: 206sq.km (80 sq.mi). Established: 1948

From the TransCanada Highway, turn off on to Route 114 near Sussex/Moncton.

There are campsites, a motel and holiday-homes in the park, and bed and breakfast is available in Alma and the surrounding villages.

This park on the steep south coast of New Brunswick includes a 13 km (8 mi.) strip of the wild coast on the Bay of Fundy. Cliffs rise steeply up from the shore and the otherwise slightly hilly landscape is slashed here and there by deep gorges.

The strong influence exerted by the bay means that two quite different climatic regions are to be found within the comparatively small National Park. That on the coast is characterized by cool summers with frequent mist and mild winters. On the higher land the summers are warmer, with no mist, and the winters colder. When the wind comes off the sea in summer the temperature on the coast can differ by as much as 6°C (11°F) from that inland. The arrival of European settlers had an adverse effect on the eco-system of Fundy National Park. In the 19th c. the developing timber industry meant that large areas of trees were cut down for ship-building. When the timber industry declined in the early years of this century the land was deserted. Attempts to mine ore failed, and only very few mines - which are now open to visitors - proved profitable. The topsoil was not deep enough to be properly cultivated, although a few farmers managed to scrape a living by diversifying. When the region was declared a National Park in 1948 the few remaining inhabitants received small sums in compensation and their houses were pulled down. Salmon, peregrine falcons and ermine, once frequent denizens of the park, had died out, and had to be laboriously imported over the last forty years or so and gradually familiarized with their new surroundings. The natural Arcadian Forest too, with its mixture of ash, elm, spruce, pine and fir, was severely affected by having trees cut down. Caterpillars of a certain species of moth which feed on pine and spruce-needles have seriously decimated the young trees planted in the place of the old. A new type of forest with a higher proportion of birch and small clearings has grown up. In spring in particular a brilliant display of flowers can be seen under the shade of the trees. Large ferns and rare orchids are a sight to behold.