Hopewell Rocks: New Brunswick

Posted on by Bonnie MacKie Gundert

Week 4: Canadian Summer Staycation Series!

This is the fourth in a series of 13 weekly blog posts highlighting one iconic Canadian experience in each Province and Territory.

In this weeks’ blog post we are visiting Hopewell Rocks in beautiful New Brunswick.

Hopewell Rocks Location

The Hopewell Rocks are located approximately 1 hour from Moncton, New Brunswick on the Bay of Fundy.

Map courtesy of www.hopewellrocks.ca

Bay of Fundy

Is located between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (also borders Maine in the USA) that has an extremely high tidal range.   The average tide range world-wide is 1-3 feet, here it is 46 feet (the highest in the world)!!

The bay is funnel-shaped and the water that flows in the bay is very powerful (in a 12 hour tide cycle, 100 billion tonnes of water flows in and out of the bay).

What are the Hopewell Rocks?

On the Hopewell Rocks website, it describes the geology of the area and how the rocks were formed:

“The reddish cliffs at the Hopewell Rocks were first formed millions of years ago as a massive mountain range – older than the Appalachians and larger than the Canadian Rockies – slowly eroded. Mud, pebbles and rock washed down the mountains into the valley. Over time, these deep layers of sediment compressed into solid rock, forming the basis for the flowerpot formations.”

When we were there, we visited the Park in July and at low tide.

The Tides at Hopewell Rocks

There are 6 hours and 13 minutes between each high and low tide. The tide travels at 6-8 vertical feet per hour (at peak times it can be as much as 12 feet per hour)!

You can visit the Hopewell Rocks website at https://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/index.php/en/page/tide-tables to plan your visit around the tide schedule.

When you purchase an admission ticket it’s good for 2 consecutive days so that you can come back and see both high and low tide.

The park is open from mid May to Mid October.

Things to do at Hopewell Rocks

It’s mostly a self-directed experience but there are interpretive signs and staff throughout the park to help and answer any questions that you have about the rocks and the area.

At low tide you can walk the 2km beach, explore coves and learn more about the eco-system of this area.

It will be wet, mucky and slippery so wear appropriate footwear. Our family has been wearing Keen brand sandals for the past 20 years and we brought them specifically on this trip for our Hopewell Rocks visit!
Reese exploring the ocean floor.

If you are at the park during high tide, you can take a guided kayaking tour around the rocks!

We really wanted to do this when we were there but we were short on time to stay for high tide. Our girls were only 3 and 10 at the time so a bit too young for the guided kayak tours.

When we go back, we plan to arrive mid way between low and high tide to watch the water rise and then take the guided kayak tour.

Photo courtesy of www.hopewellrocks.ca

There is also an interpretive center at the park that we recommend visiting at the start so that you can learn about the unique eco-system of the area before you head out to explore it.

If you are there from mid July to the end of August, you can see the millions of shorebirds that arrive at Hopewell Rocks for a quick stay before continuing on their journey south.

Photo courtesy of www.hopewellrocks.ca

There is also a cafe, picnic areas and a gift shop if you want to grab a souvenir before you leave.

We enjoyed our visit to the Hopewell Rocks and it was one of the highlights of our trip to the east coast of Canada. We plan to visit again when we are back in the area.

Would you rather visit Hopewell Rocks at low or high tide? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

Stay tuned next week for part 5 of our 13 part Canadian Summer Staycation Series!

Here are the links to our other blog posts in this series….

Newfoundland and Labrador: Iceberg Alley

Nova Scotia: Tidal Bore Rafting

Prince Edward Island: All Things Anne

Quebec: Old Quebec

Ontario: Tobermory

Going on Safari in Manitoba

Saskatchewan: Notoriously Moose Jaw

Alberta: The Drumheller Dinosaurs

British Columbia: Rainforest and Beaches

Yukon: The Klondike Gold Rush

North West Territories: The Northern Lights

Nunavut: Inuit Culture in Iqaluit

If you haven’t had the pleasure of traveling for a vacation within Canada before, now is the ideal time to do so.

With a decrease in the number of international tourists expected to visit because of the Covid-19 travel restrictions in place, popular tourist destinations within Canada will be less crowded this summer. Hotels and resorts have been offering discounted room prices and free room upgrades to entice travelers to book accommodations.

In addition to a less expensive and more enjoyable travel experience, the tourism industry in Canada has been hit hard by Covid-19 and they are going to need our help to recover as quickly as possible with our tourism dollars.

Let’s all do our part and help support our own economy and tourism industry to recover by choosing to spend money on Canadian travel experiences this summer.

54 thoughts on “Hopewell Rocks: New Brunswick”

  2. this looks beautiful! I will definitely have to add it to my list of places to visit! Thank you!

  3. There is so much to do in this area! I love your photos too! Thanks for the tips!

  4. What an amazing place to visit! I would love to see it at both low and high tide.. so many wonderful things to see@

  5. I would really like to visit that part of Canada. My parents went up there on a trip many years ago and raved about it. What a beautiful, but somewhat underappreciated location.

  6. I’m hopefully heading out east later this summer and hadn’t thought about the tide schedule, thanks for that link!

    1. You’re welcome…we found the tide schedule helpful too when we went so I was happy to share it.

  7. What a lovely place! If I had to choose only one, I would definitely want to visit during high tide. Kayaking is the best, as are Keen sandals! But it would be nice for the two-day pass to see it during both times. I’ve only been to Canada once. I would love to explore many parts of the beautiful country.

  9. We are definitely going to have to explore Canada. That beach looks amazing.

  10. There is a race at the Bay of Fundy that I would love to do one day. It looks like a beautiful part of Canada. Then again, I have never seen a not so pretty part of your country.

    1. It is a really beautiful spot. Thanks for reading this post Heather!

  11. I have been here twice and have been amazed both times. We stayed for high and low tide and the difference was incredible. Your pictures were beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

  12. This seems like an amazing experience! Thanks for sharing, i love your pictures

  14. It’s nice to live in a place where there’s so much to do outdoors! We have that too, here in Oregon!

  16. such a beautiful area. one that i would love to explore more of!

  18. My family and I love hiking and going on adventures! I love this place. I’m pinning for our travel goals! The pictures are great!

    1. Yes…46 feet in a matter of hours is crazy! Thanks for reading this post Sandi!

  21. I love learning all about Canada, I can’t wait to travel there and explore!

  23. I keep hearing great things about Keen sandals. I really need to look into getting some.

    1. We love them because they are sturdy and if we are somewhere where our feet might get wet we don’t have to worry about changing shoes. They rinse off well with a hose.

  25. I love this “STAYCATION SERIES” idea! Really great idea! The areas near to us often get forgotten when lured away to far away places! Beautiful area you live in daily!

    1. Thanks Barbara! It always amazes me how many people haven’t even seen most of their own country!

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